Inventory Management System: From Spreadsheets to Real-Time Tracking
A barcode-scanning inventory system that replaced Excel spreadsheets with real-time stock tracking, automatic reorder alerts, and multi-warehouse support.
Client: Confidential Manufacturing Company
Tablet view showing a barcode scanner interface with a camera viewfinder, scanned item details card, and a stock level indicator. Desktop view shows a warehouse floor map with color-coded zones.
The Challenge
The company managed 5,000+ SKUs across 3 warehouses using shared Excel files on a network drive. When a warehouse worker pulled items, they were supposed to update the spreadsheet, but often forgot or entered wrong quantities. Monthly physical counts consistently revealed $15K in discrepancies — items that were supposedly in stock but weren't, leading to missed orders and expedited shipping costs. The spreadsheet had grown to 47 tabs over 8 years, was slow to open, and crashed weekly. Multiple workers editing simultaneously caused version conflicts that took hours to reconcile.
Our Approach
We replaced the spreadsheets with a mobile-first web app optimized for warehouse tablets. Workers scanned barcodes using the device camera (no dedicated hardware needed), and the system immediately updated stock levels. Every scan created an immutable transaction record: who scanned what, when, from which location. The multi-warehouse view showed stock levels across all 3 locations with transfer capabilities. Automatic reorder alerts triggered when any SKU hit its minimum threshold, sending purchase order drafts to the procurement team. The admin dashboard showed real-time stock levels, transaction history, and discrepancy reports. We built a one-time migration tool that parsed their 47-tab Excel monolith into the new database, mapping SKU codes, descriptions, locations, and quantities.
What We Built
Delivery Timeline
Day 1-3: Foundation + Migration
Database schema, auth with PIN codes, Excel parsing tool for 47-tab spreadsheet migration.
Day 4-7: Scanning + Tracking
Camera barcode scanning, real-time stock updates, transaction audit trail.
Day 8-11: Multi-Warehouse
Warehouse views, inter-warehouse transfers, location-specific stock levels.
Day 12-14: Alerts + Admin
Reorder alerts, PO draft generation, admin dashboard with reports.
Day 15-16: Testing + Training
Warehouse floor testing, worker training, edge case handling.
Day 17-18: Launch
Production deployment, full data migration, parallel-run with spreadsheet for 1 week.
Tech Stack
Architecture
frontend
Next.js PWA optimized for warehouse tablets with camera barcode scanning.
backend
Hono on Railway with Drizzle ORM on PostgreSQL.
auth
Better Auth with warehouse-specific PIN codes for quick worker login.
data
PostgreSQL with full transaction history. Immutable audit log.
notifications
Slack alerts for low stock. Email PO drafts to procurement.
Security
audit
Every inventory change logged with user, timestamp, location, and quantity delta.
rbac
Worker (scan only), Supervisor (scan + transfer), Admin (full access + reports).
monitoring
Real-time discrepancy detection. Alert on unusual patterns.
backups
Hourly database snapshots. Point-in-time recovery capability.
The Results
“We lost $180K last year to inventory errors. This system paid for itself in the first month. Workers love it because scanning is faster than typing into a spreadsheet, and I love it because I can finally trust the numbers.”
Key Takeaways
Camera-based barcode scanning eliminates the need for dedicated scanning hardware. Modern phone and tablet cameras handle standard barcodes with 99%+ accuracy.
Immutable transaction logs are worth their weight in gold. When a discrepancy appears, you can trace exactly what happened, when, and who was involved.
PIN-based auth for warehouse workers is critical. Nobody wants to type an email and password with gloves on. A 4-digit PIN gets them scanning in 2 seconds.
Deliverables
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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