Warehouse team managing inventory locations and pick routes by memory because the WMS doesn't reflect the actual warehouse layout?
Stock discrepancies only discovered at month-end stocktake, by which point fulfilment errors have already reached customers?
Warehouse Management System Development
Custom WMS built for 3PLs, distributors, and e-commerce fulfilment operations who need receiving, pick-pack-ship workflows, inventory location management, and carrier integration in one system -- not a generic platform your team works around.
Built around your warehouse layout, your pick strategy, and your client requirements. Barcode and RFID scanning, wave management, cycle counting, and multi-client billing for 3PLs who charge clients based on actual activity.
Receiving and putaway workflows with directed location assignment based on your slotting rules
Pick-pack-ship with wave management, batch picking, and carrier label generation
Cycle counting programs that maintain inventory accuracy without shutting down the warehouse
Multi-client billing for 3PLs -- storage charges, handling fees, and activity-based billing per client
RaftLabs builds custom warehouse management systems covering receiving and putaway, inventory location management, pick-pack-ship workflows, cycle counting, barcode and RFID scanning, wave management, multi-client billing for 3PLs, and carrier label generation. Most WMS projects ship in 10-14 weeks at a fixed cost with full source code ownership.
100+Products shipped
·24+Industries served
·FixedCost delivery
·12-14Week delivery cycles
Warehouse accuracy requires a system that reflects how your warehouse actually works
Most warehouse management problems trace back to the same root cause: the WMS was configured for a generic warehouse, not yours. Inventory location management doesn't match your physical layout. Pick routes don't follow the most efficient path through your aisles. The system doesn't account for the way you batch orders or assign pickers to zones.
When the system doesn't reflect reality, warehouse teams work around it -- managing locations by memory, handwriting pick lists, using whiteboards for wave planning. The WMS becomes a record-keeping tool that follows what people did, rather than a system that directs what they should do next.
Custom WMS development starts with your warehouse: your physical layout, your product mix, your slotting rules, and your pick strategy. The system is built around the way you actually operate, not a vendor's idea of what a warehouse looks like.
What we build
Receiving and putaway
Receiving workflows that capture inbound shipments against purchase orders, record quantity and condition, apply QC hold processes where required, and generate putaway tasks directed to the correct location based on your slotting rules. Cross-docking support for inbound goods that need immediate outbound allocation. Supplier ASN matching where suppliers send advance shipment notices. Blind receiving for operations that check supplier accuracy. Putaway directed by product type, velocity, temperature zone, and available capacity -- the receiving process that gets product into a known, correct location from the moment it arrives.
Inventory location management
Location master built to match your physical warehouse -- aisles, bays, levels, and bin positions. Every SKU in a known location with quantity, lot, expiry, and serial number tracked at location level. Mixed-SKU location support for operations that can't assign one location per SKU. Location capacity management showing available space by volume or pallet position. Transfer tasks to consolidate slow-moving stock and recover premium pick face locations. The inventory picture that tells you exactly what's where without asking someone who was there yesterday.
Pick-pack-ship workflows
Pick wave creation based on shipping cutoffs, carrier service levels, and order priority. Directed pick tasks sent to pickers by mobile device or pick-to-light, following the most efficient path through your pick face. Batch picking, zone picking, and cluster picking configurations matched to your operation. Pack station workflows with carton selection, weight check, and packing slip generation. Carrier label generation via API for all your carriers -- parcel and LTL. Ship confirmation back to your order management system or e-commerce platform in real time.
Cycle counting and stocktake
Cycle counting programs that divide your inventory into count groups -- by velocity, location zone, or product category -- and schedule daily counts that complete a full inventory check over a rolling period. Mobile count entry with variance threshold flagging so minor discrepancies are recorded and significant ones escalate for supervisor review. Count history and variance trend reporting to identify locations or products with recurring accuracy problems. Full stocktake mode for annual or client-requested full counts. Inventory accuracy maintained continuously rather than discovered broken at month-end.
Barcode and RFID scanning
Mobile device and scanner integration across all WMS tasks -- receiving, putaway, pick, pack, and cycle counting. Barcode scan validation at every step to confirm the right product, the right location, and the right quantity. RFID reader integration for operations with RFID-tagged inventory or assets. Handheld and vehicle-mounted scanner support depending on your operation. Scan-based workflows that catch errors at the point of task completion -- before the wrong product ships, not after the customer calls.
Multi-client billing for 3PLs
Billing module for 3PL operations that charge clients based on warehouse activity. Storage charges calculated by pallet position, cubic metre, or SKU count per billing period. Handling fees charged per inbound or outbound line, carton, or order. Activity-based charges for value-added services -- labelling, kitting, reworking. Client portals showing real-time stock levels, inbound and outbound activity, and billing accruals. Billing reports generated per client per period, ready for invoice. The billing system that replaces the spreadsheet your 3PL ops team rebuilds at the end of every month.
Frequently asked questions
Off-the-shelf WMS platforms like Fishbowl, Deposco, or Mintsoft handle standard warehouse workflows well. Custom WMS development makes sense when your operation has requirements the platform can't handle without significant configuration or workarounds -- for example, an unusual physical layout that the slotting engine can't model, a multi-client billing model with complex charge structures, integration with a proprietary ERP or carrier system the platform doesn't support, or product handling requirements that differ significantly from standard carton and pallet operations. If you've spent more than six months configuring an off-the-shelf platform and it still doesn't work the way your operation does, that's a signal your operation is different enough to warrant custom development.
Inventory accuracy is maintained between full stocktakes through a cycle counting program. The warehouse is divided into count zones or product groups, and a small number of locations are counted each day as part of normal operations. Over a rolling period -- typically four to eight weeks -- every location has been counted at least once. Variances are captured, investigated, and corrected at the time of count rather than accumulating until the next full stocktake. The WMS tracks count history and variance trends so you can see which locations or products have recurring accuracy problems and address the root cause -- a labelling issue, a receive error, or a pick mis-sort -- before the problem compounds.
Yes. WMS integration typically covers two systems: the order source (Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, or a custom OMS) and the accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks, or an ERP). Orders flow from the e-commerce platform into the WMS for pick, pack, and ship. Fulfilment confirmations and tracking numbers flow back to the e-commerce platform in real time. Inventory adjustments flow to the accounting system for stock valuation. The integration scope depends on what APIs your existing systems expose. We scope integrations specifically during discovery -- we don't assume an integration is straightforward until we've looked at the API documentation and your data model.
A focused WMS covering receiving, pick-pack-ship, cycle counting, barcode scanning, and carrier label generation typically runs $40,000--$90,000. A 3PL platform with multi-client billing, client portals, RFID integration, and accounting system integration typically runs $90,000--$200,000. Cost depends on the number of carrier integrations, the complexity of the billing model, the number of client portals, and whether RFID infrastructure is included. We scope every project before pricing it -- you get a fixed cost and clear scope before development starts.
