Arrow Electronics
CORE and APEX Warehouse Apps
- Client
- Sector
- Logistics
- What we did
- Strategy, design, Android tablet app development, system integration, and ongoing support
Every pick, in step with the system.
The challenge
Arrow Electronics is one of the largest distributors of electronic components in the world. In its warehouses, a floor of scanners and staff has to work in lockstep with the warehouse management system, with no tolerance for downtime. Operators needed tools that fit the way they pick, count, and move stock, and leads needed to make decisions from the floor instead of a desk.
The build
Two Android tablet apps. CORE is for warehouse operators and covers cycle counts, picking, and inventory tasks. APEX is for leads and supervisors, with reports and decision tools they can use from the warehouse floor.
Both integrate with Arrow's existing warehouse management system, pair with handheld scanners and portable printers, and support offline use. A built-in chat connects leads and operators, and later phases added wearable devices for operators.
Arrow now runs both apps across all of its distribution centers. Shockoe defined and designed the apps, built them, and has supported them, and the middleware behind them, since launch.
The result
The apps delivered a 4%+ efficiency gain. Managers can be more productive from the warehouse floor, and real-time decisions improved order fulfillment accuracy and reduced customer support call volume. With both apps now running across all of Arrow's 30+ distribution centers, a gain of that size at each one adds up to more than one center's worth of added capacity (an estimate, not a measured result).
- 4%+Efficiency gain from the apps
- 30+Arrow distribution centers running the apps
Project images
Questions about this project
What are CORE and APEX?
They are two Android tablet apps for Arrow's warehouses. CORE is for operators and covers cycle counts, picking, and inventory tasks. APEX is for leads and supervisors, with reports and tools for making decisions from the warehouse floor.
How do the apps connect to Arrow's systems?
They integrate with Arrow's existing warehouse management system and pair with the handheld scanners and portable printers on the floor, so the work operators do in the app stays in step with the system of record.
Do the apps work without a connection?
Yes. Both apps support offline use, because a warehouse floor cannot stop when a signal drops.
Does Shockoe still support the apps?
Yes. Shockoe has supported CORE, APEX, and the middleware behind them since the first release, with phased improvements along the way.
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