Elastochem

Inventory Manager
Web App

Custom Web App Unlocks Efficient Customer Service

Elastochem imports raw materials in bulk and distributes elastomers and resins to New Zealand plastics manufacturers. We’ve built a custom web app to help their customers track quantities on hand, place orders and globally chart incoming shipments.

Prior to having this digital solution, Elastochem were collating and sharing key product details – quantities on hand, new shipment ETAs, orders placed – with their customers using a spreadsheet, distributed manually by email. There had to be a better way! Elastochem approached Hart Design to discuss the feasibility of building an online portal where their customers could view their product inventory and place orders online.

Customers can see their container’s live location as the ship traverses the high seas.

The Project

Keep It
Simple

Building a custom web app for Elastochem was the right choice as it allowed us complete control over the software’s functionality. We can design a custom web app that delivers everything Elastochem and their customers need, and is not weighed down by an overload of features that they will never use. We called the app “Inventory Manager”, abbreviated to “IM”. The key to this project was to keep it simple: with a controlled, customised environment, the app’s users have an easy-to-use platform that adds value and efficiency to their daily routines.

As with any custom web app, you’re in control over its development. Originally coded for Elastochem in 2016, we have made both subtle and significant improvements to IM over the years.

Custom Web App

Key
Features

A fundamental structure of this custom web app lies in its hierarchical user levels.

At the top of the tree is the Admin user level. This allows Elastochem staff access to control the entire app ecosystem. The functionality includes the ability to add/remove/edit:

  • Their entire Product Inventory;
  • Companies (their customers);
  • Append selected Products to Customers;
  • Set available product levels to Customers;
  • Append Users to Companies;
  • And place Orders on behalf of Companies.

Beneath this user tier are Elastochem’s customers. Each person who accesses the Inventory Manager app has their own login. This allows control over access and the ability to pin actions made to specific people. There are two customer user tiers:

  • Staff can view product and order details, including placing new orders
  • Managers are customers with an elevated access that allows them to view detailed Shipping information

Elastochem holds a wide range of elastomers and resins in stock. Customers will buy only a select few of these products. IM allows Elastochem to pin selected products to Customers, so that when a User logs in, they see only those products that are relevant to them. Further, Elastochem can allocate amounts of product to specific customers so that customers can see at a glance how much of a given product is allocated to them.

The system allows Elastochem to set variable pricing levels against products if desired.

Customers can place orders that “draw down” on their available product inventory. These orders are dispatched from Elastochem’s local warehousing facility.

Orders can be made for a new bulk shipment, which will prompt Elastochem to purchase more materials from their international suppliers.

The IM dashboard shows details of orders made, including:

  • Date placed
  • Order status
  • Order ID
  • Company name
  • Who placed the order
  • Product code/s
  • Volume ordered
  • PO number
  • Delivery date
  • Notes

Admin users can also see a summary or automated emails sent to the customer in connection to each order. This allows Admin to verify at a glance the automated correspondence that has been issued to the customer.

Anyone who routinely encounters international shipping in their working life will understand the value of having automated, up-to-date shipping information at their fingertips. The IM custom web app has a built-in integration with Elastochem’s global shipping partner. This integration allows our app to access current shipping details directly from the shipping company, thus connecting Elastoshem’s customers with their consignments, wherever they may be around the globe.

Elastochem staff can append a Container Number to a Shipping Report in IM, and our app will ping the shipping provider to generate a hyperlink that provides detailed shipping information for Elastochem’s customers. With the click of a button, customers can view details including:

  • Country of origin
  • Carrier
  • Vessel
  • Current status
  • Port of destination
  • ETA

Most excitingly, Elastochem and their customers can see the live location of the ship as it traverses the high seas. Such insight affords Elastochem a unique point of difference to offer their customers.

Order summaries are sent via email to customers and admin staff when orders are placed. Additional email notifications are automatically triggered as orders are updated thereafter. Additionally, Elastochem can variably apply a “Low Stock Warning” number against a product and a customer. If utilised, a “Low Stock Warning” email will be sent to the customer when a product has reached the configured inventory level.

The Outcome

Competative
Advantage

IM is not meant to be an all-encompassing ERP software; it does not handle financial transactions or in-depth enterprise functions. By design, IM offers simple and efficient connectivity between Elastochem, its customers and valuable, up to date detail from Elastochem’s global shipping partner. The goal is to provide an easy-to-use online portal that delivers on-demand information and product ordering to Elastochem’s customers. With customers having access to IM, this custom web app reduces disruptive phone calls and streamlines administrative tasks for Elastochem.

“We use it everyday,” says Darryl Smith, Managing Director at Elastochem. “Being able to provide live shipping information to customers with a simple login gives us a real advantage over our competition,” he continues.

If you can imagine it, chances are we can build a custom web app for it!

Sometimes, the key to unlocking operation efficiency lies in the development of a custom web application. If you have ever wished for a simple solution that would make your daily business life easier, reduce administrative tasks and automate communications with customers, we’d love to hear from you. Crafting a custom web app designed to realise your vision makes for a rewarding project for all involved.

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