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DL-064 · Case study

Offline-first warehouse scanning for unstable connectivity

A logistics operator needed its warehouse scanning workflows to continue operating during network interruptions and local infrastructure outages.

Client
Name withheld
Location
South Africa
Industry
Third-party logistics and warehousing
Capabilities
02Stabilize03Build
01

Challenge

  • Temporary connectivity failures interrupted receiving and picking workflows.
  • Employees reverted to paper forms when warehouse systems were unavailable.
  • Re-entering offline transactions created duplicate and conflicting inventory movements.
02

Environment

  • Existing cloud-hosted WMS.
  • Android handheld barcode scanners.
  • Wi-Fi infrastructure with intermittent external connectivity.
03

Intervention

  • Designed an offline-first scanning application with local transaction storage.
  • Implemented device-level queues and replay-safe synchronization.
  • Added conflict detection for inventory movements recorded during offline periods.
  • Developed supervisor tools for reviewing unresolved synchronization exceptions.
04

Outcome

  • Core warehouse scanning can continue during temporary network disruptions.
  • Offline transactions synchronize when connectivity returns.
  • Better accountability for conflicting and incomplete stock movements.
Scanner → Local transaction queue → Sync service → WMS → Exception review.SCANNERAndroidLOCAL QUEUEOfflineSYNC SERVICEReplay-safeWMSCloudEXCEPTIONSSupervisor
  1. 01SCANNERAndroidLOCAL QUEUEOffline
  2. 02LOCAL QUEUEOfflineSYNC SERVICEReplay-safe
  3. 03SYNC SERVICEReplay-safeWMSCloud
  4. 04WMSCloudEXCEPTIONSSupervisor
Fig. 01Resilient warehouse operationsScanner → Local transaction queue → Sync service → WMS → Exception review.Scale NTS

Stack and services.

Stack01

  • Android

Services used01

Tell us what has to work.

A senior engineer reads every brief. Describe the system, what it runs on today and what happens when it fails.

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