Logistics & SCM

Logistics Software Has No Room for Guesswork

A shipment is late. Where is it? When will it arrive? Who needs to know? These questions sound simple. Answering them in real time across thousands of concurrent shipments, multiple carriers, and unpredictable conditions is anything but simple.

Logistics software deals with the physical world. Things break. Weather happens. Trucks get stuck in traffic. Ports get congested. The software needs to handle these realities gracefully, surface the right information to the right people, and help them make decisions fast.

We build logistics systems that operate in this reality. Not the clean, predictable reality of a demo environment. The messy one where GPS signals drop, drivers forget to scan packages, and a container ship blocks the Suez Canal.

Industry-Specific Challenges

Logistics technology faces constraints that pure-software industries don’t deal with.

Real-time data is hard. Tracking a fleet of 500 vehicles means processing thousands of GPS pings per minute. Each one needs to be validated, stored, and evaluated against geofences, ETAs, and exception rules. Latency matters. A position update that arrives 10 minutes late is useless for real-time decision-making.

The physical world is unpredictable. Route optimization algorithms work great in theory. Then a bridge closes, a driver calls in sick, or a customer moves their delivery window. Your system needs to re-optimize on the fly without creating cascade failures across the rest of the schedule.

Integration is fragmented. Shippers, carriers, warehouses, customs brokers, and end customers all use different systems. EDI is still the standard in many corners of the industry. APIs exist but are inconsistent. Some partners still communicate via email and spreadsheets. Your platform needs to work with all of them.

Compliance varies by geography. Cross-border shipments involve customs declarations, duties calculation, restricted goods screening, and documentation requirements that change by country, product category, and trade agreement. Getting it wrong means delays, fines, or seized cargo.

What We’ve Built

We’ve worked on logistics systems across the fulfillment chain:

• Fleet management platforms — Real-time vehicle tracking, driver assignment, route optimization, maintenance scheduling, and fuel management for fleets ranging from 50 to 5,000 vehicles
• Warehouse management systems — Receiving, putaway, pick-pack-ship workflows, cycle counting, and slotting optimization for facilities handling thousands of SKUs
• Transportation management — Carrier selection, rate shopping, load planning, tendering workflows, and freight audit for shippers managing complex carrier networks
• Last-mile delivery — Dynamic routing, proof of delivery capture, customer notification, driver apps, and delivery window management
• Supply chain visibility — End-to-end shipment tracking across multiple carriers and modes, with exception alerting and predictive ETA calculation
• Customs and trade compliance — Automated HS code classification, export screening, commercial invoice generation, and duty calculation

Real-Time Systems

Logistics runs on real-time data. We build the infrastructure to collect, process, and act on it.

Our real-time approach includes:

• GPS and telematics data ingestion handling thousands of events per second
• Stream processing pipelines for real-time position updates and geofence evaluation
• Event-driven architectures that trigger alerts, notifications, and workflow actions automatically
• Time-series databases optimized for location and sensor data storage and query
• Map-based interfaces with live vehicle positions, route visualization, and traffic overlays
• Offline-capable mobile apps for drivers and warehouse workers operating in low-connectivity environments
• IoT device integration for temperature monitoring, door sensors, weight sensors, and fuel level tracking

We’ve built systems that process millions of location events per day. The architecture needs to handle bursts, handle gaps in connectivity, and maintain accuracy even when data arrives out of order.

Integration Experience

Logistics sits at the intersection of many systems. Every partner in the chain has their own way of doing things.

We’ve integrated with:

• Telematics providers — Samsara, Geotab, KeepTruckin, and custom OBD-II and ELD devices
• Carrier APIs — FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, and dozens of regional carriers for rating, booking, and tracking
• EDI platforms — Sterling, SPS Commerce, and direct AS2 connections for 204, 214, 856, and 990 transactions
• ERP and WMS — SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Manhattan Associates, and custom warehouse systems
• Mapping and geocoding — Google Maps, Mapbox, HERE, and OpenStreetMap for routing, geocoding, and visualization
• Customs and trade — Descartes, Amber Road, and government customs portals for cross-border compliance

EDI deserves special mention. It’s old, it’s clunky, and it’s not going away. We’ve built EDI translation layers that handle the quirks of different trading partners without requiring you to become an EDI expert. We’ve also built bridge systems that let EDI-only partners communicate with modern API-based platforms.

Our Approach

We start by mapping the physical flow. Where do goods move? Who touches them? Where do handoffs happen? Where does information get lost? The answers tell us where software can add the most value.

Logistics software needs to be resilient. Networks go down. Devices lose connectivity. Partner systems have outages. We build with graceful degradation in mind. The system keeps working when things go wrong. It queues updates when connectivity drops. It alerts operators when data gaps exceed thresholds.

We also build for the people doing the work. Warehouse workers scanning packages. Drivers navigating deliveries. Dispatchers managing exceptions. These users need interfaces that are fast, clear, and forgiving. They’re moving in a physical environment. They can’t stop and troubleshoot a confusing UI.

Logistics is where software meets the real world. We respect that complexity and build systems that handle it honestly. If you’re building logistics technology, we’d like to hear about it.