Customer Overview
Warehouse and stores teams in manufacturing environments face constant pressure to move materials faster, reduce errors, and maintain accurate inventory, all while working with limited IT infrastructure.
A heavy equipment manufacturer with a multi-zone warehouse needed a more efficient way to manage receiving, picking, material transfers, and inventory counts.
To address these challenges, a mobile-first Warehouse Operations App was implemented using Microsoft Power Apps, digitizing warehouse activities from receiving and picking to bin transfers and stock counting.
Business Challenge
The organization was experiencing several operational challenges that affected warehouse efficiency, inventory accuracy, and production continuity.
Manual Goods Receiving
Goods receipt processes were paper-based. Stores staff manually cross-checked purchase orders and updated the ERP system hours later, resulting in delays and increasing the risk of data-entry errors.
No Real-Time Bin Tracking
Bin locations were tracked using a wall-mounted board and shared Excel files. These records were often outdated, forcing employees to spend valuable time physically searching the warehouse for materials.
Frequent Picking Errors
Manual picking processes resulted in incorrect components being issued to the production floor. These errors caused production delays and operational disruptions.
Painful Stock Counts
Physical stock counts required shutting down warehouse operations. Investigating and correcting inventory discrepancies often took weeks.
No Mobile Access
Warehouse staff had no mobile barcode scanning capability and had to walk to shared PC terminals to complete transactions, slowing down daily operations.
How the Solution Addressed the Challenges
A mobile-first Warehouse Operations App was developed using Microsoft Power Apps, with barcode scanning capabilities and a centralized Dataverse backend. The solution brought key warehouse activities together into one simple and intuitive mobile interface.
Barcode-Driven Receiving
Warehouse staff can scan barcodes or QR codes to instantly retrieve relevant information, including:
- Item details
- Bin locations
- Available stock levels
- Purchase order linkage
This reduces manual data entry and speeds up the goods receiving process.
Guided Picking
The application provides guided pick lists directly on mobile devices, with bin-by-bin navigation and confirmation scanning. This helps ensure the correct item is picked before being issued to production.
Bin Transfers and Stock Counts
Operators can confirm bin-to-bin transfers directly through the mobile application. Stock counts can also be performed using the device camera as a barcode scanner, enabling rolling cycle counts without shutting down warehouse operations.
Automated Reorder Alerts
Using Power Automate, automatic reorder notifications are triggered when inventory levels fall below predefined minimum thresholds. Alerts can be sent through Microsoft Teams and email, helping managers take timely action.
Complete Audit Trail
Warehouse staff can scan barcodes or QR codes to instantly retrieve relevant information, including:
- Time stamp
- User details
- Transaction history
This provides improved traceability for audits, inventory control, and loss prevention.
How CodeValue Helps Manufacturers
CodeValue Technologies helps manufacturers modernize warehouse operations with mobile-first, connected business applications built on the Microsoft Power Platform.
Our solutions help organizations:
- Digitize manual warehouse processes such as receiving, picking, bin transfers, and stock counting.
- Improve inventory accuracy with barcode and QR code scanning.
- Enable real-time visibility into inventory, locations, and warehouse transactions.
- Reduce operational errors through guided, mobile-based workflows.
- Automate critical processes such as reorder alerts and notifications.
- Connect warehouse operations with ERP systems including Dynamics 365, SAP, and Oracle.
By combining Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse, and ERP integration, CodeValue helps manufacturers build scalable digital solutions that improve efficiency without adding unnecessary complexity.
Business Impact
The implementation transformed warehouse operations and delivered measurable improvements.
| Business Area | Impact |
| Receiving Accuracy | 92% accuracy, up from 74% |
| Goods Receipt Processing | 3× faster processing |
| Paper Usage | Zero paper forms used |
| Picking Errors | 60% reduction in pick errors |
Additional improvements included:
- Instant digital receipt confirmation through barcode scanning
- Item locations accessible on mobile devices within seconds
- Rolling cycle counts without operational shutdowns
- Automated reorder alerts through Teams and email
- Improved inventory visibility and transaction traceability
Before vs After
| Before | After |
| Paper GRNs filled manually, often with errors | Instant digital receipt confirmation through barcode scanning |
| Bin locations unknown without walking the warehouse floor | Any item’s location visible on mobile within seconds |
| Stock counts took two full days, halting operations | Rolling cycle counts completed on mobile with no shutdown required |
| Reorder decisions made manually | Automatic reorder alerts via Teams and email |
Integration Highlight — Dynamics | SAP | Oracle
The Warehouse Operations App can connect directly with an organization’s existing ERP environment through Microsoft Power Platform connectors and APIs.
Warehouse transactions—including goods receipts, transfers, picking, and stock counts—can be synchronized with the ERP system in real time or near real time.
This helps eliminate delays caused by batch uploads and improves inventory visibility between the warehouse floor and the wider business.
Technology Stack
- Microsoft Power Apps
- Microsoft Dataverse
- Power Automate
- Barcode & QR Code Scanning
- Microsoft Teams Notifications
- ERP Integration
- Dynamics 365 / SAP / Oracle
Conclusion
By replacing paper-based and disconnected warehouse processes with a mobile-first solution, the organization achieved faster transactions, improved inventory accuracy, and greater operational visibility.
The Warehouse Operations App demonstrates how manufacturers can modernize critical warehouse processes using the Microsoft Power Platform, without relying on complex or costly infrastructure.