NZ Safety Blackwoods is one of New Zealand's leading suppliers of workplace safety equipment, engineering supplies, workwear, uniforms, packaging, hygiene products, and industrial solutions. The company serves a wide range of industries including construction, manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure, healthcare, and public services.
The NZSB Internal Mobile Application is an enterprise-grade mobile solution developed specifically for internal operational teams and consignment users. It supports critical warehouse and inventory workflows including stock management, order validation, reporting, and product handling activities.
The application operates in a controlled access environment and is not publicly available. It is purpose-built for rugged warehouse and field environments, optimised for enterprise handheld devices.
How They Operated Before
Before the internal mobile application was implemented, the majority of operational activities depended on manual processes and desktop-based systems. These workflows were time-consuming, error-prone, and created significant operational bottlenecks across warehouse and distribution activities.
Previous Operational Workflows
Manual Processes Before Mobile Application
Manual stock counting with physical documentation
Spreadsheet based stock adjustments and reconciliation
Paper based Purchase Order (PO) receipt handling
Manual bin maintenance activities across warehouse locations
Separate and disconnected inventory verification processes
Limited or no mobile access for warehouse floor teams
Physical reporting procedures with delayed data entry
Manual pre dispatch order validation workflows
These legacy processes significantly increased operational effort, delayed real time inventory updates, and created inconsistencies across warehouse records. The lack of mobile first tooling meant warehouse teams were unable to act on information immediately, which slowed down order processing and dispatch activities.
Challenges Faced
The following key challenges were identified through operational analysis and stakeholder engagement prior to the project commencing:
Challenge Area
Description
Manual Processes
Warehouse operations relied on paper and spreadsheets, causing delays and inaccuracies.
Limited Inventory Visibility
No real time view of stock levels, making rapid decision making difficult.
Stock Reconciliation
Time consuming reconciliation across disconnected systems.
No Mobile First Workflows
Warehouse teams lacked purpose built mobile tools for operational activities.
Multiple Operational Systems
Fragmented tooling created duplication of effort and data inconsistency.
Manual Validation
High dependency on human validation steps increased error risk.
Consignment Permissions
Difficulty managing different price visibility permissions for consignment users.
Receipt & Dispatch Tracking
Inefficient tracking of stock receipts and outbound dispatch activities.
Reduced Productivity
Overall warehouse productivity was impacted due to outdated tools and processes.
Collaboration Approach
The project was delivered using an agile delivery methodology, with close and continuous collaboration between all key stakeholders throughout the development lifecycle.
Stakeholder Groups
Involved Stakeholder Groups
NZ Safety Blackwoods operational and warehouse teams
Warehouse floor users and supervisors
Consignment customers and external partners
Product owners and project sponsors
Mobile application development team
Quality assurance and testing teams
Delivery Activities
Collaboration & Delivery Activities
Workflow analysis and requirements discovery sessions
Prototype design and validation workshops
Internal user demonstrations and walkthroughs
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) reviews and sign off
Incremental feature releases and sprint reviews
Production feedback collection and iterative improvements
This agile first approach allowed the team to remain responsive to changing operational requirements, incorporate feedback quickly, and deliver usable increments throughout the engagement rather than waiting for a full end to end delivery.
Technical Expertise & Solutions
The mobile solution was architected to support a wide range of operational modules, each addressing a specific area of warehouse and inventory management. The application was built as a unified platform, consolidating previously fragmented workflows into a single, mobile first interface.
Core Solution Modules
Module
Key Capabilities
Authentication & Access Control
Secure login, user role validation, internal and consignment access management, price visibility controls
Inventory Operations
Stock Take, Stock Adjustment, Stock Receipts, Bin Maintenance, Product Scanning, Inventory Verification
Order Operations
Pre Dispatch Order Checking, PO Receipts, Order Validation, Product Verification
Customer Operations
Customer Selection & Search, Consignment Management, Price Controlled Views
Product Management
Product Search & Categories, Product Details, Stock Availability, Barcode Scanning, Shopping Cart, Product Lists
User Features
Dashboard, Reports, User Profile, Order Tracking, App Updates, Onboarding Flows, Account Management
Supported User Groups
The application supports multiple distinct user groups, each with tailored access permissions and feature visibility to match their operational role.
User Group
Access Level & Key Permissions
Internal Users
Full operational access including all inventory, order, and warehouse management modules
Consignment Users (Without Price Visibility)
Access to consignment workflows and product management without pricing information displayed
Consignment Users (With Price Visibility)
Full consignment access including product pricing details and price sensitive reporting views
Role based access control ensures that each user type sees only the information and functionality relevant to their responsibilities, protecting sensitive pricing data and maintaining operational data integrity.
Tools & Tech Stack
7.1 Mobile
Kotlin
Android SDK
MVVM Architecture
ViewBinding
Navigation Component
Retrofit / OkHttp / Gson / RxJava3 / RxAndroid / Google ML Kit Barcode Scanner / CameraX / Firebase Analytics / Firebase Crashlytics / Datadog
7.2 UI / UX
Figma
Interactive prototypes
User flow mapping
Component driven design
7.3 Additional Features
Barcode scanner
Camera integration
Validation engine
Bottom sheet interactions
Search indexing
Dynamic filtering
Operational Modules – Detailed Breakdown
8.1 Authentication & Access Control
Secure user login with credential validation
User role assignment and enforcement at session level
Internal access management for warehouse teams
Consignment specific access pathways
Price visibility controls based on user type
8.2 Inventory Operations
Stock Take – Mobile first stock counting with real time recording
Stock Adjustment – Corrections and variance recording directly from devices
Stock Receipts – Receiving incoming goods and updating inventory counts
Bin Maintenance – Maintaining and updating bin location data
Product Scanning – Barcode and QR scanning for item identification
Inventory Verification – Cross checking stock levels against system records
8.3 Order Operations
Pre Dispatch Order Checking – Validating orders before they leave the warehouse
PO Receipts – Recording receipt of purchase orders from suppliers
Order Validation – Confirming order details and item accuracy
Product Verification – Confirming correct products are picked and packed
8.4 Customer & Consignment Operations
Customer selection and search across registered accounts
Consignment management workflows for external users
Controlled pricing views ensuring appropriate data visibility per user role
8.5 Product Management
Product search across full catalogue with category filtering
Detailed product information including specifications and availability
Live stock availability checking per product and location
Barcode and QR code scanning for rapid product identification
Shopping cart and ordering flows for consignment users
Managed product lists for operational reference
8.6 User Features & Reporting
Central dashboard with operational summaries and quick actions
Report generation for inventory, orders, and operational activities
User profile and account self management
Order tracking for active and historical orders
In app update notifications and deployment of new versions
Guided onboarding flows for new users
Device Optimisation & Hardware Support
The NZSB Internal Mobile Application was specifically designed and optimised for enterprise handheld devices used in warehouse and operational environments. Unlike consumer mobile applications, the solution accounts for the unique constraints and capabilities of rugged devices used in high volume warehouse settings.
Supported Enterprise Devices
Device
Primary Use Case
Honeywell CT40
Primary warehouse device – used for stock take, stock receipts, bin maintenance, stock adjustments, and order validation activities with integrated barcode scanning
Zebra TC50
Inventory management and field operations – supports barcode and QR scanning with optimised mobile inventory processing and dispatch workflows
Enterprise Device Capabilities
Hardware & Device Features Supported
Native hardware barcode scanner integration for high speed scanning
QR code and product barcode scanning support
Camera assisted inventory verification workflows
Rugged device compatibility for warehouse floor environments
Touch optimised operational screens for gloved use
High volume scanning operations with minimal latency
Real time inventory processing and synchronisation
Mobile warehouse execution support across all key workflows
Current Status
Development for the NZSB Internal Mobile Application has been completed. The application is currently live and available for operational use by internal teams and authorised consignment users.
Implemented & Deployed Modules
Deployed Feature Set
Authentication & onboarding workflows
Dashboard and operational reporting features
Customer selection and consignment workflows
Product browsing, search, and catalogue management
Barcode and QR code scanning
Shopping cart and ordering flows
Stock take operations
Stock adjustment processing
Stock receipts management
PO receipts processing
Bin maintenance workflows
Pre dispatch order checking and validation
User profile and account management
Internal reporting and operational summaries
The platform continues to support active warehouse operations and consignment workflows daily, with all core modules fully operational across supported enterprise devices.
Impact & Benefits
The NZSB Internal Mobile Application delivered measurable improvements across warehouse operations, inventory accuracy, and team productivity. By replacing manual and desktop bound processes with a purpose built mobile platform, NZ Safety Blackwoods has transformed how its operational teams work on the warehouse floor.
Operational Improvements
Benefit Area
Outcome Achieved
Reduced Manual Processes
Eliminated paper based and spreadsheet driven workflows across key inventory activities
Faster Stock Verification
Real time scanning and validation significantly reduced time to confirm stock counts
Mobile First Operations
Warehouse teams now operate entirely from handheld devices without desktop dependency
Improved Inventory Accuracy
Live scanning and system integration reduced recording errors and discrepancies
Real Time Stock Visibility
Instant access to stock levels and availability across all warehouse locations
Faster Receipt Processing
Streamlined PO and goods receipt workflows accelerated inbound processing
Better Dispatch Validation
Pre dispatch checks reduced outbound errors and improved order accuracy
Reduced Paperwork
Physical documentation requirements were eliminated for most operational workflows
Controlled User Access
Role based permissions ensure appropriate data access across all user groups
Improved Team Productivity
Warehouse teams complete more tasks in less time with fewer manual steps
Simplified Consignment Workflows
Consignment users have purpose built access paths with appropriate pricing controls
Enhanced Operational Reporting
Consolidated reporting provides managers with timely operational insights
Overall, the NZSB Internal Mobile Application has transformed warehouse and inventory operations from a fragmented, manual heavy environment into a streamlined, mobile first operational platform, delivering clear and lasting value to NZ Safety Blackwoods and its teams.
