Materials / production / connected commerce
Connecting material reuse to fulfilment
The implementation brief
A fashion business worked exclusively with surplus raw materials, turning raw-material waste into beautiful, one-of-a-kind clothing. The implementation connected material intake, production, wholesale stock, ecommerce allocation and warehouse fulfilment.
The implementation
Materials, production, stock and channels—connected.
Systems involved
Custom API integration · ERP · Ecommerce · WMS
A custom API integration to create raw-material records and stock
A custom API integration created raw-material records in the ERP together with their stock quantities. This gave design and production teams a record of each surplus material and the quantity available to work with.
An ERP connecting materials, production and stock allocation
The ERP recorded raw materials, their quantities and locations, and finished-product stock. It supported the management of sales, production, invoicing and stock, alongside reporting for teams across the business. Materials sent for production were recorded at the manufacturer’s location. Production orders specified which products and quantities needed to be made to fulfil sales orders and replenish ecommerce stock.
Once the warehouse confirmed receipt of finished stock, it became available in the wholesale pool. Teams could then allocate units to the ecommerce pool before publishing availability online. These were two allocations within the ERP, not two physical warehouses.
An ecommerce platform connected to available stock
The storefront received the inventory allocated for online sale. Customer orders went to the warehouse for fulfilment, whilst online sales and refunds sent stock adjustments back to the ERP. Online sales and refunds were therefore reflected in the ERP’s stock figures without the operations team having to re-enter those changes.
A warehouse and WMS to receive and dispatch goods
The warehouse stored, picked, packed and dispatched finished products; the WMS was the software used to manage that work. An advance shipping notice (ASN) from the ERP told the warehouse what to expect from the manufacturer. The WMS confirmed the quantities actually received back to the ERP, keeping expected stock distinct from stock that had arrived. It also received ecommerce orders for fulfilment.
Create records and stock
Add each raw-material record and its stock quantity together in the ERP.
- 01 / CUSTOM API INTEGRATION → 02 / ERPRaw-material records + stock
Manage production records
Record production orders, material stock at manufacturers and expected finished goods.
- 02 / ERP → 03 / WAREHOUSE + WMSAdvance shipping notice
Receive finished goods
The warehouse receives advance notice, then confirms the quantities that arrive.
- 03 / WAREHOUSE + WMS → 04 / ERP STOCK ALLOCATIONConfirmed stock received
Allocate received stock
Record confirmed receipts. Allocate stock towards sales orders and ecommerce.
- 04 / ERP STOCK ALLOCATION → 05 / ECOMMERCEOnline availability
Sell available stock
Receive online availability from ERP. Send customer orders to WMS for fulfilment.
- 05 / ECOMMERCE → 06 / WAREHOUSE + WMSCustomer orders
- 05 / ECOMMERCE → 04 / ERP STOCK ALLOCATIONSales / refund stock adjustments
Pick, pack and dispatch
The warehouse uses orders received in WMS to pick, pack and ship the goods.
Business impact
This tech stack connected material reuse to production and sales, giving the business a clearer view of what it could make, where stock was held and what was available to sell.
A clearer production plan
Design and production teams could work from recorded material quantities, sales commitments and online-stock requirements. They could see what had already been sent to manufacturers and distinguish material stock from finished goods, reducing the need to reconstruct the position through separate records and conversations.
More reliable stock availability
Warehouse receipts confirmed what had arrived before stock was allocated towards sales orders. Separate wholesale and ecommerce pools made those commitments visible, whilst online sales and refunds updated the ERP. Teams had a stronger basis for controlling availability and investigating differences between physical stock and system records.
Less administration between teams and partners
The custom API integration created raw-material records and stock in the ERP, whilst ecommerce and warehouse integrations exchanged inventory and fulfilment updates. This reduced repeated data entry and the risk of errors when copying those records, freeing teams to resolve exceptions and keep production and fulfilment moving.
Better decisions about materials and working capital
Visibility of surplus materials, manufacturing stock and finished goods gave managers a more complete picture for purchasing and production decisions. It made opportunities to reuse existing materials, avoid unnecessary purchases and limit excess finished stock easier to assess. The connected history also provided a foundation for reviewing demand and improving future plans.
Elevate with AI
Proposed additions, informed by published examples from other businesses. AI was not part of the original implementation.
- Predict demand by style, colour and size to help decide which finished products to make from a limited supply of materials.
- Investigate what shoppers search for, which collections underperform and where returns are concentrated, then use those findings to refine the online range.
Tools to implement
7thonline
AI demand forecasting & allocation
In practice7thonline’s Patagonia case study describes AI and machine learning recommendations for quantities by style, colour and size, supporting product plans and stock allocation across seasons.
Apply hereAgree an ERP data feed for product, sales, stock and production records. Pilot demand forecasts for one collection, then have planners check the recommendations against material availability and manufacturing yield before approving production.
Read Patagonia case studyShopify Sidekick
Merchandising investigation
In practiceMaggy London used Sidekick to investigate shopper searches, review product-level return patterns and audit collections. The findings informed merchandising and buying decisions across the business.
Apply hereIf the storefront uses Shopify, ask Sidekick to compare search demand, collection performance and returns for a chosen range. Review the findings with production, then use the ERP’s material and stock records to decide what to change.
Read Maggy London case study
Compatibility and data access need to be confirmed. Demand predictions do not establish a material’s suitability or yield; Sidekick does not automatically access ERP or WMS records.
Anonymous case study based on real client experience