Case study · Packaging OS
Packaging OS: a WhatsApp enquiry in, boxes out the door
Order to dispatch for a made-to-order box maker. Enquiries become quotes, an approved proof reserves the board, every job is tracked on the floor, and the papers are ready with the truck.
The problem
The order book lives in a chat
A box maker quotes, prints and ships to order, for many customers at once. Most of it still runs on WhatsApp, a costing sheet and the supervisor’s memory. It breaks in four familiar ways.
- Quotes take a dayCosting a box by hand from board, print and size is slow.
- Proofs get lost in chatWhich artwork was approved, and when, is hard to prove later.
- Stock runs out mid-jobBoard is promised before anyone checks the reels.
- Nobody knows where an order isThe customer calls, and someone walks the floor to find out.
How it works
Four steps, from enquiry to dispatch
Watch one order travel from a WhatsApp message to a loaded truck. Pick a step to jump to it.
Packaging OS
Papers ready when the truck is
Invoice, e-way bill and lorry receipt are prepared together, accounts get their export, and the customer is told on WhatsApp.
- Enquiries on WhatsApp become priced quotes. Every chat lands in one shared inbox. Size, board and print are picked, and the price is built up from the board cost.
- Proof and deposit before the board is cut. The customer approves the artwork on WhatsApp and pays the deposit by link. Only then is the board reserved.
- Every job on the floor, every reel counted. Jobs move through corrugating, printing, die-cutting and packing. Stock comes off as it is used, and a low reel is flagged early.
- Papers ready when the truck is. Invoice, e-way bill and lorry receipt are prepared together, accounts get their export, and the customer is told on WhatsApp.
Enquire
Enquiries on WhatsApp become priced quotesEvery chat lands in one shared inbox. Size, board and print are picked, and the price is built up from the board cost.Approve
Proof and deposit before the board is cutThe customer approves the artwork on WhatsApp and pays the deposit by link. Only then is the board reserved.Make
Every job on the floor, every reel countedJobs move through corrugating, printing, die-cutting and packing. Stock comes off as it is used, and a low reel is flagged early.Dispatch
Papers ready when the truck isInvoice, e-way bill and lorry receipt are prepared together, accounts get their export, and the customer is told on WhatsApp.
What a person still decides
The owner sets the price. The floor runs the job.
Packaging OS builds the cost, but the owner sets the margin, and costs stay visible to the owner alone. Sales sees prices, the designer sees artwork, the floor sees its jobs.
Nothing is cut until the customer has approved the proof and the deposit is in.
The supervisor decides what runs next. The system keeps the count: what is reserved, what was used and what is running low.
Every order has one place to look, so a customer’s call is answered without a walk across the floor.
Who it is for
Factories that make to order
- Corrugated box makersPrinted cartons and mailers, quoted and made per order.
- Bag and film convertersRolls, bags and liners, where the stock on hand decides the date.
- Other make-to-order plantsAny factory where a quote, a proof and a stock check stand between an enquiry and an order.
Next
Bring a WhatsApp order and see it reach dispatch
A short call is enough to see whether Packaging OS fits how your plant takes orders.
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