Overview
| Client | Export-focused SME — Exports to 5 countries | 320 shipments a year |
|---|---|
| Industry / Technology | Trade / Platform |
| Period | Jan-Jun 2026 (20 weeks) |
| Scope | Item master | document generation | landed-cost simulator |
| Stack | NestJS, Next.js, PostgreSQL, FX rate API, React PDF |
| Disclosure grade | L2 Anonymised |
What was the problem?
The same item details were typed four times - into the proforma invoice, the commercial invoice, the packing list and the customs filing. A single mistyped weight once held a shipment at customs for three days. Nobody could explain the gap between quoted margin and settled margin either.
Why this approach?
Rather than improving the document templates, we made the item master the single source of record. Once every document referenced the same record, the mismatches disappeared structurally instead of being caught by review.
What we built
- 01Item master - part number, HS code, origin, weight and packing unit in one record
- 02Commercial invoice, packing list and filing data derive automatically on proforma approval
- 03Landed cost calculated per Incoterm, with the quote snapshot stored
- 04Shipment status tracked and reconciled against incoming payment
Before to After (measured in-house)
Document time per shipment
75 min
6 min
Document mismatches per month
5
0
Customs delays per half year
4
0
Quoted vs settled margin gap
+/-6.2%
+/-1.1%
Figures were measured on the same basis before the engagement and after go-live, and the calculation records are retained.
“We can see the settled margin at the moment we quote. That was the real change.”
Managing director | quoted with consent