LactitaliaAn internal production platform, from milk collection to the delivery of the finished product
A dairy producer kept its whole production flow in Excel files and on paper. We built an internal platform, on the web and on the phone, in which every litre of milk and every batch can be traced in both directions: from farmer to client, and from client back to farmer.
- 12modules, across the whole production flow
- 20screens, web and mobile
- ~20users, from drivers to management
- ~2months of actual work, up to handover
A whole flow in Excel and on paper
Collection from farmers, reception into tanks, lab analyses, batches, maturation and deliveries lived in separate files and paper registers. Every stage had its data, but nothing tied them together.
When a simple question needed an answer, which milk did this batch come from and who was it delivered to, the answer was rebuilt by hand, from several files, over hours.
What the platform had to do
- One place for the whole flow, from farm to client
- Traceability in both directions, ingredients included
- A field app that works without signal
- Clear roles: everyone sees and edits only what is theirs
What the platform does, module by module
Tap a module to see what it does, which data it manages and which rules it enforces. The eight at the top follow the path of the milk; the four below work across the whole flow.
Milk collection
MobileThe driver starts a trip with the tanker and the collection centres, then records every stop at a farmer directly on the phone.
- Per stop: tanker compartment, litres, antibiotic test, milk type, pH, temperature, notes
- The supplier’s signature drawn on screen and attached to the stop automatically
- Works without signal: stops go into a local queue and are sent when the connection returns, without duplicates
- Offline login for drivers and trips covering several centres in the same day
Four things designed for the reality of the factory
Traceability when milk is mixed
Milk from several farmers ends up in the same tank, gets transferred between tanks, and the tank empties and fills again. We set explicit rules: a transfer moves the links to the receptions as well, and emptying resets the chain. Otherwise a new batch would have shown false contamination.
Fields without signal
The farms are in areas without coverage. The app saves every stop locally and sends it when it can, without duplicates. A real incident in the field, a phone stuck on a weak signal, made us add four synchronisation triggers and a clear message for the driver.
A recall in seconds
The batch code on every ingredient’s packaging is recorded at preparation. If a supplier reports a problem batch, the system says which products were affected and which clients need a call.
Rules that changed through use
Maturation stages, quantities on deliveries, analyses per compartment: a few rules were adjusted after the team had actually worked in the app. We changed them without losing the history.
A document before the quote, a visit before the code
- 1
Discussion and flow document
We discussed the core functionality with the client, then wrote a document with the whole flow of the application, step by step: who does what, on which device, which fields get filled in and what remains to be clarified. The quote was based on that document, not on a vague estimate.
- 2
The factory visit
We met again to understand their business model concretely. The client showed us the factory, so we could see how the milk and the paperwork move and how the data has to pass through the application.
- 3
The build
We built the platform module by module, on the real flow: collection, reception, lab, processing, maturation, delivery, traceability, reports. Clarifications along the way were handled in writing, as they came up.
- 4
Refinement and handover
At the end, a single refinement meeting: we went through everything that was not complete, made the last adjustments and handed over the project, with accounts created for the client’s team.
The whole flow, in one system
Around 20 people, from drivers to the lab and management, work in the same application every day. Every litre of milk has a trip, a compartment, a tank, a batch and a client behind it.
The question “which milk did this batch come from and who was it delivered to” is answered in seconds, in any direction. And if an ingredient supplier reports a problem, the list of clients to call is one click away.
Is your flow kept in Excel and on paper?
We build internal platforms on the real flow of your business, from 5000 RON, with a flow document before the quote.