FORTUNE 100 FOOD MANUFACTURER — INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
an inventory system built for data, not for people. we fixed that.
ROLEUX/UI Designer
USERSWarehouse managers, plant operators, supply chain teams
SCALEFortune 100 · Multi-plant national operations
TYPEInternal enterprise web app
THE PROBLEM
The system was functional but aging — built around data structures rather than the people operating them. Warehouse staff and plant managers were navigating dense, form-heavy interfaces to manage high-stakes operations across dozens of facilities.
No plant context
Users managing multiple plants had no persistent awareness of which facility they were operating in.
Opaque permissions model
A multi-role, multi-plant permission system had no clear visual representation, creating admin errors.
Legacy visual language
The UI felt like a desktop application from a previous decade — no hierarchy, no breathing room.
No inline validation
System constraints like FIFO enforcement and production date rules surfaced too late in the workflow.
ACCESS & PERMISSIONS
With 11 distinct user roles spanning Normal User through Corporate Accounting, the permissions model is one of the most complex parts of the system. The redesign made it legible at two levels: the role list and the granular permission editor.
USER GROUP PERMISSIONS — 11 named roles with numeric codes. A clean browse table that makes the full role taxonomy visible at once before drilling into any individual role.
MANAGE PERMISSIONS — Two-level toggle hierarchy: section master toggle cascades to granular sub-permissions. Role description shown inline.PLANT ACCESS MODAL — Plant assignment via an inline checklist modal. Background table stays visible, keeping the user anchored in context.
INVENTORY OPERATIONS
PRODUCT STATUS UPDATE — Two mutually exclusive selection modes presented as radio-gated panels. Only the active panel is interactive, preventing conflicting filter combinations.
INBOUND PROCESSING
Communications screens handle inbound receipts from multiple sources — standard receipts, ASNs, and WIP production. The WIP flow adds a production date validation gate before processing begins.
PROCESS INBOUND RECEIPTS — 13-column data table with search-by-LPN and a top-right Process action. Deliberate separation between browsing and committing the batch action.
PROCESS WIP RECEIPTS — Shift filter above the table scopes the view before any row-level action.WIP DATE VALIDATION — Before processing, users must confirm the current production date. A lightweight gate that prevents batch processing against a wrong date.
MASTER FILE
ADD A NEW PRODUCT — Complex product configuration with an inline origin table. Header fields above, detailed specs below — all on one page.CUSTOMER MASTER — Customer record with inline rates table. Add Rate keeps charge configuration in context without a separate screen.
LOADOUT & ORDER MANAGEMENT
LoadOut is where product physically leaves the facility. Order creation, shipping, and verification screens are used under time pressure on the warehouse floor — the design prioritizes scannable data and inline actions over whitespace.
ADD A NEW ORDER — Header fields above an inline line-item table. The full order lives on one page rather than across a wizard.
UPDATE ORDER — FIFO ENFORCEMENT — FIFO Dates are Enforced surfaced as a persistent footer warning in red. Delete is red and positioned far left, separated from Save to prevent accidental destructive actions.
ORDER VERIFICATION — Search by order number returns a line-level view showing verified vs unverified case counts per line.SHIP ORDER — Split panel: pallet-level data left, serial-level right. Line summary at top before row-level detail — overview before detail.
REPORTS
REPORTS — Six report categories as folder cards. Scannable at a glance with no visual noise.REPORTS EXPANDED — Selecting a folder populates the right panel with individual report links. Two-panel layout keeps the category list visible.
DESIGN IMPACT
Plant context always visible
Selected plant anchored in the sidebar eliminates the most common operator error — acting on the wrong facility.
Permissions made legible
Cascading toggle hierarchy turns a complex 11-role RBAC model into something an admin can configure confidently.
Constraints surfaced early
FIFO enforcement and production date validation appear in context — before a batch action commits, not after.
Inline actions, fewer screens
Add Line No., Add Charge, Add Pallet keep complex data entry in one flow rather than across multiple pages.