Technologies employed included
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Building an End-to-End Reverse Logistics Platform
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Improved in-house dev team efficiency by revamping project management frameworks and procedures
Conducted extensive rewrites of the existing platform
Developed and implemented an array of complex features
Deployed the first stable release of the platform for public use
Information and communications technology (ICT)
Medium enterprise (more than 250 employees)
Netherlands
A logistics and ICT leader, which started trading in 1984, distributes automation, logistics and telecoms technology to a diverse client base spread across France and the Benelux trio of countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). It provides both its own and third-party solutions.
In its own words, the client company “stands between customers and suppliers and offers knowledge-oriented distribution.” Its offerings span computer hardware, network infrastructure, data storage, cloud services, mobile telephony, and industrial and consumer electronics.
Despite its extensive operations across Europe, it's a family business and still embodies its founding values. Its customer-centric and value-driven approach demands an ongoing commitment to innovation and fast, friction-free customer experiences.
In addition to acting as a reseller of third-party products, the client offers its own in-house solutions, which include a reverse logistics (or product returns) platform. Over the previous year, the company had been in the process of updating this solution but had run into issues with its development team.
The company was unhappy with the quality and overall delivery of the project. As a large company with 1.6 billion euros in annual turnover, it is vital that the client provides its corporate clients — most of which are resellers — with feature-rich, foolproof software. It’s equally important that cutting-edge functionality is made available as quickly as possible to avoid losing customers to competitors.
The client asked Sigli to finish developing its new end-to-end reverse logistics platform. Functionality would cover the whole returns process, from scanning a QR code on a parcel to delivery to the manufacturer. In addition, the client wanted Sigli to train and equip its in-house team for successful future deployments. Sigli had successfully worked with the client in the past on a partner portal for its cloud solutions, so we were the obvious choice for this project.
The client had the following specific requirements:
Rebuild infrastructure and functionality of the replacement reverse logistics platform.
Add a range of new features prior to the first production release.
Help management understand the technical aspects of the project and show them how to implement the scrum framework.
Provide ongoing feature rollouts, platform stabilisation, consulting and team training.
The project started in April 2024 and is still ongoing. It involves two Go and two Angular engineers.
Sigli began by looking closely at the existing platform to identify functionality and performance issues. We provided the client with two options: refactor the software or undertake a complete rewrite. The company opted for the latter.
The initial analysis found numerous issues with developer milestones and tracking. As a result, Sigli split the project into developer-friendly milestones, epics (large chunks of work) and specific tickets.
The development and deployment phase involved building microservices and API architecture, rewriting existing features and adding complex new functionality. Clear delivery and integration timelines provided the basis for consistent feature releases.
The team was made up of four AI engineers, three full-stack engineers, three frontend engineers, and two quality assurance specialists, alongside a solutions Architect and Delivery Manager.The bulk of communication was via virtual meetings in Microsoft Teams and Gather Town. All members of the team had access to email and messaging channels.
Sigli used the scrum methodology, with a product owner (PO) responsible for effective team collaboration and consistent communication with stakeholders. Standard rituals like daily meetings, sprint planning and retrospectives ensured tasks were completed to deadline.
Sigli was able to rewrite and extend the logistics platform in three months and release the first working version. In addition, Sigli set up the internal infrastructure required for the speedy, successful deployment of future features. With the platform expected to cater to over three million potential users, this was essential.
The relative inexperience of the in-house team and lack of project management frameworks were key challenges. Specifically, developer briefs were poorly written and required multiple clarifications. Sigli took on most management responsibilities while it performed comprehensive training from the client side.
Improved team communication and ensured consistent feature delivery.
Automated parts of the workflow for faster rollout of new functionality.
Set up high-quality component libraries to speed up future development tasks.
Built microservices and CI/CD architecture and rewrote the existing reverse logistics platform.
Successfully deployed an array of new complex features prior to first release.
Built a platform capable of scaling to the client’s potential base of 3.4 million monthly users.
We had already worked with Sigli and were happy with the results. The reverse logistics platform was a bit of an unusual project because it had two parts. First, we needed a finished platform to pitch to our resellers and their logistics end-customers. Second, we required in-depth training for our dev team that would allow them to deploy updates and new features in the future without any issues. We’ve been impressed with Sigli’s ability to deliver on both these fronts and are continuing to work with them.
Are you eager to see the benefits of AI and ML in your own company? Get in touch today to learn how Sigli’s developers and AI specialists can enhance and upgrade your tech infrastructure.
Managing Director, Benelux
Chief Business Development Officer
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