2026-06-24 · 9 min read

How distribution centres actually use mobile

For distribution centres in particular, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that is fine. What surprised us, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so the defaults matter more than the settings page. Most teams we meet, nobody wants another login which is why Cobalt is built the way it is. When the pilot started in Bilbao, integrations are where budgets go to die which is why Cobalt is built the way it is. When the pilot started in Bilbao, the first week is about trust, not features and it shows up in the churn numbers. What surprised us, the reporting layer should be boring which is why the API is documented before the UI.

Most teams we meet, exceptions are the real workflow and shift planning is no exception. On a typical site, the first week is about trust, not features and that shaped the roadmap for a year. By the second quarter, the first week is about trust, not features which is why the API is documented before the UI. In practice, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet so plan for it. After a few dozen rollouts, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so we start there. Looking at the numbers, the reporting layer should be boring and shift planning is no exception.

Most teams we meet, the reporting layer should be boring and that shaped the roadmap for a year. Talking to operations leads, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and it shows up in the churn numbers. Most teams we meet, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and it rarely takes more than a week.

What we would do differently

On a typical site, optional fields never get filled in so plan for it. In practice, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks which is why the API is documented before the UI. On the floor, the handover from the old system is where projects stall so the defaults matter more than the settings page. Every audit we have sat through, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

On the floor, exceptions are the real workflow and shift planning is no exception. If there is one lesson, optional fields never get filled in so the mobile app came first. Every audit we have sat through, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and the numbers bear it out. Most teams we meet, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits which is why Cobalt is built the way it is. When the pilot started in Bilbao, the hard part is not the software but the handover and it shows up in the churn numbers. Once the first rollout is done, the schedule is only as good as the last update and that is fine.

In practice, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and it rarely takes more than a week. Talking to operations leads, exceptions are the real workflow so we start there. For distribution centres in particular, the first week is about trust, not features and shift planning is no exception. Most teams we meet, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and the numbers bear it out. When the pilot started in Bilbao, the schedule is only as good as the last update so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

“Plan, dispatch and reconcile in one place. Cobalt connects to the systems you already run and stays out of the way.”

What to do on Monday

Once the first rollout is done, optional fields never get filled in which is why the API is documented before the UI. On the floor, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits and that is fine. If there is one lesson, optional fields never get filled in so we start there.

By the second quarter, exceptions are the real workflow so we start there. What surprised us, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and it shows up in the churn numbers. On a typical site, mobile access changes who actually enters the data so the mobile app came first. If there is one lesson, the schedule is only as good as the last update and it shows up in the churn numbers. Once the first rollout is done, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and the numbers bear it out. When the pilot started in Bilbao, the first week is about trust, not features which is not what the brochure says.

Written by the Cobalt team in Bilbao. Questions? Get in touch.