NW Flow Project for Northwest Group

Internal Production Workflow Optimization System for Northwest Group

Intention: Build a custom workflow tracking platform for production management

Technologies used: React, Tailwind CSS, NestJS, PostgreSQL, REST API, NetSuite Integration, QR Code Tools

People Involved: 1 PM, 2 Backend Developers, 1 Frontend Developer, 1 QA

Timeframe: 3 months (MVP stage)

Prehistory of the development

Northwest Group, a large-scale U.S.-based manufacturer, managed daily production using paper-based systems, Excel files, and fragmented manual communication. Recurrent errors, inefficient batch processing, and production delays highlighted the need for a centralized and automated job tracking system.

Production was split into two streams — Direct to Film (DTF) and Dye Sublimation — each with separate manual workflows, no centralized status tracking, and heavy reliance on human coordination.

There was no clear way to trace job progress in real time, reruns were undocumented, and mistakes frequently went unnoticed until final shipping checks.

NW Flow was created to solve this: a full-stack system integrating directly with NetSuite and allowing every department to see job status from order intake to shipping, supported by QR code scanning and exception flagging.

Custom workflow automation system to meet internal production needs

NW Flow is a tailored internal system that digitizes every step of the production workflow. It starts by importing orders from NetSuite, allows sorting into production types, applies QR-coded job bags, tracks each stage (Setup, Print, Transfer, QC, Shipping), and logs exceptions for traceability. With mobile-ready pages, workers simply scan and proceed — no need to fill in paper reports or communicate manually across shifts.

Key features of NW Flow:

Real-time NetSuite integration – automated import of production orders with validation and manual confirmation.

QR-based tracking system – all job bags and garments get QR codes for easy scanning at each stage.

Role-based dashboards – separate interfaces for QC, Managers, Setup team, Transfer, and Shipping.

System functionality includes:

Mobile scanning interface
QR code print generation
Role-based restrictions for reruns
Sync logs and system health monitoring

Manual order confirmation interface for managers
Visual status tracking and progress filtering
Custom grouping logic for dye sub jobs
Exception logging and rerun routing

results

Results of the NW Flow implementation

NW Flow replaced all paper-based workflows, reduced rerun errors by 60%, and gave full transparency over job progress to every department. The system is now the backbone of their on-demand production model. Managers report faster turnaround, fewer bottlenecks, and a dramatic drop in miscommunication between printing and shipping teams.

Future plans

Northwest Group plans to extend NW Flow with performance analytics dashboards, employee efficiency metrics, and tighter NetSuite sync options (e.g. inventory data). Future mobile app is also under consideration for offline scanning.

Centralized order flow = zero data loss

One source of truth across all departments thanks to NetSuite sync and confirmed orders only flowing downstream.

Mobile-first execution = smooth factory workflow

Workers don’t need to type or write — they scan, move, and produce. Real-time visibility improves productivity and accountability.

Conclusion

NW Flow demonstrates how a custom-built internal tool, with deep integration and tailored user flows, can solve specific operational challenges far better than off-the-shelf products.