Warehouse automation, battle-tested for over 20 years. Open source. Zero vendor lock-in.

A 3D visualization of a warehouse layout in Zoones, showing configurable zones, storage locations, and the zone attributes panel.

Brief

Build and maintain an open-source warehouse management system: zone management, commissioning, device integration, ERP connectivity, and physical hardware automation, sustained in active production for over 20 years.

Technology

Java 25 · Spring Boot · Angular · PostgreSQL.

Customizable via Groovy scripting and Interceptors. ERP integration with Microsoft Dynamics AX and REST APIs. Automated PDF reporting via Thymeleaf and OpenHtmlToPdf.

20+ years

in production

90+

configurable entity types

days

to basic deployment

Starting Point

Steinbach International ran a distribution center that kept growing. No standard product fit. So a small team built one. That was over 20 years ago.

From the start, Zoones handled zone-based warehouse topology, commissioning workflows, and direct integration with physical hardware on the warehouse floor. It wasn't built to demonstrate a concept; it was built to run a real facility on day one.

Over the next two decades, the facility grew from a handful of pallets to a full-scale automated distribution center. By the time a modernization was overdue, Zoones had 20 years of production knowledge baked in.

2D real-time visualization of the warehouse layout in Zoones, showing aisles, zones, and storage locations.

Development

We migrated every UI screen to Angular and took the opportunity to go further.

The original desktop app had served well, but web-applications were where the industry had gone. We carried over every screen and workflow, reviewing each one in the process. No rewrite, no green-field decisions. Just a careful migration with improvements along the way.

Production had accumulated a wish list over the years, so we worked through it. Pick-to-light with LED strip hardware so staff always know which shelf to go to. iOS and Android commissioning for handheld devices. A Playwright UI test suite. Automated production control for chemical filling and pressing lines. Structured PDF reporting. The result wasn't just a new interface; the system gained a decade's worth of capability in one modernization.

Commissioning and order management screen in Zoones showing delivery details, positions, and status tracking.

Features

Design & Visualize

3D warehouse modeler and 2D real-time view. Over 90 entity types for master data configuration, from storage zones and equipment classes to anything in between.

Fulfill & Ship

Picking, packing, dispatch, delivery. The full order cycle in one system. Desktop and mobile commissioning, delivery management, and multi-stop tour routing.

Warehouse Control

Put-away, replenishment, inventory counting, and shelf-life tracking. Full ADR and GHS compliance for dangerous goods. No workarounds, no third-party add-ons.

Connect & Automate

IoT hub for scanners, scales, and robotic systems. ZPL label printing, ERP connectivity via Microsoft Dynamics AX or REST. Extend behavior with Groovy scripting without touching the core.