Element Plastics MFG: Purchase Order App

2023-2025

I designed and built a purchase-order PWA for Element Plastics, replacing paper and Excel so factory staff could create and track work orders in one place.

Client: Element Plastics Manufacturing
Role: Solo designer & engineer, requirements through deploy
Goal: Replace paper/Excel POs with a faster, trackable floor workflow
Solution: Installable PWA for creating and managing purchase/work orders
Tech Stack: Next.js, Prisma, Supabase, Clerk.js, Vercel

Problem

Purchase orders and machine assignments lived in spreadsheets and handwritten notes. Updates could take hours, queues were hard to see, and staff lacked a shared source of truth.

Approach

I ran discovery with factory SMEs, mapped bag specs and QC checkpoints from intake to machine assignment, then scoped an MVP for tablets mounted on the production floor.

Solution

I designed and built the app solo as an installable PWA, shipping core order creation and tracking first so machines could run from a shared digital queue.

Impact

One system for purchase and work orders, installed on machine-floor tablets, and used across a multi-year engagement (2023-2025). Storybook captures the UI system behind the app.