Executive Summary

In the highly competitive world of third-party logistics (3PL), operational agility and onboarding efficiency are key differentiators. For International Distribution Corp. (IDC), a leading logistics provider managing complex hazardous materials, the limitations of its legacy warehouse management system (WMS) were not just an inconvenience; they were a barrier to growth.

When new customers couldn’t be onboarded in less than a few days, opportunities were lost. IDC needed a system that could match its operational ambition. SC Codeworks Enterprise WMS provided the technological and process transformation necessary to reduce onboarding time from days to minutes, unlock real-time data visibility, and standardize processes across growing facilities.

The Strategic Imperative: Competing Through Agility

The logistics industry is under constant pressure to deliver faster, more compliant, and more transparent service. For IDC, onboarding new clients efficiently was a strategic capability tied directly to revenue. Its existing system was slow, rigid, and unable to manage the compliance requirements and documentation of hazardous material handling.

IDC’s leadership recognized that continuing with outdated systems meant losing business if their competitors could onboard faster. The company launched an internal initiative to evaluate and replace its WMS, selecting SC Codeworks for its proven ability to combine speed, compliance rigor, and data-driven insight.

The Challenge: A Legacy System That Limited Growth

IDC’s previous onboarding process took nearly two full days and required heavy manual coordination between IT, operations, and compliance teams. In addition to lost time, the lack of integrated data and analytics made it difficult to monitor performance or forecast capacity. Small but critical operational requirements often slip through the cracks, compounding the complexity.

For example, zoning rules for specific products such as isolating incompatible chemicals or ensuring temperature-sensitive items were routed to cold-storage areas had to be managed manually across departments. Hazardous materials added even more layers: identifying hazmat items on Bills of Lading, maintaining DOT-compliant emergency contact numbers, and managing account-specific spill-response partners all required nuanced setup that the old system could not flexibly support.

Documentation requirements varied widely across customers as well. One client might require a single BOL, while another needed multiple copies or specialized compliance documentation. Without a unified view of historical data or real-time operational visibility, IDC’s teams were forced to rely on tribal knowledge and manual verification introducing risk, slowing onboarding, and creating opportunities for compliance errors or missed revenue.

The Solution: SC Codeworks Enterprise WMS

SC Codeworks implemented its Enterprise WMS, delivering a scalable platform designed for fast onboarding, complex compliance, and ongoing optimization. Key capabilities included:

• Real-Time Analytics – Immediate visibility into warehouse performance, enabling proactive decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Advanced Hazmat Processing – Seamless handling of hazardous materials with built-in compliance checks, audit trails, and secure data storage.
• Configurable Onboarding Workflows – Standardized, repeatable processes that reduce onboarding from days to under 30 minutes.
• Accessible Historical Data – Instant access to historical records for auditing, training, and operational analysis.

Together, these capabilities gave IDC not just a faster onboarding process, but a foundation for sustainable scalability.

The Impact: From Efficiency to Expansion

The transformation went beyond operational speed. With a unified platform, IDC fundamentally reshaped how its teams worked. Standardized onboarding and training improved accuracy and reduced dependency on individual expertise, replacing ad-hoc knowledge with repeatable, validated processes.

This standardization wasn’t theoretical—it showed up in daily workflows. Core account setup now follows a consistent checklist of required questions and validations. Storer and item profiles were configured the same way across accounts, and operational processes—receiving, put away, picking, documentation—followed a unified structure. As a result, CSRs could support multiple accounts without extensive retraining, and teams were able to conduct peer reviews of workflows for the first time. When a process didn’t look right, there was now a shared operational framework to compare against and a common language to resolve discrepancies quickly.

Improved visibility across these standardized processes allowed leadership to make more confident, data-informed decisions. Instead of relying on anecdotal updates or account-specific exceptions, IDC now had a clear, consistent view of performance across its network.

Most importantly, IDC’s new operational agility directly translated into business growth. The company onboarded clients faster, opened new facilities to meet rapidly increasing demand, and positioned itself as a stronger competitor in the 3PL market.

“This was more than an upgrade—it was a transformation of how we do business,” said IDC’s leadership. “Codeworks gave us the speed, data, and confidence we needed to scale.”

Lessons for 3PL Leaders

IDC’s success highlights three principles for logistics and warehousing organizations seeking to modernize:

1. Onboarding is a growth lever. Speed and standardization free up capacity for new business.

2. Visibility drives accountability. Real-time analytics enable teams to measure and continuously improve performance.

3. Technology should scale with ambition. A flexible WMS isn’t just a system; it’s an engine for ongoing innovation.

Conclusion: The New Standard in 3PL Onboarding

SC Codeworks Enterprise WMS empowers 3PL providers to accelerate onboarding, manage compliance, and gain real-time operational intelligence all within a single, integrated platform. For organizations looking to compete through agility, accuracy, and insight, the IDC transformation demonstrates what’s possible when technology aligns with business strategy.

Learn how SC Codeworks can help your organization modernize for growth.