Your warehouse isn't a building, it's a Welshpool shed and a laydown in the Pilbara
A custom warehouse management system for a Perth resources or supply operation runs AUD $80k to $200k over 4 to 7 months. You build custom when your 'warehouse' is really a Welshpool shed plus open yards plus remote-site laydowns, which Manhattan-class systems and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) WMS add-ons, built for a single connected building, can't manage.
Manhattan and ERP warehouse add-ons assume a warehouse is one connected building with racking, scanners and reliable wifi. Your operation isn't that. It's an indoor shed in Welshpool, fenced outdoor yards holding pipe, steel and plant, and laydowns at remote sites where signal is a luxury. Tier-one WMS tools either don't model the yard at all or assume connectivity you don't have at the laydown, so half your stock movements happen outside the system, on paper and memory.
The cost is the same one that haunts every Perth resources operation: when a fitter needs a specific spool of pipe and the system says it's in the yard but nobody can find it, a crew waits. A WMS that only manages the indoor shed and goes blind on the yard and laydown isn't managing your warehouse; it's managing a fraction of it.
The problems nobody warns you about
- Tier-one WMS tools model an indoor building, not open yards and laydowns
- Remote laydowns have no signal, so movements happen off-system
- Yard stock, pipe, steel, plant, is found by walking and memory, not the system
- Half your locations sit outside the WMS, so accuracy is a fiction
The case for owning your warehouse management
You build custom when your warehouse is a network of sheds, yards and laydowns rather than one connected building. A purpose-built WMS manages indoor and outdoor stock, lets crews pick and put away offline at the yard or laydown, tracks oversized items like pipe and plant by location, and stays accurate where Manhattan and ERP add-ons can't reach. It manages the whole warehouse, not just the part with wifi.
Budgeting a warehouse management build in Perth
| Project scope | Typical cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Yard + laydown WMS module | $80k to $130k | 4 to 5 months |
| Full custom WMS (shed + yard + remote) | $140k to $200k | 5 to 7 months |
| Outdoor/oversized tracking add-on | $55k to $95k | 3 to 4 months |
What your build should include
What we build under warehouse management in Perth
Everything a warehouse management build here can cover: WMS development, pick pack ship, warehouse automation, barcode and RFID, slotting optimization and inbound and outbound logistics.
Exactly what you get
You get a WMS that treats your whole operation as one warehouse: indoor shed, outdoor yards and remote laydowns. Crews pick, put away and count offline where there's no signal; oversized items like pipe, steel and plant are tracked by yard location; and goods receipt happens at any location. It shares one stock truth with your inventory management software, ERP and supply chain software, so the system finally matches the yard.
How to choose a developer in Perth
Hire a team that knows a WA warehouse is rarely just a building. Ask how they track a 12-metre pipe spool in an open yard and a part in a laydown with no signal. Ask how the WMS stays accurate where the wifi doesn't reach. If they only know racked-building WMS, they'll manage your shed and ignore the yards where half your value sits. The right partner builds for shed, yard and laydown as one system.
- !They assume a building with racking. Ask how they track stock in an open yard
- !No offline mode. Ask how a laydown without signal stays in the system
- !No oversized-item handling. Ask how they locate a 12m pipe spool
- !No integration plan. Ask how the WMS shares one stock truth with the ERP
- !Only indoor WMS experience. Ask for a yard-and-laydown build they've shipped
Most Perth teams pricing warehouse management end up comparing notes on business intelligence dashboards, lms, internal tools too; the systems share one data spine.
Rohan advises mid-market and enterprise teams on ERP, CRM and custom software, and has led delivery on dozens of business-software builds.
Writes for Digital Heroes, shipping business software for 2,000+ brands across 55+ countries since 2017.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't Manhattan or an ERP add-on work?
They model a single connected building with racking and wifi. Your warehouse includes open yards and remote laydowns with no signal, which those tools either don't model or can't keep accurate, so half your stock moves off-system.
How do you track stock in an open yard?
With outdoor location zones and rugged-device scanning, so pipe, steel and plant are tracked by yard location rather than found by walking around. Crews can pick and put away even offline, syncing when signal returns.
Does it handle oversized project materials?
Yes. Tracking long spools, structural steel and plant by yard location is a core feature, which racked-building WMS tools generally don't handle well.