WMS for 3PL — run dozens of clients from a single warehouse, without mixing stock
Multi-client WMS software for 3PL operators: logical stock separation per owner, activity-based billing (receiving, storage, picking, pack, shipping), real-time client portal, integration with OMS, EDI and couriers (Sameday, FAN, Cargus, DPD, GLS).
Why a generic WMS does not work for 3PL
A 3PL is not a warehouse. It is a warehouse serving 5, 20, or 100 different clients, each with their own SKUs, picking rules, labels, reports and billing requirements. A normal WMS assumes a single stock owner — in 3PL that means either running one instance per client (unviable) or mixing stock (impossible contractually).
Azuvio's WMS is natively multi-tenant: each client (owner) has its own logical space — SKUs, reserved locations, rules, label templates, portal — inside a single physical instance you operate. Your team sees all clients; clients only see their own data.
On top of that: automatic per-activity billing (no fake monthly subscription, but real billing on receiving, storage day/pallet, picked line, shipment), unified AWB across all couriers, EDI for clients shipping to modern retailers.
What Azuvio WMS does for a 3PL operator
Features that matter when your warehouse is full of someone else's stock.
- Native multi-tenant (owner per SKU) — Every SKU, location, order and document is bound to an owner. No operator can ever (accidentally) pick from another client's stock.
- Activity-based billing — Receiving/UM, storage/day/pallet, picked line, shipped order, returns, kit/assembly, labeling. Per-client tariffs. Invoices generated from the real activity log — no Excel.
- Real-time client portal — Clients see live stock, in-pick orders, shipments, returns, KPIs (OTIF, accuracy). Cuts 80% of "what's my stock?" emails.
- Optimized picking (batch / wave / zone) — WMS auto-decides the strategy per order: B2C single-line → batch; B2B multi-line → wave per zone. Instructions on Android terminals (Zebra/Honeywell/Datalogic).
- Unified AWB across couriers — Sameday, FAN, Cargus, DPD, GLS, Urgent Cargus — one pack-out screen. AWB generated from per-client rules (preferred courier / tariff / weekend / cash on delivery).
- Fast receiving with ASN/DESADV — If your client's supplier sends ASN, the WMS pre-populates the receipt. Scan the SSCC and 80% of the work is done.
- Cycle count without halting operations — ABC cycle counts scheduled (A weekly, B monthly, C quarterly). No annual stocktake shutdown.
- OMS and EDI integration — If a client sells on eMAG, Shopify or ships to Carrefour/Auchan — Azuvio OMS and EDIconnect are in the same platform, not separate integrations.
Generic WMS vs multi-tenant WMS for 3PL
Same team, same warehouse, 15 clients. The operational difference.
| Activity | Generic WMS (1 owner) | Azuvio multi-tenant WMS |
|---|
| Adding a new client | IT project, new instance, new connectors (2-6 weeks) | Configuration in 1-2 days, no code |
| Stock mixing risk | High — single logical owner | Zero — owner check enforced at every scan |
| Monthly client billing | Excel + manual logs + days lost at month end | Generated from logged activities, click → invoice |
| Client portal | Non-existent or basic read-only | Live stock, orders, returns, KPIs, CSV/Excel export |
| B2C + B2B mix | Single rule set, constant conflicts | Per-order-type strategies, no conflicts |
| Multi-courier | One screen per courier | Single pack-out screen, automatic AWB |
| Scaling to 50+ clients | Impossible without refactor | Same platform, near-zero marginal cost |
3PL onboarding — 5 steps
From "we have 3 clients in Excel" to "we run 20+ clients in one system". Typically 2-4 weeks.
- Warehouse & zones mapping — Map physical locations (racks, zones, pallets), define picking zones (fast / reserve / oversize / cold) and storage rules.
- First client configuration (owner 1) — Set SKUs, receiving rules, label templates, billing tariffs, portal accounts. Pilot on a friendly client before scale-up.
- Courier setup — Sameday, FAN, Cargus, DPD, GLS AWB — your credentials, per-client config (tariffs, COD, weekend, refusal).
- Migrate existing clients — Import SKU + initial stock (Excel or API), reconcile cycle count, go-live one or two clients per week.
- Activate automatic billing — First month run in parallel with old Excel for validation. From month 2, monthly 3PL invoices generated straight from WMS.
Real 3PL operator pains — and how we solve them
- Pain: "It takes us 3 days at month end to bill 3PL clients." Azuvio WMS solution: Automatic billing from logged activities. Invoices generated in one click based on per-client tariffs.
- Pain: "Operators pick the wrong client's stock." Azuvio WMS solution: Owner-check enforced: SKU scan auto-validates the owner. Impossible to ship one client's stock against another's order.
- Pain: "Clients call daily for stock status." Azuvio WMS solution: Client portal with live stock + per-location filter + CSV export. Status emails drop 70-90%.
- Pain: "We have a B2B pallet client and a B2C single-line client — terminals get confused." Azuvio WMS solution: Strategy decided automatically per order (batch / wave / zone). Operators don't choose manually.
- Pain: "We need to onboard a big client but IT says 2 months." Azuvio WMS solution: Adding a new owner is configuration, not a project. Typically 1-2 days.
- Pain: "One client wants ASN/EDI with Carrefour — we can't." Azuvio WMS solution: EDIconnect is part of the same platform. ORDERS, DESADV, INVOIC, RECADV — no separate project.
Why Azuvio WMS for 3PL — built by Azuvio
Representative scenarios from 3PL operators running the Azuvio stack (WMS + OMS + EDIconnect). Indicative figures, not contractual guarantees.
- E-commerce 3PL, ~12 clients, 8,000 orders/day BF peak — Migration from legacy WMS: monthly billing reduced from 3 days to 2 hours. New client onboarding: from 2-month IT project to 36h configuration.
- B2B distribution 3PL, 6 FMCG clients — Owner check reduced cross-client errors to zero in 6 months. Client portal dropped status emails 80%.
- Cross-border RO+BG 3PL, 4 D2C brands — Unified pack-out across Sameday + FAN + GLS + local Bulgarian couriers. AWBs generated per client rules, hands-off.
Operational details for a 3PL manager
Billing model
Supported types: receiving (per UM, pallet, line), storage (day × pallet or m³), picking (line/order/UM), pack (order/kit/label), shipping (AWB/kg/courier), returns (per RMA), VAS (kit/assembly/labeling/copack), fixed monthly fees (slot/club). Per-client tariffs with easy negotiation.
Client portal — what the client sees
Live stock (per SKU, location, ATP), orders (status, AWB, courier tracking), scheduled receipts, returns, KPIs, billing history. Excel/CSV export. Sub-accounts per client department.
Multi-tenant — implementation
Owner ID is mandatory on every SKU, location, order, document and log. All queries are auto-filtered at DB level. Warehouse-wide roles see everything; portal accounts are owner-scoped. Zero leak risk between clients.
Picking strategies
Single-order (heavy B2B), batch (multi-order B2C single-line), wave (grouped per zone/cutoff), zone (operator dedicated to a zone). Auto per-order decision based on profile (lines, weight, courier, owner). Manual override allowed.
ABC cycle count
Set A/B/C classes per owner (% value or movement frequency). WMS generates counting tasks on terminal without stopping ops. Variances queue for audited reconciliation.
Romanian courier integration
Sameday, FAN Courier, Cargus, Urgent Cargus, DPD, GLS — your or client's credentials. Direct Zebra label print. Tracking reaches the client portal automatically.
FAQ
- Do we have to redesign the physical warehouse to use your WMS?
- No. Physical layout stays unchanged. We add logical zones (fast/reserve/oversize/cold) over existing racks and label locations with scannable codes.
- How many clients (owners) can we run in one instance?
- Hundreds. Multi-tenant is native — no hard cap. Serious 3PL operators run 20-100+ clients on the same instance.
- How does 3PL billing work?
- Every activity is logged with owner and type. At month end the system applies per-client tariffs and produces an invoice in one click. Auditable line by line.
- Does it work with our existing Zebra/Honeywell/Datalogic terminals?
- Yes. The app runs on Android (7.0+). Supports 1D/2D/QR scanning, mobile Zebra/Honeywell/Sato printers, 4-6 inch screens.
- Can we offer a portal under the 3PL client's brand?
- Yes. The portal supports white-label per owner (logo + colors). Custom subdomain on request.
- OMS integration if a client sells online?
- Yes, same platform. Azuvio OMS centralizes orders from eMAG, Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce and marketplaces, passing them to WMS with the correct owner set automatically.
- How long is a new client onboarding?
- Technical setup: 1-2 days (SKU import, tariffs, portal). Initial stock migration: depends on size (half a day for hundreds of SKUs, 1-2 days for tens of thousands).
- How much does it cost?
- SaaS per user plus a per-active-owner fee. Well below a classic enterprise WMS license. 3PL billing module included, not add-on. See /pricing.
- Does it integrate with our accounting ERP (Saga, SmartBill, NavExpert, Charisma)?
- Yes. Generated 3PL invoices are exported automatically into your accounting ERP format (or via API). Physical stock stays in WMS; the value mirror is pushed to ERP at the configured frequency.
Build the full stack for your 3PL warehouse
WMS is the core; it works best alongside OMS for order centralization and EDIconnect for retailer flows.
Ready to run 20+ 3PL clients from a single system?
2-minute demo of the multi-tenant WMS. See the client portal, automatic billing and owner-check at picking.