Custom Operations Management System for Furniture Manufacturer

ToBeModern is a custom operations management platform built for a Ukrainian furniture manufacturer specializing in kitchens, bathrooms, and custom cabinetry. The owner managed all production operations through paper notes - project details, materials lists, deadlines, and task assignments were tracked in notebooks and verbal communication. As the number of concurrent projects increased, employees started missing deadlines, forgetting specific items, and losing track of material requirements. General-purpose project management tools like ClickUp were evaluated but the learning curve was too steep for the production team, and none offered the specific materials and details tracking that furniture manufacturing requires. A previous tool called GibLab provided some materials storage but no operational process management. The client initially engaged LNOKS for a landing page, was satisfied with the delivery, and then commissioned the operations platform - a relationship that has continued for over 3 years with ongoing feature development.

1. 01

   All production operations were managed through paper notes and verbal instructions. As project volume increased, the system broke down - deadlines were missed, materials were forgotten, and the owner had no visibility into project status across the team. Generic project tools were too complex for the production staff, and the existing industry tool (GibLab) only stored data without managing operational processes.

2. 02

   Designing an operations system for a team that had never used digital project management. The interface needed to be simpler than ClickUp while supporting furniture-specific workflows - project details, materials specifications, component tracking, and deadline management. Adoption depended on the tool being easier than paper, not just more capable.

3. 03

   Building a system with the data model flexibility to handle furniture manufacturing specifics - projects contain multiple items, each item has specific materials, dimensions, and production requirements, and all of this needs to flow through a project lifecycle with deadlines and status tracking. The system needed to grow over time as the client requested new features.

• Custom web platform deployed to production server

  React.js front end backed by Node.js, Nest.js, and PostgreSQL on the client's own server — running production operations daily.

• Details and materials tracking per project

  Each project carries its specific items, materials, and dimensions — modeled around how the manufacturer actually estimates and builds furniture.

• Email user authentication

  Email and password sign-in with admin-managed provisioning — the simplest fit for a production team that had never used digital tools before.

• Project listing and management dashboard

  Single dashboard where the owner sees every active project, status, deadline, and assignee — replacing notebooks and verbal updates.

• Role-based access control for production team

  Owner, managers, and floor staff each see only the data and actions relevant to them, enforced server-side.

• 3+ years

  Ongoing client relationship - the longest-running project in the LNOKS portfolio, with continuous feature development as the business grows

• Zero paper

  Production operations fully digitized, replacing paper-based tracking with a centralized platform the entire team uses daily

• On-time

  Significant improvement in deadline visibility and on-time project completion after platform adoption

• 100%

  Successful transition from landing page client to full platform engagement - demonstrating the value of starting with a smaller deliverable and building trust

1. 1
   Step 1 / 4

   The engagement started with a landing page delivery that built trust. When the client needed an operations system, we were the natural choice. Conducted discovery sessions to map the furniture manufacturing workflow - from initial order through material procurement, production, and delivery.

2. 2
   Step 2 / 4

   Designed the platform for production workers who had never used project management software. Every screen prioritized clarity - large text, simple navigation, obvious actions. The project view made it impossible to miss deadlines or forget materials.

3. 3
   Step 3 / 4

   Built the initial platform with core project and materials management, then continued adding features over months and years based on real operational needs. The T&M model allowed the product to evolve as the client discovered new requirements through daily usage.

4. 4
   Step 4 / 4

   Three years of continuous engagement - new features, workflow improvements, and performance optimization as the business grows and processes evolve. The platform is a living system that adapts to the manufacturer's changing needs.