An interactive simulator that visualizes the SEA124 / SEA97 IT Hub floor plan and 11 workstreams across Normal, Lean, and Automation modes — extended into a TCO and break-even business case builder for leadership.
Why I Built It
Warehouse transformation conversations at the leadership level tend to stall on the same question: what does 'go lean' or 'automate' actually mean for this specific site, in dollars and headcount, next quarter? Static Visio floor plans and Lucidchart flows describe the current state well, but they cannot answer that question. I built the SEA124 Warehouse Process Simulator to close that gap — a single interactive tool that shows the floor plan, the process flow across every workstream, and the financial trade-offs of each transformation path side by side.
The target user is an operations leader preparing a business case, not an engineer. Every step, headcount number, and cost assumption is editable in-app so the tool becomes a living decision-making layer instead of a one-off deck.
What It Does
- Interactive 2D floor plan of SEA124 with clickable zones that jump to workstream detail.
- Three operational modes — Normal, Lean Process Improvement, and Full/Semi Automation — switchable instantly with per-mode notes.
- 11 modeled workstreams: Procurement, Dock Receiving, Induct, Stock Management, Imaging, Operations, IT/Engineering, LDO (SEA97), VLT, Vend-IT, and Data Destruction.
- Animated process flows with steps, decision points, and play/pause/speed controls.
- Per-mode metrics: cycle time, throughput, labor, error rate, and automation percentage.
- Edit mode: rename workstreams, edit step labels, add or delete steps directly in the UI.
The Business Case Builder
The second view turns the simulator into an executive-ready business case. Users enter their actual labor rate, automation investment, per-error cost, order volume, and projection period; every chart and TCO card recalculates in real time.
- Side-by-side TCO cards for Normal, Lean, and Automation with savings percentages.
- Break-even chart plotting cumulative cost per mode over the projection period.
- Headcount reduction chart across all 11 workstreams for each mode.
- Annual savings breakdown per workstream (Lean vs. Automation vs. Normal).
- Benefit heatmap scoring Labor Reduction, Error Reduction, Throughput Gain, and Automation Level per workstream.
- Auto-ranked Top 3 Beneficiaries and a generated executive summary with talking points.
How I Designed the Modes
Normal captures how SEA124/SEA97 runs today — manual scanning, paper BOLs, SmartSheet logging, ticket-driven handoffs. Lean applies waste-reduction and visual-management patterns: consolidated scan steps, Kanban queues, reduced handoffs, and optimized staging. Automation models the future state: fixed and mobile RFID, robotic put-away and pick, automated imaging pipelines, and paperless digital BOL workflows. Each mode carries its own headcount, cycle time, throughput, and error assumptions so the financial model reflects operational reality, not a flat percentage.
Where This Fits vs. Amazon's Native Tooling
AWS Supply Chain, IoT TwinMaker, Amazon Robotics, Step Functions, and QuickSight each cover a slice of this space — visibility, digital twins, orchestration, dashboards. None of them combine site-specific process simulation, mode comparison, and a financial business case in one editable tool that an operations lead can run without provisioning infrastructure. This simulator sits between high-level supply chain strategy and low-level operational systems: the decision-making layer for warehouse transformation.
Tech Stack
- React + TypeScript for the UI and state model.
- Framer Motion for the animated floor plan and flow transitions.
- Highcharts for the break-even, headcount, and savings charts.
- Tailwind CSS for the presentation layer.
- Runs entirely client-side — no backend, no infrastructure cost, editable by non-technical users.
What's Next
- Export/import of scenarios as JSON so customizations persist across sessions.
- AI-assisted bottleneck detection with ROI-ranked automation recommendations.
- Optional live-data hooks (QuickSight / IoT TwinMaker) to replace estimated throughput and error rates with actuals.