Simplifying construction logistics with a visual delivery platform

Before Ahlsell Flow, coordinating deliveries to construction sites meant phone calls, manual tracking, and navigating systems that weren't designed for the pace of construction work. Schedules changed constantly as projects evolved, and every miscommunication rippled through the project timeline.

As Elin Pettersson, sales manager at Ahlsell, explains, logistics in the real world is complex and customers don't have time for complex systems. They have a completely different focus. Ahlsell, a leading distributor of installation products, tools, and materials in the Nordics, needed something simple and dynamic. A solution that could handle constant change while keeping the experience easy for people whose main job is managing a building site, not managing software.

Marcus Mårtensson, site manager at BYGR, puts the challenge in concrete terms:

"We need to get everything in. All the materials — paint, tiles, steel, concrete — for four floors we're building. Everything gets transported here and lands on a 25-meter road and has to be lifted up from there. It's a big challenge."

Ahlsell partnered with Appfarm to develop Ahlsell Flow — a suite of applications that gives everyone in the delivery chain visibility into what's happening, from warehouse to construction site.

Customer app

The customer-facing application replaces the old workflow of phone calls and complex systems with a visual interface. Customers see images of their actual materials alongside order numbers and goods markings. A site manager can navigate to a specific floor and stairwell and immediately identify what's arriving without decoding pallet labels.

Beyond visibility, the app handles the operational tasks that used to require calls and emails. Customers can track deliveries in real time, check their current inventory levels, place new orders, and see when deliveries are arriving through a calendar view. Everything that previously meant contacting Ahlsell or digging through separate systems now lives in one place.

Hanna Wemmenborn, who works in logistics at PEAB, was involved early in the development process and could provide input on features that would simplify planning. When her team requested functionality, they got a response quickly, creating an agile feedback loop that shaped the app around real workflows rather than assumptions about them.

Terminal app

On the receiving end, Henric Ahlstrand, terminal supervisor at Ahlsell, uses the terminal application to manage goods intake. Before Flow, the warehouse team would search pallet by pallet using only printed markings. Now they see images of the actual goods and they can tell at a glance they're looking for a door rather than hunting for a label. The terminal app connects the physical arrival of materials with the digital tracking system, integrating with Ahlsell's backend so that what customers see in their app reflects what's actually happening on the ground.

Admin app

The admin application gives Ahlsell's team control over permissions, configuration, and system management across projects and customer segments.

Three months to a working prototype

Working with Appfarm, Ahlsell went from concept to a working prototype in just three months. This rapid development cycle meant real users like Hanna and her team at PEAB could test and shape the product early, rather than waiting for a finished system that might not match their actual needs.

Learned in minutes, not days

The clearest measure of Ahlsell Flow's success is how quickly people pick it up. Marcus Mårtensson describes how using the app is faster than making a phone call.

"It took about seven minutes, and then I understood how to use it. I'm super satisfied."

For construction sites where personnel change frequently and time is money, that low barrier matters.

Shaped by the people who use it

The collaborative development approach, bringing in logistics coordinators from PEAB alongside Ahlsell's own team, meant the platform solved real operational problems from day one. The visual interface wasn't a design choice made in isolation; it came from understanding that site workers need to see what they're looking for, not decode a label.

Built to grow

With the core platform proven, Ahlsell is expanding Flow to new customer segments. This means increasing complexity under the hood, but simplicity remains priority one for customers. Malin Jöhncke, product owner at Ahlsell, puts it simply: Appfarm is "the perfect partner" for constantly reminding them to keep the app as simple as possible, even as it handles more.