Warehouse + 3PL Combo

Chapter 1 — Why This Combo Exists

This is the standard 3PL warehouse setup — by far the most common Trenvar configuration. Warehouse OS gives you the physical operations; 3PL OS gives you multi-customer accounting and the customer portal.

The two OSes are technically independent — you could run either alone — but they're designed to fit together. This guide covers the workflows that only make sense when both are enabled.

Chapter 2 — Roles in This Combo

All Warehouse OS roles + all 3PL OS roles. Note how they overlap.

Chapter 3 — Onboarding a 3PL Customer End-to-End

From "we just signed Acme Corp as a 3PL customer" to "Acme can place orders and pay invoices through their portal."

1. Create the customer record. /console/customer-service/customers → Add Customer. Fill display name, slug, primary contact. Mark billable: true.
2. Set portal access. Toggle the OSes Acme can see in their portal (3pl, etc.).
3. Add their SKUs. /console/business/wms/item-master → Create SKU with Client toggle ON, owner_customer_id = Acme. Repeat for each SKU.
4. Create storage rule for Acme. /console/business/storage/rules → set Unit Code (e.g., CBM or BARREL), Quantity Source (Volume CBM, Assigned SKU Storage Units, Pallets, etc.), Cadence, Unit Price, Free Days. Customer Scope = Acme. Then assign Acme's SKUs to the matching Storage Billing Unit Code in Item Master.
5. Create fulfillment pricing rule for Acme. /console/business/billing/pricing-rules → Source: fulfillment, Customer: Acme, Billing Unit: package, Weight Basis: exact, define weight tiers.
6. Invite portal users. /console/business/settings/users → Add User with role customer_admin, link to Acme. Acme's owner gets an invite email.
7. Verify with a test order. Have Acme place a test order through the portal; pick/pack/ship; generate a test invoice; confirm pricing matches contract.

Chapter 4 — Inbound: Customer-Owned Receiving

Every receiving event in 3PL mode tags inventory with an owner customer. This is what makes per-customer billing possible.

The flow

1. Acme notifies you of incoming goods (or sends a customer-portal pre-alert).
2. Operations manager creates the pre-alert at /console/ops-manager/pre-alert. Critical: link it to Acme (customer field).
3. Operator receives at /console/operator/receiving.
4. Trenvar creates handling units automatically tagged with owner_customer_id = Acme.
5. Inventory items posted with the same owner tag.
6. Storage accrual begins immediately (since 3PL OS is on).

Chapter 5 — Storage Segregation

In 3PL operations, mixing customers' inventory in one bin is sometimes allowed, sometimes not.

Mixed-SKU bins

Capacity rules have an Allow Mixed SKU toggle. Set it to false on bins that should hold one customer's stock only. Set it to true if you can co-locate.

Customer-restricted bins

For dedicated customer space, you can list specific SKUs on the capacity rule's SKU Restrictions. Trenvar will refuse putaway to that bin for any other SKU.

Storage zones per customer

Many 3PLs name a whole zone after a customer (e.g., "ACME-ZONE-01") and configure all bins inside with SKU restrictions. This makes physical audits trivial.

Chapter 6 — Outbound: Customer-Scoped Fulfillment with Weight-Tier Billing

This is the headline 3PL workflow — the one your billing depends on.

Setup recap — three setups for three contract shapes

Shape A — every SKU ships in its own package, weight-tier billing

1. SKUs in Item Master: Fulfillment Billing = package, Ship Alone = true.
2. Pricing rule: Pricing Method = Standard, Weight Basis = Exact package weight, weight tiers defined.

Shape B — small SKUs share a package, billed per parcel

1. SKUs in Item Master: Fulfillment Billing = package, Ship Alone = false, Packaging Group = small-parcel (recommended).
2. Pricing rule: Pricing Method = Standard, Billing Unit = package, weight basis to taste.
3. Result: 3 small SKUs in 1 carton = 1 parcel charge.

Shape C — flat per-order base + per-additional-SKU charge

1. SKUs in Item Master: Fulfillment Billing = package, Ship Alone = false.
2. Pricing rule: Pricing Method = Base + additional distinct SKU, Base Amount $1.50, Included Distinct SKUs 1, Additional Distinct SKU Charge $0.50.
3. Result: 1 SKU = $1.50; 2 SKUs = $2.00; 5 SKUs = $3.50. Doesn't matter how many units of each.

Execution

1. Order arrives (manual / API / portal / Shopify).
2. Trenvar creates a fulfillment order with owner = Acme.
3. Operator picks Acme's items.
4. Operator packs into cartons. Enters weight per carton.
5. Operator generates shipping label. Each parcel weight is captured on the label.
6. Order ships.

Billing

1. End of month, accounting opens a draft invoice for Acme.
2. Click Append Fulfillment.
3. Trenvar finds completed, uninvoiced fulfillment work for Acme + window.
4. For each fulfillment order, reads the linked shipping label's parcel rows.
5. Evaluates each parcel against Acme's weight tiers.
6. Creates invoice lines: "1 package up to 5kg = $4.25", etc.

Worked example

1 fulfillment order, 5 SKUs all Ship Alone, 5 parcels: 3 over 5kg, 2 under. Tier rule:

5=3.5=Under 5kg
=5=Over 5kg

Result: 3 × $5.00 + 2 × $3.50 = $22.00.

Chapter 7 — Monthly Billing Run End-to-End

A typical month-end for an accounting clerk in a Warehouse + 3PL tenant.

1. Run accrual. Confirm storage accrual job ran daily. If a day was missed, run it manually for the back-fill window.
2. Reconcile shipping labels. Spot-check that every shipped order has a linked label with parcel weights. Fix any orphans before invoicing.
3. For each billable customer:
   • Create a draft invoice.
   • Click Append Accruals — pulls all storage entries.
   • Click Append Fulfillment — pulls all completed fulfillment.
   • Add manual lines for extras (kitting, special projects).
   • Add adjustments (early-pay discount, contracted credit).
   • Review subtotal, tax, total.
   • Click Finalize. Trenvar emails the invoice via Resend.
4. Run aging report. Chase overdue invoices.
5. Reconcile payments. Stripe payments auto-post; manual ones (cheques, wires) you record by hand.
6. Export to QuickBooks. Per-invoice export, or bulk CSV for the accountant.

Chapter 8 — Customer Portal in 3PL Mode

What customers see when both OSes are enabled.

(With Commerce OS added, customers also get /console/customer/catalog and /console/customer/ship-now — see Warehouse + Commerce combo guide.)

Chapter 9 — Common Pitfalls

"Customer's invoice is missing storage"

• Customer billing profile has billable: false — flip it.
• SKU's Storage Billing Unit Code doesn't match any active rule's Unit Code (case-sensitive) — check Item Master and the rule.
• Storage rule is inactive or out of effective window — check.
• Quantity Source is Volume (CBM) but inventory has no volume_cm3 and Item Master has no dimensions — fix the data.
• Quantity Source is Assigned SKU Storage Units but SKU is missing Storage Billing Qty/Unit — set it.
• Append Accruals wasn't clicked — run it.

"Customer's portal shows zero inventory"

• Inventory items don't have owner_customer_id set — fix the receiving link or transfer ownership.
• Portal user is linked to wrong customer — check user record.
• Customer record's portal access toggle for 3pl is off — turn it on.

"Fulfillment pricing fell back to default"

• Linked shipping label has no parcel rows — operator skipped pack weight. Train + audit.
• Customer-specific pricing rule is inactive — activate it.
• Tiers are out of order — Trenvar should auto-sort but verify.

"Customer can see another customer's data"

Stop. This is a security incident. Capture screenshots, note timestamps, escalate to your platform admin immediately.

Chapter 10 — Full Worked Example: Acme's First Month

An end-to-end walkthrough of one Warehouse + 3PL customer's first 30 days, day by day, role by role.

Day 1 — onboarding

1. 09:00 — You (company_admin) create customer record "Acme Corp" at /console/customer-service/customers. Set billable=true, payment terms Net 30.
2. 09:15 — Configure billing profile + Stripe customer.
3. 09:30 — Create storage rule "ACME-CBM" — Unit Code = CBM, Quantity Source = Volume (CBM), Cadence = Daily, Unit Price = $1.20, Customer Scope = Acme. Assign Acme's SKUs in Item Master with Storage Billing Unit Code = CBM.
4. 09:45 — Create fulfillment pricing rule for Acme: package billing, weight tiers (2kg/$2.75, 5kg/$4.25, 10kg/$6.50, >10kg/$9.00).
5. 10:00 — Invite Jane Smith (customer_admin) at jane@acme.com. She gets the email, accepts.
6. 10:30 — Add Acme's first 50 SKUs via bulk import (Item Master Walkthrough B).
7. 11:00 — Send Jane the Foundations + 3PL OS guide PDFs.

Day 5 — first inbound

1. 14:00 prior day — Jane sends a pre-alert via portal: 500 units across 3 SKUs, ETA tomorrow 9 AM.
2. 09:00 today — Truck arrives at receiving dock. Operator Maria opens /console/operator/receiving, picks Acme's pre-alert, scans each line, accepts. 3 handling units created (HU-1042, HU-1043, HU-1044), all tagged owner_customer_id=Acme. Storage accrual starts immediately.
3. 09:30 — Maria moves to /console/operator/putaway, places HUs in their assigned bins. HU status flips to stored.

Days 6–25 — daily fulfillment

1. Most days: 2–5 outbound orders for Acme arrive (manual entry by ops manager, or via Acme's Shopify if Commerce OS is added later).
2. Operator picks/packs each order. Carton weights captured at pack. Shipping label generated; parcel weights flow to the label record.
3. Storage accrual runs daily at 02:00 UTC, charging Acme $1.20 per CBM per day for whatever's still on shelves (resolved via the SKUs' Storage Billing Unit Code = CBM).

Day 30 — first invoice

1. 09:00 — Accounting opens /console/accounting/billing → Create Invoice → Customer = Acme Corp, Period = May 5–31.
2. 09:05 — Click Append Accruals. Trenvar pulls 26 days of storage entries grouped by SKU. Adds 8 invoice lines totaling $487.50.
3. 09:08 — Click Append Fulfillment. Trenvar pulls 87 completed orders; for each, reads the linked label's parcel rows, applies Acme's weight tiers. Adds 87 invoice lines totaling $654.75.
4. 09:10 — Add a manual line for kitting work: $35.00.
5. 09:12 — Apply early-payment discount adjustment: -$25.00.
6. 09:13 — Subtotal: $1,152.25. Click Finalize. Tax calculated ($149.79 HST). Total $1,302.04.
7. Invoice INV-2026-001234 emailed to ap@acme.com via Resend with PDF attached and Stripe Pay Now link.
8. Day 32 — Jane (or Acme's AP team) clicks Pay Now in the portal. Stripe processes the card. Invoice flips to Paid automatically.

That's Warehouse + 3PL end-to-end, in real numbers. Repeat each month.

Chapter 11 — Bidirectional End-to-End Flow (Customer Self-Service)

In Chapter 10 you (the tenant) drove most of the workflow. This chapter shows what happens when the customer drives both sides — submits inbound pre-alerts and outbound orders themselves, while you receive, pick, pack, and ship. End-to-end across two screens: the customer's portal and your operator console.

The setup (one-time, you do this)

1. Customer "Acme Corp" record created (3PL OS Chapter 3).
2. Storage rule + fulfillment pricing rule scoped to Acme.
3. Customer's catalog populated with their SKUs (Item Master, Client view).
4. Jane Smith invited as customer_admin at Acme.
5. Jane sets her Fulfillment Automation to Always send to 3PL on her Orders page.

The flow

Inbound — Acme sends goods to your warehouse

Outbound — Acme places an order to ship out

End of month — invoicing

Why this is powerful

• Single source of truth. Jane's pre-alert and order data flows directly into Trenvar — no email transcription, no spreadsheet handoffs, no missed details.
• Real-time visibility for the customer. Jane sees pre-alert status, inventory level changes, order status updates, dispatch tracking, and invoice — all live, all in one place.
• Your team only does the physical work. Receive, pick, pack, ship. No data entry, no reconciliation. The customer self-serves the rest.
• Auditable both ways. Every customer-side action is logged with their user UID. Every operator action with yours. The audit trail is complete and one-stop.

Common questions

Appendix A — Glossary (Combo-Specific)

Cross-cutting terms specific to the Warehouse + 3PL combination. For per-OS terms, see the Warehouse OS and 3PL OS guides' glossaries.

Append Accruals — One-click action on a draft invoice that pulls all unappended storage accrual entries for the customer + period and adds them as invoice lines.

Append Fulfillment — One-click action that pulls completed, uninvoiced fulfillment orders, applies the customer's pricing rule (with weight tiers from the linked label), and adds them as invoice lines.

Bidirectional flow — When the customer drives both inbound (3PL receiving order) and outbound (manual order) from their portal, while you handle physical work + invoicing.

Customer-owned inventory — Inventory tagged with owner_customer_id to indicate whose stock it is. Required for 3PL billing and customer portal visibility.

Pricing shape — A way to describe a customer's contracted billing pattern: Shape A (every SKU ships alone, weight tiers), Shape B (small SKUs share a package), Shape C (base + additional distinct SKU).

Source: customer_portal — Marker on a pre-alert or order showing the customer submitted it from their portal (versus you entering it).

End of Warehouse + 3PL Combo Guide  ·  v1.0  ·  May 2026