Coupang SCM Workflow: Developing (opens in new tab)

Coupang has developed an internal SCM Workflow platform to streamline the complex data and operational needs of its Supply Chain Management team. By implementing low-code and no-code functionalities, the platform enables developers, data scientists, and business analysts to build data pipelines and launch services without the traditional bottlenecks of manual development.

Addressing Inefficiencies in SCM Data Management

• The SCM team manages a massive network of suppliers and fulfillment centers (FCs) where demand forecasting and inventory distribution require constant data feedback.
• Traditionally, non-technical stakeholders like business analysts (BAs) relied heavily on developers to build or modify data pipelines, leading to high communication costs and slower response times to changing business requirements.
• The new platform aims to simplify the complexity found in traditional tools like Jenkins, Airflow, and Jupyter Notebooks, providing a unified interface for data creation and visualization.

Democratizing Access with the No-code Data Builder

• The "Data Builder" allows users to perform data queries, extraction, and system integration through a visual interface rather than writing backend code.
• It provides seamless access to a wide array of data sources used across Coupang, including Redshift, Hive, Presto, Aurora, MySQL, Elasticsearch, and S3.
• Users can construct workflows by creating "nodes" for specific tasks—such as extracting inventory data from Hive or calculating transfer quantities—and linking them together to automate complex decisions like inter-center product transfers.

Expanding Capabilities through Low-code Service Building

• The platform functions as a "Service Builder," allowing users to expand domains and launch simple services without building entirely new infrastructure from scratch.
• This approach enables developers to focus on high-level algorithm development while allowing data scientists to apply and test new models directly within the production environment.
• By reducing the need for code changes to reflect new requirements, the platform significantly increases the agility of the SCM pipeline.

Organizations managing complex, data-driven ecosystems can significantly reduce operational friction by adopting low-code/no-code platforms. Empowering non-technical stakeholders to handle data processing and service integration not only accelerates innovation but also allows engineering resources to be redirected toward core architectural challenges.