[ In short ]
Lunarion Labs helps Chicago companies in logistics, manufacturing, insurance, trading and food keep their operational software running and improve it. We take over internal tools nobody understands anymore, build business software and customer portals, connect ERPs and CRMs through automation, add AI agents and improve search visibility. We work remotely, one hour ahead of Chicago, with one senior lead per project, and every engagement starts with a fixed-price audit that ends with a written diagnosis and a detailed quote.
01The Chicago market
Chicago has always been a city that moves things. It grew as a rail and shipping crossroads, and it is still one of the country's main freight hubs, with major rail lines, intermodal yards, trucking corridors and O'Hare as a large cargo airport. Manufacturing remains strong across the metro area, from industrial equipment to packaging, and the food and consumer goods industry has a long history here. Insurance carriers, brokers and claims operations are a big employer, and the city's futures and options exchanges made it a center for trading and risk management.
The tech ecosystem reflects that economy. Rather than consumer apps, much of Chicago's software is B2B: logistics platforms, insurance tech, trading systems, supply chain analytics and tools for manufacturers and distributors. The University of Chicago, Northwestern and the University of Illinois system supply engineers and researchers, and the city has an active startup community around the Loop, River North and the Fulton Market area. Many companies here also run serious in-house engineering teams that maintain systems for years.
For software needs, the key word is operations. A lot of Chicago software sits between a warehouse, a truck, an underwriter or a production line and the people who depend on it. Quoting tools, order systems, routing, claims workflows and ERP connectors are not glamorous, but when they stall, shipments wait, quotes go out late and customers call. These systems are often old, custom and well loved, and they need careful rescue and automation more than a fresh start.
Sectors we know well in Chicago
- Logistics and supply chain
- Manufacturing
- Insurance
- Trading and financial services
- Food and consumer goods
02Software challenges we see in Chicago
Internal tools that only one person understood
A quoting engine, a pricing spreadsheet turned into an app, or an order system built in-house over many years often has one author. When that person leaves or retires, the company keeps using a tool nobody can safely change. The first job is to read the code and the database, document the business rules hidden inside and make deployments repeatable.
Data retyped between ERP, CRM and spreadsheets
Distributors and manufacturers frequently move the same order, customer or inventory data by hand between their ERP, their CRM, carrier portals and spreadsheets. Every manual step adds delay and errors that show up later as wrong invoices or missed shipments. Reliable integrations with error alerts remove the copy-paste and the mistakes that come with it.
Portals that partners depend on daily
Brokers, distributors, dealers and agents use customer portals to quote, order, track and file claims. These portals are often dated and slow, but rebuilding them is risky because partners rely on them every day. The safer path is to replace pieces one at a time behind the existing interface, keeping the portal available throughout.
Legacy systems in regulated or audited environments
Insurance and financial firms have to show auditors who can access what, how changes are deployed and how data is protected. Legacy applications often fall short on logging, access control and patching. Bringing them up to standard step by step, with documentation, is usually far cheaper and safer than a replacement project.
03What we do for Chicago companies
Software rescue
For a Chicago company running on an internal tool whose developer has left, we start with a fixed-price audit: code, database, servers and who holds which access. Then we secure accounts, add backups and a staging copy, write down how the system works and fix what blocks the team. Improvements follow step by step while dispatchers, underwriters or sales reps keep using the tool every day.
SaaS & business software
We build business software shaped around Chicago operations: quoting and order management for distributors, dealer and broker portals, production tracking for manufacturers, claims intake tools for insurance teams, and B2B SaaS products for logistics and supply chain startups. Each tool comes with roles and permissions, an admin panel and clean integrations with the ERP, CRM or accounting system already in place.
Mobile apps
Field and warehouse teams often need a mobile app more than a website: drivers capturing proof of delivery, technicians logging inspections, sales reps placing orders at a customer site, adjusters photographing damage. We build iOS and Android apps that work with patchy coverage, sync when the connection returns and feed directly into your back office systems, with accounts published under your company's name.
AI & agents
AI agents make sense where Chicago teams read and sort documents all day: extracting data from bills of lading, purchase orders and invoices, classifying incoming claims, answering partner questions from your product catalogs and policies, drafting quote summaries for review. We keep humans in the approval loop for decisions that matter, set access rules, log every action and keep the keys in your accounts.
Automation
Automation is often the fastest win here. We connect ERP, CRM, accounting, carrier and email systems so that orders, shipments, invoices and status updates flow without retyping. Typical work: syncing orders from a portal into the ERP, sending tracking updates to customers automatically, flagging stock or margin issues to managers, and replacing fragile no-code chains with code that alerts someone when it fails.
SEO & AI visibility
B2B buyers in logistics, manufacturing and insurance research suppliers online long before they call. We fix the technical side of your site, then build clear pages for each product line, service and industry you serve, so buyers and search engines understand exactly what you do. We also work on how AI assistants describe your company when someone asks for a supplier or partner.
04Typical situations in Chicago
- An internal quoting or order system was written years ago by one developer who has since left. We document how it works, secure access, and stabilize it while sales and operations keep using it.
- Data is copied by hand between an ERP, a CRM and spreadsheets every single day. We map the flows, build reliable integrations with alerts, and give back the hours the team spent retyping.
- A customer portal for distributors or brokers needs to be rebuilt without stopping operations. We replace it piece by piece behind the existing interface, so partners keep ordering and quoting throughout.
- An insurance team needs to show an auditor who can access a legacy claims tool and how changes are deployed. We add proper access control, logging and a documented release process.
05How a project runs, step by step
- Fixed-price audit. We review the code, access, hosting and contracts, then deliver a written diagnosis with a prioritized, costed plan.
- Secure. Every account and the repository are moved into your company's name, backups are in place and exposed secrets are rotated.
- Fix and build. We stabilize what is fragile, refactor step by step and build what is missing, on a copy of your product.
- Launch and hand over. We publish only after checking, then hand over documentation any senior engineer can pick up.
06How we work with Chicago teams
We work remotely on Eastern Time, one hour ahead of Chicago, so your whole working day overlaps with ours and calls are easy to schedule morning or afternoon. Between calls, progress is visible in the Lunarion client app, which suits operations managers who prefer to check status on their own schedule. We work in English and French, useful for companies with European parent groups or suppliers.
One senior lead owns your project from the first call to launch and learns your business rules once. We can sign an NDA before reviewing anything. Every change is built and tested on a copy or staging environment, then published only after checking, so operations never stop. At handover, the code, repositories, servers, cloud and other accounts are in your company's name, with documentation your own IT team can follow.
07What shapes the scope of a Chicago project
We do not publish prices: every project is different, and the audit is what sets the quote. These are the factors that weigh most:
- The age and size of the internal system and how much of it is documented
- The number of systems to connect: ERP, CRM, accounting, carriers, portals
- How many user roles and partner types the software has to serve
- Audit, logging and access control requirements in insurance or finance
- Whether work has to happen around peak seasons or continuous operations
08Frequently asked questions
Can you take over an internal tool that only one former developer understood?
Yes, that is a typical rescue. We read the code and the database, document how it works, secure access, then stabilize and improve it step by step while your teams keep using it. Nothing is switched off until its replacement is proven.
Do you work on Central Time?
We work on Eastern Time, one hour ahead of Chicago, so our day covers almost all of yours. Calls are scheduled within your business hours, and urgent fixes are handled during the overlap. We work remotely and do not make on-site visits.
Can you connect our ERP to our CRM and customer portal?
Usually, yes. The audit checks what your ERP and other systems expose (APIs, exports, databases) and what is realistic. We then build integrations with error alerts and logs, so a failed sync is noticed right away instead of discovered at month end.
How does a project start?
With a fixed-price audit covering code, access, hosting and contracts. It ends with a written diagnosis and a detailed, prioritized quote, so you can decide what to fix first based on what actually slows down your operations.
Who owns the code and the systems after the project?
You do. The code, repositories, domains, cloud and other accounts are in your company's name and documented at handover. Your internal team or another vendor can take over without depending on us.
Would you replace our old system or keep it?
We refactor step by step rather than doing a big-bang rewrite. Old systems often contain business rules nobody wrote down elsewhere, so we keep what works, replace what blocks, and make every change on a staging copy first.
09Other cities we work with
[ Lunarion audit ]
Need an outside view?
The Lunarion audit takes stock of your project: a written diagnosis, priorities and costs.