Digital transformation · Integration · AI

The systems you run on, finally working as one.

Growth doesn't stall for lack of software — it stalls because ERP, e-commerce, cloud, data and AI pull in different directions. Design Studio Lab connects them into one operation, so the business can move to its next level. Operator-led. Integration-first. Built to ship.

DSL profile · est. 2018
Founder
Bala Mathivanan · 15+ yrs in-industry
Focus
Integration-led transformation
Sectors
Manufacturing · Logistics · E-commerce
Based
Kent, UK · serving UK · US · Asia
Stack
Azure · SAP B1 · Microsoft 365 · Cloudflare
Status
Taking on new engagements
500,000+
Parcels a year through integrated systems
4
Countries running as one operation
21
ERP instances unified into one view
AI
From pilot to production, governed
Figures from engagements led by our founder inside multinational operations — see the track record
01 — Approach

Transformation isn't a purchase. It's an integration.

Most transformation stalls because software gets bought before the operation is understood. We start from how your business actually works, then design the integration that makes new technology stick.

i.

Operation first, software second

The stack follows the business, never the other way round. We map how value really moves before recommending a single tool.

ii.

Integrate, don't accumulate

Fewer systems, better connected. ERP, e-commerce, cloud and AI become one operation instead of competing projects.

iii.

We build it, then hand it over

Strategy and software come from the same team — and your people are left able to run and extend everything we deliver.

02 — What we do

Three streams, one operating platform.

We advise on the direction and then build the systems that deliver it — no gap between strategy and reality.

Advisory

Strategy & Integration

Transformation roadmaps, M&A and post-acquisition integration, SAP Business One and ERP, AI governance.

Build

Delivery & Applications

E-commerce and multichannel, CRM and marketing, compliance, SAP B1 apps, dashboards, budgeting.

Cloud

Cloud & Infrastructure

Full Azure migration, modern workplace and endpoint, zero-trust security by design.

Bala Mathivanan
"I've stood in the middle of a merger, a live ERP and an AI rollout — and made them work together. That's the experience every engagement gets."
Bala Mathivanan — Founder & Principal Consultant, 15+ years inside multinational operations
Meet the founder
03 — Sectors

Built for businesses where the operation is complex.

We work best with established organisations whose systems have to be right — where volume, multiple sites or a merger make integration the difference between growth and gridlock.

Manufacturing & Engineering
BOMs · production data · quality
Distribution & Logistics
High-volume fulfilment · stock accuracy
E-commerce & Retail
Storefront-to-ERP operations
Multi-Site Groups
Many entities · one operating picture
Post-Merger Businesses
Newly acquired · mid-integration
Regulated & Export-Sensitive
Compliance-heavy environments
04 — Insights

Notes from the operator's side.

Practical writing on transformation, integration and AI — grounded in work we've actually shipped.

Get in touch

Let's talk about your next stage.

Thirty minutes, no obligation: tell us where your operation is today, and we'll tell you what we'd do first.