Olympus: Global Pricing System

Technical Lead responsible for architecting and developing an internal pricing system for Olympus, the global medical and scientific equipment manufacturer. I led one internal developer through the full build, focusing on backend architecture while mentoring him on the frontend implementation.

The project transformed how Olympus managed and distributed pricing data across their global e-commerce operations.

The Challenge

Olympus operates across multiple countries, each with its own pricing structures, currencies, and regional configurations. Before this system, pricing data was scattered across advanced Excel spreadsheets maintained by different teams in different countries.

The core problems:

• Scattered data: Pricing lived in numerous Excel files with no single source of truth
• No API access: E-commerce storefronts couldn’t programmatically retrieve current pricing
• Regional complexity: Different countries had different pricing tiers, currencies, and rules
• Sales friction: Sales reps couldn’t quickly access accurate pricing for quotes

This fragmentation meant e-shops were operating with outdated or inconsistent pricing, and sales teams spent time hunting through spreadsheets instead of selling.

What I Delivered

Unified Pricing Management System

I architected a headless pricing system that consolidated all regional pricing data into a single platform:

• Centralized product catalog with thousands of SKUs
• Regional pricing management with support for multiple currencies and pricing tiers
• User-friendly admin interface for sales reps and pricing managers to maintain data
• Role-based access ensuring appropriate permissions across regions

Headless API Architecture

The system was designed API-first to accommodate Olympus’s diverse e-commerce landscape:

• RESTful API serving pricing data to multiple e-commerce storefronts
• NestJS backend chosen for compatibility with existing internal systems
• PostgreSQL database handling complex pricing relationships and regional configurations
• Next.js + React.js frontend with Tailwind for the admin interface
• Heroku deployment for reliable hosting and scaling

Technical Leadership

• Led architecture decisions and backend development
• Mentored one internal developer on frontend implementation
• Established development patterns and code standards
• Managed the full development lifecycle from architecture to deployment

Outcome

The pricing system gave Olympus a single source of truth for global product pricing. Sales reps could access accurate, up-to-date pricing instantly. E-commerce storefronts received pricing via API, eliminating manual updates and inconsistencies.

The headless architecture future-proofed the system, allowing Olympus to connect additional e-commerce channels without rebuilding the core pricing engine.

Implemented solutions:

• Custom API Creation
• Custom Internal System Creation
• Custom Price Calculation Logic
• Development and Deployment Pipeline

Used technologies: