Supply Chain Visibility Platform Development

Shipment tracking from purchase order placement through the full inbound journey: supplier order confirmation, production completion and factory departure, freight booking with the forwarder, bill of lading issue, departure from the origin port, in-transit milestone updates, arrival at the destination port, customs clearance, and final delivery to the warehouse. Each milestone presented against the expected date so the deviation from plan is visible at each stage rather than only when the final delivery date is missed. Timeline view showing the full journey for each shipment with expected and actual dates side by side -- the format the operations team needs to see at a glance whether a shipment is on track or behind. Shipment grouping by supplier, carrier, origin port, and destination so the operations manager can monitor the inbound pipeline by the dimensions that matter for their planning decisions. Historical on-time performance by supplier, carrier, route, and season so the planning team has data to set realistic lead time expectations rather than relying on the supplier's stated lead time.

Consolidated inventory position across all locations -- owned warehouses, 3PL locations, bonded stores, consignment stock held at distributor premises -- showing on-hand, on-order, and in-transit quantities by SKU in one view rather than requiring the operations team to query each location separately. In-transit stock included in the available-to-promise calculation with the expected arrival date attached so customer service and sales can give accurate delivery promises without waiting for goods to be received into the warehouse. Inventory ageing by location showing how long stock has been held and flagging positions that are approaching a defined holding threshold. Low stock and out-of-stock alerts by SKU and location with the next inbound shipment date and quantity shown alongside the alert so the recipient can assess whether inbound stock will cover the gap. Location transfer tracking when stock moves between warehouses -- the transfer recorded as a distinct event so inventory position by location is accurate throughout the transfer rather than showing a discrepancy until the receiving scan is completed.

Carrier milestone data ingested from carrier APIs, EDI messages from freight forwarders, or structured email parsing where neither API nor EDI is available -- the integration approach per carrier or forwarder determined by what that party can provide. Milestone normalisation mapping the varying terminology and status codes used by different carriers and forwarders to a standard milestone set so the operations team sees a consistent shipment status format regardless of which carrier is handling the shipment. Vessel tracking for ocean freight showing the current vessel position, the estimated arrival at the discharge port, and any port congestion or schedule delay information available from the vessel tracking data. Air freight milestone tracking from departure airport through transit hubs to arrival at the destination airport. Temperature and condition monitoring integration for shipments carrying perishable or temperature-sensitive goods, with out-of-range alerts triggered during transit rather than discovered on receipt.

Exception detection running against each shipment milestone -- a departure date later than planned, a transit time longer than the carrier's standard, a goods receipt quantity short of the purchase order quantity, or a document not received by the required date -- triggering an alert automatically rather than requiring the operations team to notice the deviation by reviewing every shipment manually. Exception routing sending each alert to the right person: a shipment delay alert to the planner managing that supplier, a document missing alert to the customs broker, a short shipment alert to the buyer responsible for the purchase order. Exception priority based on the impact of the deviation -- a shipment delay for a line that is already at safety stock is higher priority than the same delay for a line with six weeks of cover. Exception resolution workflow capturing the action taken: expedite the shipment, arrange an alternative source, alert the affected customer, adjust the replenishment plan -- with the resolution recorded against the exception for audit and root cause analysis. Recurring exception reporting showing which suppliers, carriers, and routes generate the most exceptions so the operations team can address root causes rather than managing the same exceptions repeatedly.

Landed cost model capturing all cost components for each shipment: product cost, freight, insurance, customs duty, port handling, inland haulage, and any additional charges applied by the carrier or forwarder. Estimated landed cost available from the time of purchase order placement, using standard freight and duty rates for the product category and origin, so the finance team can accrue the full cost rather than just the product cost at time of order. Actual landed cost recorded against each cost component as invoices are received from the freight forwarder, carrier, and customs broker, with variances from the estimate flagged for review. Landed cost per unit calculation updating automatically as cost components are confirmed, feeding into the product cost reporting that the finance and pricing teams rely on. Cost component analysis showing the breakdown of freight, duty, and handling as a percentage of product cost by supplier, category, and origin -- the data that informs sourcing decisions and contract negotiations with freight providers.

Supply chain performance dashboard showing the key metrics the operations and logistics leadership team needs: inbound on-time rate by supplier and carrier, average lead time vs contracted lead time, exception rate by exception type and supplier, and inventory turns by location and category. Lead time analysis by supplier, product category, origin port, and season -- the analysis that allows the planning team to set lead time assumptions in the demand planning system accurately rather than using contracted lead times that don't reflect actual performance. Carrier performance comparison showing on-time rate, transit time consistency, and exception rate by carrier across comparable routes so the logistics team has data to support carrier selection and negotiation. Finance reporting covering committed spend on in-transit inventory, accrued landed costs, and variance between estimated and actual landed cost by period. Custom report builder for the operations team to create and schedule the specific views and extracts they need without requiring a developer to build each new report.