The problem
Running E-Lux Electric Bikes meant managing 18 containers simultaneously — across 3 product lines with 19 risk codes per item, tracked through 7 stages from factory floor to warehouse shelf. The information existed. It just lived in vendor emails, WeChat threads, and spreadsheets no one kept current. One missed customs date cost $40,000.
What we built
A live Airtable system that tracks every item across every stage — with tiered alerts that fire before things slip, not after. Make.com automation reads vendor emails, extracts structured data, and writes it back to the base. Claude API handles unstructured text: parsing PDF documents, summarizing broker communications, and flagging anomalies.
How it works
Every shipment has a record. Every record has a stage. Every stage has an expected date. When a date slips, an alert fires — graded by severity. Green: on track. Yellow: watch it. Red: act now. The system doesn't replace judgment. It makes sure judgment gets applied before it's too late.
The stack
Airtable as the operational database and interface layer. Make.com for automation and integrations. Claude API for document parsing and anomaly detection. Built to be handed off — no code required to operate.