Follow an import shipment's documents, shipping, customs and costs on one screen
TradeFlow manages import shipments, the goods you bring in from overseas, with a document center, shipping and customs tracking, and cost allocation. You work with overseas partner companies on a shared collaboration screen. AI Crew helps look up progress (beta), and people handle filings and payments.
Designed for: For purchasing and trade staff who handle overseas OEM or import deals, and for operations leads who want to know their true import costs.
When you need it
Import work tends to scatter documents, schedules and costs across many places.
Quotes, invoices and packing lists sit in email attachments and personal folders, so you gather them again for every customs clearance. TradeFlow keeps the documents for each import shipment in the document center.
To answer "When does the ship arrive?" you contact the carrier every time. When shipping and customs progress is recorded on the import shipment, everyone sees the status on the same screen.
If you cannot split freight, duties and other charges by product, your costs get blurry. Cost allocation divides what each import shipment cost so you can check your unit costs.
How it differs from general work tools
Documents, shipping and customs progress, and costs are tied to one import shipment. You do not move back and forth between spreadsheets and email.
You work with overseas partner companies on a shared collaboration screen. Less sending documents and status updates back and forth.
AI Crew does not file customs declarations, open letters of credit, make payments or issue certificates of origin. The responsible person handles filings with outside authorities and work that involves money directly.
Key features
It covers the basic import workflow.
Import shipment management
Create and manage import deals as import shipments. See which product comes from which partner company inside one shipment.
- Manage by import shipment
- Documents, progress and costs tied to each shipment
Document center
Collect the documents each import shipment needs in the document center. No more hunting for papers at customs or settlement time.
- Documents grouped by import shipment
- Find them in one place when needed
Shipping and customs tracking
Record and follow each shipping and customs stage on the import shipment. Sales and operations staff check expected arrivals on the same screen.
- Check shipping progress
- Check customs progress
Cost allocation
Record freight, duties and other charges on the import shipment and allocate them. You can check unit costs by product more accurately.
- Record import costs
- Allocate costs
- Check unit costs
Partner collaboration screen
A collaboration screen you share with overseas partner companies. You both check progress and documents in the same place.
- A screen shared with partners
- Shared progress
Ask AI Crew about progress
Ask in the AI Crew command window how far an import shipment has come, and AI Crew looks up TradeFlow to answer. Sales and marketing staff can check without waiting for the trade staff.
- Look up import shipment progress
- No declarations, letters of credit, payments or certificates of origin
What AI Crew does and what people decide
- Looks up import shipment progress (beta)
- Finds and reports documents and shipping and customs progress (beta)
- Reports lookup results in the AI Crew command window conversation
- Customs declarations
- Opening letters of credit
- Paying for goods
- Certificates of origin
- Final cost allocation and what to share with partners
Working with AI Crew: an example
Below is an example from the fictional company Ondam Living Co. It is bringing in the first batch of the "Ondam mug set" from an overseas OEM factory.
The purchasing manager creates an import shipment for the first batch of mug sets and uploads the order documents to the document center.
The OEM factory contact checks shipping progress and documents on the collaboration screen and sees the same information as the purchasing manager.
A marketing team member asks in the command window, "Where is the mug set now?" AI Crew looks up the shipment's shipping and customs progress and answers (beta).
The responsible person and the customs broker handle the customs declaration and payment themselves. After the goods arrive, the purchasing manager allocates freight and duties and checks the unit cost.
Connected work in other services
Admin and security
- AI Crew only helps look things up (beta). It does not file customs declarations, open letters of credit, make payments or issue certificates of origin.
- AI Crew only looks things up within the permissions of the person who asked.
- Choose who uses TradeFlow with the role-by-service permission table, and set individual exceptions.
- Each company's data is kept separate on both the server and the database.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI Crew file customs declarations?
No. The responsible person handles customs declarations, letters of credit, payments and certificates of origin directly. AI Crew helps look up progress (beta).
Which features can we use now?
You can use import shipments, the document center, shipping and customs tracking, cost allocation and the partner collaboration screen. It is a first version that covers the basic import workflow, and we expand it based on requests from real use.
Do overseas partners use the same screen?
Yes. On the collaboration screen you share with partners, you see progress and documents together.
Does it handle export work?
The current features focus on import shipments. We check the scope you need when you talk to sales.
Does it connect to the trade or logistics systems we use now?
The scope of connections to your existing systems is decided together when you talk to sales.
Related pages
Start with AI Crew in the November closed beta.