ChainTower

For years I thought I had a supplier problem.

Every time something went wrong, the answer seemed obvious. Find a better factory.

Eventually I realized the factory usually wasn’t the problem.

The real problem was that once I sent a purchase order, everything turned into emails, spreadsheets, and waiting. Production dates slipped. ETAs changed three times. Containers got rolled. Packing lists didn’t match what showed up. By the time we found out, we were already reacting.

I kept looking for software that tied all of it together. Something built for importers instead of freight forwarders or warehouse teams.

I couldn’t find it.

So I hired a developer.

What started as an internal tool for our own importing business has turned into ChainTower.

It tracks shipments, sure. But that’s honestly the least interesting part.

The goal is to answer the questions I actually cared about every day:

• Is this supplier consistently hitting their commitments?
• If this container gets delayed another week, what am I going to run out of?
• How much inventory do I really have when I include everything that’s still on the water?
• Which factories are quietly costing me money?

We’re still in beta, and I’m learning a lot from other importers who are dealing with the same headaches.