Organization structure
Workspaces support multi-branch operations common in global forwarding. Each branch can have its own address, timezone, default port pairs, and user roster while sharing a central shipment pool or operating in siloed views based on your governance model.
| Level | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | Top-level tenant | Acme Global Logistics |
| Branch | Regional or office unit | Acme Singapore |
| Team | Functional group within branch | Ocean imports – APAC |
| User | Individual with role assignment | jane.chen@acme.com |
Start simple
Begin with one branch and expand after your core workflows are stable. Over-segmenting early creates unnecessary permission complexity.
Milestone templates
Milestone templates define the expected checkpoint sequence per mode and trade lane. Orbex Data ships defaults for ocean FCL, LCL, air, and cross-border trucking. Customize templates to match your SOPs—for example, adding a VGM submitted milestone before gate-in.
- Assign templates by mode, trade lane, or customer account
- Set SLA offsets from prior milestone or from ETD/ETA
- Configure which milestones trigger customer notifications
Document settings
Under Settings → Documents, enable document types your team uses and define required fields for each. Forwarders often require commercial invoice and packing list before customs filing; shippers may require proof of delivery before payment release.
Email ingestion
Each branch receives a unique ingestion address (e.g., docs-sin@ingest.orbexdata.com). Emails with PDF attachments auto-attach to shipments when the subject or body contains a recognized reference number.
OCR accuracy improves after you review and correct extracted fields. Orbex Data learns common layouts for your frequent shippers and carriers.
Notifications and alerts
Configure who receives alerts for milestone updates, new exceptions, and document approvals. Notifications can route to in-app feeds, email, Slack, or Microsoft Teams based on severity and shipment ownership.
| Category | Default recipients | Configurable |
|---|---|---|
| ETA change > 24h | Assigned operator | Yes |
| Customs hold | Branch manager + broker | Yes |
| Document rejected | Documentation team | Yes |
| SLA breach imminent | Escalation chain | Yes |
Data retention and audit
Workspace admins control retention periods for completed shipments, document versions, and audit logs. Enterprise plans support extended retention and legal hold on specific shipments for claims or regulatory inquiry.
Audit trail
Every milestone edit, document approval, and permission change is logged with user, timestamp, and prior value. Export audit logs via API or scheduled report.