This is the core product design: how SupplyShore builds, verifies, scores, and operationalizes a proprietary supplier database. It follows the four phases: Discovery → Research → Verification → Relationship Management.
suppliers
id, company_name, legal_name, website, country, source,
category_tags[], status (discovered|researched|verified|active|blacklist),
verification_score, created_at, updated_at
supplier_contacts contact persons (name, role, email, phone, linkedin)
supplier_facilities factories/plants (address, city, country, employees,
year_established, owned vs. rented)
supplier_certifications (ISO9001, CE, UL, RoHS, REACH, factory certs, etc.)
supplier_products (category, MOQ, price_range, samples, lead time)
supplier_verification (verification_status, method, report_link, audited_by,
last_verified_at, expiry)
supplier_export_history (destination markets, top markets, shipment volume,
customs data source)
supplier_reviews (client references, marketplace ratings, complaints)
supplier_scores (sub-scores + weighted total, versioned)
supplier_events (emails, calls, RFQs, quotes, samples, QC, orders)
Dedup & matching: canonicalize on legal_name + normalized website domain; fuzzy-match aliases (English vs. Chinese registered name), DBAs, and typo variants. Flag trading-companies vs. factories.
EspoCRM mapping (implemented 2026-08-07, see
03-product/crm-structure.md):
this Postgres model maps onto the live CRM structure —suppliers→ Supplier
(+ Account master, type=Supplier),supplier_facilities→ Factory,
supplier_contacts→ Contact (linked),supplier_certifications→
certificationsmulti-enum on Supplier/Factory/Product,supplier_products→
Product (+ Category tree),supplier_verification→verificationStatus/
verificationScore/lastVerifiedAt/verificationExpiry/verificationMethod
fields on Supplier,supplier_export_history→exportMarkets,supplier_scores
→verificationScore+rating,supplier_events→ Stream + core Activities,
supplier_reviews→rating+ notes. RFQ/Quote/Order pipelines live in the CRM
entities of the same names. The canonical Postgres schema remains the target for
the platform phase (Phase C), synced from/to EspoCRM via n8n.
Sources:
03-product/apis).Collected fields (Phase 1): company name, website, source, country, industry, product categories, initial category tags.
Automation: a scheduled n8n/Crawlee job scrapes lead lists from configured sources and creates Lead + Supplier (status=discovered) records in EspoCRM/Postgres.
Gather and normalize:
Research automation (AI):
03-product/apis).Supplier Dossier (status=researched).The most valuable thing SupplyShore sells is verification. A supplier is "Verified" only when its claims survive checks.
Verification methods:
Verification status scale: discovered → researched → desk-verified → audited → active → inactive/blacklist. Store verified_by, method, report_link, last_verified_at, expiry (re-verify periodically).
Inspection/audit vendors (third-party): SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, TÜV Rheinland, QIMA (formerly AsiaInspection), V-Trust, HQTS, Cargo Inspect. Choose by region/product category; see 03-product/apis for service notes.
Once verified, manage the ongoing relationship in EspoCRM:
03-product/automation/03-product/future-architecture).Weighted score (0–100) driving prioritization. Example weights — calibrate with real data:
| Dimension | Weight | Data source |
|---|---|---|
| Authenticity (factory vs. trader) | 25 | verification, audit |
| Verification level | 20 | verification status/expiry |
| Export history / track record | 15 | customs data |
| Certifications | 10 | cert registry |
| Product-category fit | 10 | products vs. request |
| Responsiveness & comms | 10 | CRM event velocity |
| Commercial terms (price/MOQ) | 5 | quotes |
| References / reviews | 5 | reviews |
Outputs: supplier_score, per-dimension breakdown, and a fit score vs. a specific buyer RFQ (category + quality + budget + region match). Use this to rank the RFQ shortlist automatically.
03-product/ai-agents).[Discovery sources]
│ n8n/Crawlee schedules
▼
[Raw leads] ──► dedupe/normalize ──► [Postgres suppliers (discovered)]
│
AI research agents + company APIs + web crawl
▼
[Dossier (researched)] ──► LLM scoring
│
desk-verify + 3rd-party audits/customs
▼
[Verified supplier] ──► EspoCRM + Typesense
│
relationship mgmt (RFQ, quotes, QC, orders)
▼
feedback → re-score, re-verify, blacklist
See 05-roadmap/roadmap. Minimal viable version: