See cbThread in action

Scene 2 of 9 · Manufacturer

The whole business, at a glance

Priya signs in to Demo Garments’ dashboard. The overview counts every request by status. Each request type has its own card, and a card only turns blue when it has requests waiting, so the eye goes straight to the work.

• Pending requests stand out in cream in the overview.
• Request types are the manufacturer’s own, in its own order.
• Recent Requests and Recent Activity show what moved today.
• Staff see only the buyers assigned to them.

Scene 3 of 9 · Manufacturer

Every request, in one list

Every request the manufacturer and its buyers raise lands here, newest first. Each one has a number of its own, like REQ-DG-128, and a status: pending, approved or rejected. Filter by request type, buyer or status. Either side can raise a request.

• Lab dips, proto, SMS, size set and TOP samples, side by side.
• The status pill always sits on the right, at every screen size.
• Numbers run per manufacturer, whoever raised the request.
• Next, open REQ-DG-128, a lab dip for Northwind Apparel.

Scene 4 of 9 · Manufacturer

One request, one page

Everything about REQ-DG-128 lives on one page: who raised it and when, where it stands, and the details from Demo Garments’ own Lab Dips form. The swatch photo and the shade report sit below, and the conversation with the buyer comes last. Northwind Apparel sees the same page from its side.

• The Summary shows who raised it, when it last changed, and the decision.
• Request Details are the fields this manufacturer set up for lab dips.
• The side that raised it can edit the details until the buyer decides.
• Files keep the name each one was given; the originals are kept untouched.

Scene 5 of 9 · Both sides

A conversation both companies can see

Hannah at Northwind Apparel asks for a revised shade. cbThread emails Priya, and the link takes her straight to the comment. She replies on the same thread and uploads the re-dyed swatch, and Hannah confirms it. Nothing is lost in an inbox or a chat.

• Everyone else on the request is emailed when someone comments.
• The email never carries the comment itself, only a link to it.
• You can edit or delete your own comment for 15 minutes.
• An open page picks up new comments by itself, and a comment left unanswered for 7 days gets a reminder.

Scene 6 of 9 · Buyer

Approved, and locked

Now we’re on Hannah’s side. Northwind Apparel is the buyer, so the decision is hers. She approves REQ-DG-128 and confirms. Demo Garments sees the result at once, and the request becomes read-only: no more edits, files or comments. The approved request is a record of exactly what was agreed.

• Only the buyer can approve or reject, and a decision is final.
• The Decision card sits right under the request’s details.
• Approved means locked: details, files and conversation.
• A rejected request stays open for comments, so the reason can be discussed.

Scene 7 of 9 · Buyer

Many manufacturers, kept apart

Northwind Apparel works with three manufacturers on cbThread. Hannah works in one manufacturer’s workspace at a time, with its own request types, requests and conversations. When she wants the full picture, All Manufacturers brings them together in one view. Switching changes what she’s looking at, never who can see it.

• The workspace switcher sits beside the logo on every buyer page.
• In All Manufacturers, every row says which manufacturer it belongs to.
• Each manufacturer sees only its own requests with the buyer.
• Buyers get their own welcome email and sign-in; there’s nothing to install.

Scene 8 of 19 · Manufacturer admin

Set up once, then locked in

Before any requests arrive, a new manufacturer’s admin is taken through a short guided setup. It starts with a welcome email, then covers the request types they handle, the form for each type and the order of their dashboard. Confirming activates the workspace, and from then on the configuration is fixed, so every request is raised on the same forms.

• The welcome email brings the sign-in; the first password is changed straight away.
• Setup can be left and resumed; nothing is final until it’s confirmed.
• After activation, changes are made by cbThread as a configuration service.
• Every admin is told by email and in the app when the workspace is configured.