This Website Shows Big Companies' Network of Supply Chains

When you buy a new t-shirt you sometimes check where it's been made. Oftentimes, the source of our clothing, but also homeware, tech hardware, food, etc isn't ethical or sustainable, but how do you find out beforehand?

David Applegate took it upon himself to build his new site ImportYeti from scratch, which lets you know exactly where and when products from companies are sourced. 

It's an eye-opener and may make you think twice about using certain companies. 

How does the site work?

As a tech and data enthusiast, Applegate enjoyed and even thrived off of building ImportYeti. He told Gizmodo "I eat, breathe, and sleep eCommerce. I use this data myself to find vendors. I’m fairly technical and due to the Covid-19's brutal effect on my store, I have some extra time on my hands."

As a business owner himself who depends on vendors to send him products, Applegate's interest in the matter was high.

Applegate explained to Gizmodo how his system works "The system searches over 70 million bills of lading to understand which suppliers to choose based on data rather than empty claims and seemingly endless options."

This will not only be a great tool for shoppers to understand how their preferred companies source their products, but also for new, smaller, companies entering the market. In order to understand which competing companies are getting their products from which suppliers, this may offer a helping hand to the small startups or companies trying to get off the ground and find their own suppliers. 

SEE ALSO: CONDITION MONITORING STARTUP LOGMORE HELPS CUT DOWN WASTE IN FOOD INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAINS

In Applegate's own words to Gizmodo "I focus on answering a singular question: 'How do I find the right supplier to create my product overseas?.'"

"I approach this two ways. I allow you to find the suppliers that are used by reputable companies and I allow you to vet suppliers by understanding whether or not they actually move volume in the product you’re interested in," he explained. 

If you jump onto the site yourself, you'll see oodles of information on a huge selection of companies. From a company's suppliers, to its total shipments over the years, to vendor relationships and everything in between, ImportYeti shares all this data via colorful and useful charts and graphs.