Material Dispatch System

🎯 Overview

The Material Dispatch System streamlines the process of transporting stone materials from the yard to CNC machines. It automatically notifies all relevant team members when a dispatch is created, ensuring smooth coordination between forklift operators, machine operators, and supervisors.

                    Key Feature: When a dispatch is created, the system automatically sends in-app notifications 
                    and email alerts to the assigned forklift operator, machine operator, and supervisor.
                

👥 User Roles & Permissions

🚜 Forklift Operator

View dashboard and dispatches
Receive notifications for new dispatches
Update dispatch status (pickup, in-transit)
View inventory and order details

⚙️ Machine Operator

View dashboard and incoming dispatches
Receive notifications when materials are dispatched
View G-code files and tablet interface
Prepare machines for incoming materials

👔 Supervisor

Full access to manage dispatches
Monitor all dispatch activities
View reports and analytics
Receive notifications for all dispatches

🔄 How It Works

1

Create Material Issue

First, create a material issue to allocate stone slabs/tiles to an order. This reserves the materials in the system.

2

Create Dispatch

Click "Create Dispatch" button. Select the material issue, machine, and assign operators (forklift, machine operator, supervisor).

3

Automatic Notifications Sent

System automatically creates notifications for all assigned operators:

Forklift Operator: "Material for Order ST-2026-0019 ready for transport to Machine #1. Please pick up from yard."
Machine Operator: "Material for Order ST-2026-0019 will arrive at your machine soon. Please prepare for cutting."
Supervisor: "New dispatch created: Order ST-2026-0019 → Machine #1. Monitor progress."

4

Operators Receive Alerts

Operators see a 6 red badge on the notification bell. Clicking it shows all notifications in a dropdown.

5

Update Status

Forklift operator updates status as they progress: Pending → In Transit → Delivered

🔔 Notification System

In-App Notifications

📦 New Dispatch

Material for Order ST-2026-0019 ready for transport to Machine #1. Please pick up from yard.

2 minutes ago

📦 New Dispatch

New dispatch created: Order ST-2026-0020 → Machine #2. Monitor progress.

5 minutes ago

🔄 Status Updated

Dispatch #15 status changed to "In Transit"

1 hour ago

Email Notifications

In addition to in-app notifications, the system sends HTML emails to operators with the same message. Emails are sent to the email address associated with each user account.

                    Real-time Polling: The system checks for new notifications every 30 seconds automatically. 
                    No need to refresh the page!
                

📋 Dispatch Table

The dispatch table shows all material movements with operator assignments:

ID	Order	Customer	Machine	Status	Forklift Operator	Machine Operator	Supervisor
#17	ST-2026-0019	Sant Kumar	Biesse Rover CNC	In Transit	demo@astonetech.com	demo@astonetech.com	demo@astonetech.com
#16	ST-2026-0020	John Smith	Bridge Saw	Pending	demo@astonetech.com	demo@astonetech.com	demo@astonetech.com

⚡ Setup Instructions

1. Create User Roles

Go to Team Management → Roles and ensure these roles exist:

Forklift Operator
Machine Operator
Supervisor

2. Assign Roles to Users

Go to Team Management → Team Members and assign users to these roles:

Select a user
Choose the role (Forklift Operator, Machine Operator, or Supervisor)
Mark as "Active"
Save

3. Create Your First Dispatch

Go to Material Dispatch page
Click "Create Dispatch"
Select material issue, order, and machine
Assign operators from dropdowns
Click "Create Dispatch"
Check notification bell for new alerts!

                    Important: Dropdowns will only show users who have been assigned the corresponding role 
                    in Team Management. If dropdowns are empty, you need to assign roles to users first.
                

✨ Key Features

🔔 Real-time Notifications

Instant alerts when dispatches are created or updated. Auto-refreshes every 30 seconds.

📧 Email Alerts

HTML emails sent to all assigned operators with detailed dispatch information.

📊 Status Tracking

Track dispatches through: Pending → Dispatched → In Transit → Delivered

👥 Role-based Access

Different permissions for forklift operators, machine operators, and supervisors.

📱 Responsive Design

Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices with adaptive layouts.

🌓 Dark/Light Theme

Toggle between dark and light modes. Preference saved in browser.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Dropdowns Not Populating?

Ensure users are assigned to roles in Team Management
Check that users are marked as "Active"
Verify company_id matches your account

Notifications Not Showing?

Hard refresh the page (Ctrl + Shift + R)
Check browser console for errors (F12)
Verify dispatch_notifications table exists in database

Emails Not Received?

Check spam/junk folder
Verify user has email address in profile
Check server mail logs for delivery status

📦 Material Dispatch System