The Issue:
In factories that process a large quantity of parts, it is too difficult to maintain the various levels of safety stock manually. The solution described here allows you to calculate safety stock for each part in a controlled automatic manner. The calculation is performed on the basis of actual material usage during a defined period, and includes the possibility of adding coefficients or manually revising recommended quantities.

The solution:
Priority provides a form that displays the usage of raw materials during the desired period, and recommends the appropriate level of safety stock on the basis of this data, as well as various coefficients. Usage data are taken from issues to the plant floor, warehouse transfers and customer sales.
You can manually revise the recommended safety stock after approving the results displayed in the form. You can also perform a general update of the safety stock on the basis of the form data.

When goods are received into inventory, a barcode label must be applied to each item before it can be distributed to stores. In order to save valuable time when receiving the goods and avoid distribution delays, you can run a simple program well before the goods are received, which sends the correct amount of labels for each part directly to a label work area, according to the itemized vendor invoices linked to a given shipping voucher.

Using the electronic data interchange (EDI) module, you can maintain a continuous dialogue with branches of a chain store. A set of interfaces have been developed based on standard requirements of food chains. The module enables you to manage separate part numbers and packing units for your own company and for the chain branches.

Managing the permanent placement of each part enables warehouse personnel to go directly to the permanent storage place for specific goods when they are issued or picked from inventory. Inventory management of this type is appropriate only for goods stored in a single permanent location in the warehouse, and not for goods which are stored in several alternate locations.

Managing Price Lists & Discounts by Customer Group. Maintaining a single entry for price lists and discounts for a customer group.

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Define a representative customer for each customer group. Changes and updates to price terms or discounts for the representative customer take effect immediately for all customers in that group.

Priority enables you to define product assemblies that include different quantities of assorted products in various combinations. The list of products can be transferred automatically from one sales document to the next (price quote, order, packing slip, and shipping document), and quantities adjusted as needed, enabling quick and efficient delivery of the entire product set to the customer.

Priority's QA module enables you to:

• Define a set of required analyses for each manufactured part
• Determine a set of possible results for each analysis (a list or range of values)
• Record part sampling from the lot
• Create a COA
• Categorize parts by quality, based on test results
• Route parts for follow-up, based on QA status.

For example, an order is received for a certain branch of a firm, while billing is handled by the firm headquarters.

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In Priority, you can define a billing customer for each customer when opening customer accounts in Financials. You can also assign a billing customer for a specific invoice.

The bonus system in Priority enables you to offer customers bonus parts when they order a certain quantity of a specific part or parts belonging to the same part family. There are two types of bonuses:

• Regular bonuses are given upon purchase of a certain part by some or all customers.
• Special bonuses are defined for specific customers and are given to those customers only.

You can define progressive bonuses based on quantity purchased, so as to increase the customers' incentive to purchase large quantities.

Priority includes a program for automatic assignment of sales orders to distribution routes. The Schedule Deliveries program assigns sales orders to distribution routes based on the order supply date, delivery routing, delivery days defined for the customer, and the company's working hours. For an order to be included by the Schedule Deliveries program, it must have a status flagged in the Schedule Deliveries column of the Statuses for Orders form.

Purchase Planning (MRP) for Commercial Companies

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Material Requirements Planning (MRP) for Distributors enables the planning of required issues for sales orders and forecast orders (without addressing BOMs or production/assembly operations of any kind).
Such planning "explodes" requirements for the assembled product to the next level down in the BOM. For instance, it will generate purchase requisitions for the component parts of a bicycle.

Requests for quotes (RFQs) can be generated automatically from purchase requisitions, for select groups of vendors: the preferred vendor for each item, or all vendors that meet a certain standard of quality. The receipt of quotes based on the same RFQ enables you to compare them, select the best one, and convert it to an order.

Priority enables you to record blanket purchase orders, which offer special pricing terms in exchange for a commitment to purchase a specified quantity of parts within a set time frame. The blanket order acts as a basis for the production of multiple purchase orders. The system provides a means of tracking the remaining quantity in the blanket order, as well as the monetary value of the order balance.

Simulating Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
You can run Priority's MRP utility as a simulation. This enables you to view planning reports without opening any work orders or preparing issues plans. Simulations enable you to try out a variety of planning parameters and analyze results. When results are satisfactory, you can run the program as an actual plan using the chosen parameters.

This module supports optimization of the three basic operations of warehouse management:

• Directed Picking
• Directed Replenishment
• Directed Putaway

These are all subject to constraints defined in advance by the warehouse manager.

You can also use this module to plan other routine warehouse tasks, such as inventory count, return to vendor, warehouse transfer, etc. For each warehouse operation recorded in this module, an appropriate inventory transaction document (e.g., shipping, sales invoice, or warehouse transfer document) is created, using built-in programs.

The module interfaces with automated data collection (ADC) systems, and supports input of inventory data via handheld devices and other data collection tools.

Priority's comprehensive QA module includes an automated utility for tracking malfunctions discovered during the quality assurance process, from the moment a problem is reported up until it is closed, including the option to refer the problem to a malfunction review board (MRB) for discussion and recommendations to prevent its recurrence.

This automated malfunction handling process is fully integrated with the existing logistical workflow in Priority.

Priority's Special Offers module enables users to offer incentives to customers that purchase a designated amount of goods within a defined period.
In the first stage, you assign a name, start and end dates, and Priority to the offer (i.e., if two offers are defined for the same part or part family, the offer Priority determines which one will be attached first to invoiced sales when the campaign is over). Later on, you can define a target quantity for the part, which the customer must purchase in order to be eligible for offer benefits. Alternatively, you can define a target sum; customers who purchase target parts equaling this sum during the defined offer period will be eligible for benefits.

Customer compensation can be according to any one of the following models:

• Offered Products: Select a part number and quantity to which the customer will be entitled if they meet the offer target.
• Credit in Percentage of total purchases during the offer period: Determine the credit % which the customer will receive.
• Fixed Monetary Credit for purchases made during the offer period: Indicate the amount of credit which the customer will receive.

Priority's Sales Forecast module enables you to create annual forecasts for internal and external sales reps. Forecasts can be defined in terms of monthly sales, and broken down by part family or individual part, including quantitative data. There is also the option of defining forecasts for specific customers. You can perform continuous tracking of actual versus forecasted performance and of the degree to which targets are met by each sales rep, and create updated forecasts for the remainder of the sales period.

Priority enables you to define and manage the company's branches. Each branch can be linked to an area, enabling sales analysis by branch and by area. Each branch can be linked to the branch warehouse, and its inventory can be managed by the desired inventory levels, as defined for the branch. WMS Warehouse Management Solutions are also available.

Each employee is linked to the branch in which they work. Document numbering can be defined separately for each branch.

You can produce reports summarizing sales by branch (at the order, shipping document, or invoice level), determine separate numbering patterns for each branch's documents, and attach a separate logo to printed documents for each branch.

System access can be limited by user branch, so that each user can access only data related to their own branch or to other branches for which they have been given privileges.