Distribution Management Software from Aptean SouthWare

Aptean SouthWare’s Distribution Management Series produces a comprehensive line of applications for your inventory-related operations. This sophisticated inventory control solution includes tracking for serial and lot numbers various costing methods, multi-location flexibility and many related capabilities to help you manage inventory levels and information. Purchasing features help you buy what you need, when you need it and at the right price.

Inventory Control

Always have up-to-the-minute detailed information on each item in your inventory. With Inventory Control, you’ll know exactly how much inventory comes in, how much is on-hand now and where it goes.

Key features include:

• Know the value, details and extensive supporting information of each item in your current inventory

• Keep separate records for each inventory location you use and move quantities between inventory locations as needed

• Easily verify your spot check counts against your inventory records

• Get the up-to-the-minute quantity status for any item in your inventory

• Produce shelf labels for your stock items

• Access a perpetual ledger of all quantities in and out for each stock item

• Track selected stock items by serial number, lot number, size, color or other tracking breakdown

• Adjust your inventory records for breakage, spoilage or other defective quantities

Item Group Matrix Adapter

If you sell items that belong to groups or styles that can be presented via a row/column matrix such as color or size, you want to be able to enter and review quantities for items via a matrix. This add-on module allows you to use a matrix-oriented entry interface to efficiently buy, sell and receive items within a matrix group. For example, you could set up colors as matrix group rows and sizes as columns and then easily buy, receive and sell items within the group.

Key features include:

• Utilize different matrix types of row/column combinations such as clothing color/size, show color/size, variety/size, product/user count, pants waist/inseam, lumber dimensions, plant size/variety, etc.

• Identify all the row/column attributes that apply to a matrix type and specify which attributes apply to each group matrix

• Use the same group definition in multiple locations

• Automatically generate stock records needed from group row/column combinations OR use existing stock numbers

• Indicate that certain row/column combinations are not applicable within a group

• Inquire stock item information for items in a matrix group

• Easily view and edit quantities for group matrix items via a grid or tree in the following entry programs: Sales order entry, Purchase order entry, Purchasing work file entry, Service order entry and Receiving entry

Order Processing

When your customers call with an order, you need to record the order accurately and then deliver it right the first time. This means your people need a system that helps them be efficient, accurate, knowledgeable and timely. Order Entry integrates with Inventory to give you a complete order processing and inventory management system.

Key features include: 

• Immediately answer your customers’ questions about pricing, availability and order status

• Instantly access past sales orders for a customer and even duplicate the order

• Sell what the customer needs even if you have to special order it or ship it from another location

• Drop-ship an order from your vendor directly to your customer

• Check customer's credit status before and after you record an order

• Automatically handle complex situations involving special pricing, special commission structures or special sales tax rates

• Provide order acknowledgement forms to your customers to make sure the order is right before you ship it

• Create sales quotations and then turn them into orders when the customer agrees to buy

Point of Sale

For retail or counter sales situations, you want to process the sale fast so customers can be on their way. If customers have questions, you want instant access to the answers. You also want to handle returns, discounts, delivery, split payments and other needs quickly and accurately.

With Point of Sale you get the power of an order entry system with the speed and convenience you need in a point of sale station. This system can be customized for just the entry features you need and integrates with numerous hardware options to create the system that’s right for your business.

Key features include:

• Customize which keystrokes should be required to record a sale

• Combine returns and new sales on the same invoice

• Capture as much or as little information about each customer as you wish

• Integrate with hardware options such as electronic cash drawers and bar code readers

• Easily handle special situations such as layaways, requests for delivery and special orders

• Instantly know the availability and location of any stock item

• Remind your operators to suggest related add on items

• Tightly control receipts by tracking your cash, check and credit card payments and reconciling them per operator

Purchasing 

Your customers and employees want inventory to be available when they need it. But, if you’re not careful, you can eat up all your profit in inventory carrying costs.

Purchasing integrates with Inventory to help you achieve your inventory goals. You get the help you need to set and maintain target stock levels, to analyze usage trends and to check vendor performance.

Key features include:

• Use your judgment more efficiently by focusing only on any needed adjustments to suggested purchases

• Create just-in-time POs from your sales orders

• Make special adjustments to the purchasing controls for any stock item

• Identify seasonal sales items and adjust suggested purchases for seasonal needs

• Recognize normal and abnormal usage patterns for your inventory

• Order the most profitable quantity levels based on EOQ or other quantity discount calculations

• Know which vendors are giving you the best performance on each item

Return Authorization

Designed as an add-on module to Inventory Control, Return Authorizations lets you manage your inventory in conjunction with items being returned from customers and items being returned to vendors.

Other processes such as receiving and sales returns integrate seamlessly with Return Authorizations so your return information is always as current as the last related information entered anywhere in the system.

Key features include:

• Handle complex situations such as exchanges, warranties and advance swaps

• Track the status of returned items to identify situations that need follow up attention

• Know whether you’re expecting a vendor repair, replacement, credit or refund

• Automatically close your vendor returns from other modules

• Track the items you’ve authorized for return and know what you’re supposed to do when you receive the return

• Keep track of labor reimbursement amounts owed to you by a vendor

• Automatically create the appropriate inventory and general ledger adjustments as you process returns

Assembly Work Orders

Inventory management and work order control is a challenge when you have assemblies and components. Not only do you have to keep track of the items that come in and out of your business; you have to keep track of them as they flow in and out of assemblies. Assembly Work Orders integrates with Inventory to give you a complete sales and inventory management system.

Key features include:

• Create, track, post and analyze work orders that document all your assembly activity

• Take an order from a customer via Order Entry and interactively create a work order to produce his customized shipment

• Select optional components that increase the selling price

• Check the availability of each component on an assembly and then reserve stock or substitute, backorder, purchase or sub-assemble needed items

• Put component parts back into inventory when you break down an item

• Generate work orders for make-to-stock items

• Make sure the costs of your assemblies reflect the actual cost of the components, including variable and fixed costs

• Post work orders as they are finished or even partially post made-to-date quantities

• Pre-define all your standard bills of material for faster and more accurate processing

Integrated Equipment Rental Management

Process the pricing, renting, tracking, and management of your rental contracts and inventory with Rental Department. An add-on module to Inventory Control, Rental Department is an ideal solution for the business that both rents and sells equipment.

If you service your equipment, the Service Management module integrates to give you a complete sales/rental/service solution.

Key features include:

• Track Rental Items by specific Tracking Number or by quantity only

• Quickly create a rental contract from any Aptean SouthWare billing entry program

• Add inventory items, services or other types of line items handled by the billing entry program to a rental transaction

• Track availability and scheduling conflicts for each rental item

• Identify items which are past due for return

• Handle various rental pricing structures with the system automatically figuring out which rental unit (hours, days, weeks, etc.) to use for each rental transaction

• Easily rent and analyze kits or combinations of items via Inventory/Control Standard Bills and Kit Codes

• Handle special commission and taxing override situations

• Transfer rental inventory between locations with the option to treat these as sub rentals for additional control

• Report on scheduled deliveries and pickups of rental items from customer sites

Warehouse Tracking

Warehouse Tracking provides you with warehouse details for the information in Inventory and Sales while keeping your Warehouse records separate from your stock and order information. This segmentation gives you the benefits of an integrated system for purchasing, receiving, put away, stocking, selling, picking, staging, shipping and more without requiring complicated data entry functions.

Key features include:

• Identify each storage ID or bin, and organize the storage IDs into zones/areas for easy review

• Use both fixed (bins, slots) and moveable (pallets, license plates) storage IDs

• Store a stock item in multiple storage IDs

• For putaway, use pre-assigned or “floating” assignments

• Keep track of items in moveable storage IDs such as pallets and trailers

• Do directed putaway with option to receive directly into bin

• Do directed picking with option for combined picking (wave) or zone picking

• Option for separate Packing/Shipping transactions

• Suggest picking locations based on oldest received, locator preferences or largest quantity

• Optionally match attributes of storage IDs with required attributes of stock items (such as refrigerated, hazardous, secured, etc.)

Want to learn more about how our business management ERP, Aptean SouthWare, can help your business? Contact us today to chat with one of our experts or schedule a demo.