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Inventory Manager 200 Overview

Datalinx Inventory Manager 200 utilises the latest in automatic identification technology to bring mobility to staff within the stores area of a business. This enables stores personnel to carry out daily tasks efficiently. The use of bar code based, wireless hand held terminals, keeps the rest of the business in touch with the order processing status and inventory position.

Datalinx Inventory Manager 200 has been designed from conception to work in harmony with Sage 200. Datalinx are recognised as the specialist Sage Developer for bar code solutions that integrate with the Sage business systems; Sage 50, Sage MMS, Sage 200, Sage Line 500 and Sage 1000.

Inventory Manager 200 has been tailored specifically for the requirements of the mid market business, it delivers functions that are essential to providing high accuracy stock levels, which enable all areas of the business to make informed decisions based on reliable stock data within Sage 200.

Inventory Manager 200 will significantly improve the ability of the user to deliver greater customer service through more accurate stock movement information, which allows better informed purchasing and more reliable delivery promises.

Inventory Manager 200 is purchased with all of the necessary software and hardware to enable a complete working application within the stores area. As well as the software, the Inventory Manager 200 package contains the hardware and associated tools to install an enterprise standard wireless network to cover a typical 500m2 (5400ft2) stores area. The package also contains two bar code enabled hand held terminals and a high speed 100mm (4in) label printer. Where the business operating environment is larger than average, additional wireless network coverage can be achieved by simply adding further low cost access ports. Additional hand helds can be added as required, since there is no practical limit to the number of devices that Inventory Manager 200 can support.

Inventory Manager 200 Operations

A large percentage of operations conducted by stores staff need to be carried out whilst mobile, within the stores area. Therefore, if the workforce is to perform efficiently, the application needs to be as mobile as the personnel that utilise it. Inventory Manager 200 puts the power of Sage 200 into the hands of mobile workers.

Whilst the bar code based hand held terminals are mobile, the implementation of the wireless network also means they are on-line and communicating in real-time with Inventory Manager 200 and, therefore, with Sage 200. This means that as activities are carried out on the hand held, the details of the transactions are instantly updated to Sage 200. There is no need to wait for the unit to be docked for download and there is no risk of data loss. All of the issues around late information and synchronisation, often associated with batch terminals, are eliminated. The management and reporting screens within Inventory Manager 200 have the look and feel of Sage 200. The hand held screens, as you would expect from a modern dynamic application, utilise the latest Microsoft operating system and screens are presented with the familiar look and feel of any other Microsoft device or application.

Product Receipting

When a shipment arrives at a goods inwards bay the stores staff will usually, as a minimum, receive the supplier’s name or the purchase order number for the goods. On the hand held terminal the operator will select the product receipting option; and this will prompt personnel to enter either the supplier name or the purchase order number. The integration of Inventory Manager 200 with Sage 200 enables the information entered into the hand held to be instantly validated.

When entering the purchase order number, the hand held will display the purchase order header information. In the case of entering the supplier name, the hand held will display all purchase orders outstanding for that supplier, allowing selection of the correct purchase order. Once the appropriate purchase order has been selected, the hand held prompts for the product code to be entered. This may be keyed, selected from a menu or scanned, from the relevant bar code.

On entering the product code, the hand held checks the purchase order detail on Sage 200 and confirms that the product is on the purchase order. Provided the purchase order details are correct and there is an outstanding quantity for the selected product, then the hand held displays the expected quantity. The stores operator will then be prompted to enter the quantity of product received.

Having made these entries, Inventory Manager 200 requests that the operator keys, selects from a menu or scans a bar code the location where the product is to be stored. The purchase order receipt transaction is then automatically completed in Sage 200. This location is recorded in both Inventory Manager 200 and Sage 200. The hand held then prompts the operator for another purchase order receipt or they may be return to the main menu.

Stocktaking

If stock control and inventory management systems are accurate, then it is possible to reduce the frequency of stocktakes or to move to perpetual stocktaking. Inventory Manager 200 is more than capable of providing this high level of accuracy and enables stocktakes to be conducted quickly and efficiently.

In addition, the stocktake function facilitates the accurate recording of the locations and quantities of Batches and Serial numbered goods, ensuring traceability.

After selecting the ‘Stocktake’ option on the hand held, the operator scans the location bar code, scans the product bar code and then manually keys in the actual quantity counted.

A summary of the stocktake information from all the hand helds on the system is available on the Inventory Manager 200 management and reporting screens. This allows for review of the count and enables management adjustment of quantities prior to posting any stock adjustments to the Sage 200 stock tables.

Sales Order Picking

In most organisations the picking and dispatching of product is the most critical and important function of the stores area. Mis-pickings and late pickings damage both the business and customer relationships.

To perform a sales order pick using Inventory Manager 200, the appropriate menu item is selected on the hand held. This will display the outstanding sales orders in delivery date sequence and allow the stores operative to review the order detail and select the next order to pick. Once the sales order is selected, the hand held displays the details of the product to be picked, its location and the quantity required.

During the picking process Inventory Manager 200 references the original order on Sage 200, instantly verifies that the correct product code has been entered into the hand held and then displays the required quantity to fulfil the order. The operator then confirms the quantity that has been picked; this can be keyed, selected from a menu or scanned from the relevant bar code into the hand held. This information is used to update the order details on Sage 200 and after one or more lines of the order have been picked, the order may be invoiced.

Label Production

Not all product received from a supplier will have bar code labelling or identification, so Inventory Manager 200 can produce bar code labels using the bar code label printer supplied. These labels will include a bar code and all of the relevant information to enable accurate identification and stock control.

Provided within Inventory Manager 200 are a number of standard format labels. Using a combination of Inventory Manager 200 and Sage 200, users may also design personalised label layouts and customer specific labelling. These labels typically contain both human readable data and bar code fields. Once set up, the variable data for each label will be populated at the time of printing.

Product Cross Reference Table

In many situations, product being handled within the stores area may have bar codes already on the packaging, particularly when dealing with retail products. If this is the case then the product cross reference table within Inventory Manager 200 can be used to create a link between the Sage 200 stock code and the supplier's bar codes, enabling the use of any existing bar code labelling already on the product. This removes the need to re-label, saving time and reducing the potential for error.

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