Alba Spectrum Technologies

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Microsoft Great Plains / Dynamics GP

FAST SHIPPING

 Full Documentation - download here

Process Overview

Tito Maya

2006

INDEX

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INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................

1. PROCESS DESCRIPTION...................................................................................

2. INFRA-STRUCTURE............................................................................................

2.1. BARCODE Labels.............................................................................................

2.2. Hardware..........................................................................................................

2.3. Accessories......................................................................................................

3. PROCESS FLOW.................................................................................................

3.1. Customer Service / Sales Department ( Entering Sales Orders)...............................

3.2. Sales Panel Control – Determining the Sales Order’s Status...................................

3.3. Shipping Department...........................................................................................

3.4. Transfer / Post Polling.........................................................................................

3.5. Automatic Back Order generation.........................................................................

4. TASKS DESCRIPTION...........................................................................................

4.1. Setup................................................................................................................

4.2. Creating Shipping Method translations..................................................................

4.3. Creating and managing Terminals.........................................................................

4.4. Determining filters for each Terminal.....................................................................

4.5. Creating Labels for products, Users and Control Labels..........................................

4.6. Using the Sales / Shipping Panel.........................................................................

4.7. Working on the Picking Cells...............................................................................

4.8. Confirming shipment...........................................................................................

4.9. Using the Sales Polling routine............................................................................

5. GP CUSTOMIZATIONS.........................................................................................

5.1. Customer Service requirements...........................................................................

5.2. Payment Methods..............................................................................................

5.3. Security keys.....................................................................................................
 

INTRODUCTION

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The GP FAST SHIPPING SYSTEM was developed to improve the separation process and define shipping method at companies with medium and large daily orders, implementing a fast, safe and efficient method to ship merchandise and control stocks. The main advantages of GP FAST SHIPPING are:

1.       More precision on separation process, avoiding errors on packages

2.       More accuracy on stock inventory (shipping product are made physically, with bar codes).

3.       More integration between Shipping Department and Customer Service, providing by a panel system that maintains both departments lined up, becoming the tracking order faster.

4.       Costs reduction, minimizing errors and avoiding expenses with returns, duplicated deliveries, phone callings and other distinctive expenses to the current process.

5.       High order and products tracking level binding automatically “tracking numbers” to orders and associating lots to related orders (PRO Version).

6.       Facility on Auditing data, keeping all information - from customer until carrier - in a unique database integrated with the company’s ERP.

In basic version, the GP Fast Shipping is prepared to work with ERP Microsoft Great Plains on the back-end but allows customizations for any ERP.

Tito Maya

1. PROCESS DESCRIPTION

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The FAST SHIPPING operation follows the steps above:

1.  Customer Service receives an order, and sends to ERP on the back-end. In this moment, the salesperson can choose the SHIPPING METHOD and associate HOLD (black - used to block the order separation until second order) or RTP (green – ready to pick).

2. After an order is completed, it is immediately shown in a sales panel that could be located at various places in the company, filtering specific information to each department.

3. On Shipping Department, various separation terminals could be available with different shipping priority and specific filters to avoid process duplication. During the separation, the order status is PIC (yellow – picking).

4. After the separation, the order status is updated to RTS (red – ready to ship) and the System automatically generates :

·         BKO (gray – back order) – To non-separated  / out-of-stock items

·         Print invoices

·         Print bar code labels containing the invoice number

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5. When the bar code is scanned on UPS, FEDEX or general carrier terminals, the System associates  a Tracking Number  to the order and update the status to SHP (white – shipped).

6. At the end of the day an automatic POST process deletes the SHIPPED order from the panel.

2. INFRA-STRUCTURE

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2.1. BARCODE LABELS

To work with its main functions, the GP FAST SHIPPING incorporate barcode label generation functions. The barcode label layout is flexible to be adjusted in all kinds of barcode label printers available in the market.

1.       CONTROL LABELS: Used to specific functions on separation terminals, answering “yes” or “no” to System questions. It is useful to avoid the continuous keyboard use.

2.       EMPLOYEE LABELS: Identify the employee that separates the order before and after the process. Before the process, allow to start the separation process. After the order separation, it closes the separation step and prints an employee identification label.

3.       PRODUCT LABEL: Used on the product to identify its code and lot number. Increase the speed of the products separation along the separation terminals.

4.       INVOICE LABEL: Produced at the end of the separation process, at the same time of the invoice. Keep information about the process and it is used as link to the next step: Shipping UPS, FEDEX or general.

2.2. HARDWARE

Laser Jet Printer

To print the invoices

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Bar Code Printer

To print product labels, control labels, employee labels. Barcode Printer for Industrial & High Volume label printing. Ideal for printing in harsh environments & high traffic areas where printer integrity is a concern

Omni-Directional Laser Scanners
Omni-Directional Laser Scanners. The WPS 100 features a 100 line omni directional laser scan pattern for high-speed and accurate bar code reads, Ideal for hands-free applications requiring the highest possible throughput. These scanners scan a laser light through a prism and are able to read bar codes without requiring the user to present them in one constant orientation. Commonly used in point-of-sale retail applications.

2.3. ACCESSORIES

As accessories on GP FAST SHIPPING, there are:

• CARDS SET – It groups 3 colorful cards for the Shipping Department usage. The cards function is to increase the speed process, avoiding the continuous use of keyboard. It contains:

  • 1 black card – Employee barcode

  • 1 green card – “yes” and “add products” functions

  • 1 red card – “no” and “remove products” functions

• LABELS – To barcode printer. To print the products, employees, invoices and control labels.

• RIBBON – Is an option to increase the time life of the barcodes printed on the label.

• PAPER AND TONER – To print invoices.

3. PROCESS FLOW

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3.1. Customer Service / Sales Department  – Entering Sales Orders

On ERP (back-end), the user creates sales orders and has some incorporated functions to create HOLD for missing payments or any other reason. The user can define the Shipping Method, Sales Person and order’s Payment Term. Optionally, the System can incorporate routines as: checking received amounts and taxes calculation, avoiding mistakes during the order generation.

3.2. Sales Panel Control – Determining the Sales Order’s Status

After the order is completed, it is immediately shown on “sales panel”, that can be adjusted  to show only the most important information, through the filters:

1 – SOP TYPE

2 - SHIPPING METHOD

3 – ORDER STATUS

In addition to that, each panel can be adjusted up to 20 different prioritizing options.

3.3. Shipping Department

Warehouse Infrastructure

At warehouse, specific routines allow to print product labels, in three different ways:

• Individual

• Per Site/ Product Class, printing the products total quantity on stock.

• Per products receiving transaction, printing the exact labels quantity received through purchase or inter-company transfer.

Optionally (in Retail Companies), the stock can be separated in :

·         Retail Site

·         Whole sale Site

·         Create labels while the products are transferred  to the retail site.

Shipping Infrastructure

The separation process is constituted by one general panel ⁽¹⁾ and 1 separation terminal ⁽²⁾. The difference between these terminals is that the Sales Panel shows all orders and adjustable status, while the separation terminal shows only the RTP (green – Ready to Pick) orders according to a separation commitment order to each terminal.

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Using the Shipping Panel
 

On Shipping Panel, it is possible to identify 3 different groups of columns:

• SOP TYPE: Compounded by columns 1, 2 and 3 , define different colors to each document, between ORDER, FULFILMENT ORDER, ORDER, BACKORDER.

• SHIPPING METHOD: Column 4, defines different colors up to 15 different shipping methods.

• STATUS: Columns 5 up to 9, define different colors to each document status:

BLACK – HOLD (HLD)

GREEN – READY TI PICK (RTP)

YELLOW – PICKING (PCK)

RED – READY TO SHIP (RTS)

WHITE – SHIPPED (SHP)

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Picking Cells

During the separation process, the user scans his employee card and the System brings the 1^st priority separation order. Optionally, the user can type a specific SOP NUMBER.

On separation panel, the user can visualize:

·         items to separate

·         requested ship dates

·         available stock

·         quantity to separate

·         and quantity already separated.

The items have the follow status:

·         RED – not fulfilled

·         YELLOW – Partial fulfilled

·         GREEN – totally fulfilled

On this panel, the user can:

·         add or remove items,

·         send commands to print invoices and invoice labels,

·         confirm or cancel operation.

After the separation, the items that aren’t GREEN, became automatically BACK ORDERS.

Confirming Shipment by UPS

After the separation process, the shipping can be programmed by UPS System, only scanning the invoice label bar code in a customized field on UPS System, that brings  automatically all customer information. After the shipping confirmation, the tracking number is showed on shipping panel.

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Confirming Shipment by FEDEX

Through the FEDEX  System it is also possible to rescue all customer information just scanning the invoice label on a customized field on FEDEX System. After the Shipping confirmation, the tracking number is automatically shown on shipping panel.

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Confirming Shipment by other Companies or Pick-up

Optionally, a general shipping screen allows the user to confirm the shipping just inputting manually, the tracking number and freight amount.

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Tracking Number and Freight Amount “Feedback”

After the shipping confirmation , the tracking number and freight amount are immediately  linked to the order and the shipping panel and sales panel show shipping DATE / TIME and tracking number.

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3.4. Transfer / Post Polling

After each separation process and after a shipping confirmation, the Great Plains System (back end) receives information on a POLLING routine, that monitor tables (one for TRANSFER and another for POSTS) executing automatic operations, without users.

The process consists on a continuous data scan, and when it is inputed a record, it is automatically captured by POLLING, that executes native GREAT PLAINS’s transfer and POST routines.

3.5. Automatic Back Order Generation

After the transfer process, the Back Orders are transferred to a back orders panel, where they can be shown and re-transferred to new invoices while the product is inputed in stock and available for sale.

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4. TASK DESCRIPTION

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4.1. Setup

In order to be adapted to various structures, the GP FAST SHIPPING incorporates various configurable screens, that makes the System flexible  and dynamic to expand with the company processes.

The setup screen allows to define the timing between the terminals’ refreshing, the maximum records to be visualized and a general date to CUT-OFF. Besides that, it allows various operation terminals at the same time.

4.2. Creating Shipping Method Translations

On shipping method translation screen, we can associate GP “shipping methods” to specific colours, besides organizing them according to priority shipping order.

The System supports up to 15 different shipping methods, but can be customized to increase its capability.

4.3. Creating and Managing Terminals

From  the setup screen, we can create new terminals, and define information that will affect directly to the terminal’s behavior:

·         Identification

·         Labels Layout

·         Prioritization

·         Filters

4.4. Determining Filters for Each Terminal

PRIORITIZATION – 20 different kinds of data order, allow the user to define the best way to priorize his deliveries.

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FILTERS

SOP TYPE– Allows to filet only specific documents to a specific terminal.

STATUS – Allows filtering only to the relevant status to each terminal.

SHIPPING METHOD – Allows to filter only the relevant shipping methods to be shown on the panel.

LABEL PRINTER – Allows to define a network printer to print labels to each terminal.

LABEL LAYOUT – Allows to define commands to print directly, on the native printer language.

4.5. Creating Labels for Products, Users and Control Labels

The PRODUCT LABELS print screen allows to print 3 different labels:

·         Individual

·         Per Site / Product Class

·         Receiving Document

4.6. Using the Sales / Shipping Panel

The Sales Panel has a search field, where it is possible to filter the information by customer, salesperson or SOP number, permitting better orders control by the salesperson.

4.7. Working on the Picking Cells

On Separation Terminals is possible to visualize orders and start the separation process by 2 ways:

·         Priority: Just scanning the employee barcode.

·         Specific Order: Typing the SOP NUMBER. To open the separation screen, the user informs his name, using the user card, and starts the operation.

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The available actions:
 

·         PRODUCT CODE: Add or remove products, according to the active function

·         CONTROL LABEL GREEN: Add products

·         CONTROL LABEL RED: Remove products

·         EMPLOYEE LABEL BLACK: Print invoice and INVOICE LABEL.

·         INVOICE LABEL: Close the order, change status to RED (Ready to Ship) and feed the polling to execute an automatic transfer, creating back orders and updating order amount.

4.8. Confirming Shipping

The shipping confirmation can be executed in the carriers software or directly on shipping confirmation screen and is responsible for the status updating to SHIPPED (SHP), and association of tracking number and freight amount to the order, and feed the POLLING on back end to permit the automatic POST.

4.9. Using the Sales Polling Routine

The Sales Polling must be executed in a dedicated desktop during the daily operation and it is responsible for the TRANSFER and POST order and invoice processes.

It controls the operation (workflow) on GREAT PLAINS synchronizing the order preparation operation with the necessaries operations to the correct GREAT PLAINS operation.

5. GP CUSTOMIZATIONS

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5.1. Customer Service Requirements

Optionally, various customizations can be developed to attend specific requirements in each company. The most common customizations are:

- Retail Payment

- CALL CENTER System

- Safety Procedures

- Order Import Process

In Companies that work with “pre-payment” process, is possible to use an additional module, to make automatic payments, on-line credit card transactions, payments with credit memos, etc.

5.3. Security Keys

Security Keys are used to lock the GREAT PLAINS on back-end, accepting orders without payment only supervisor password and lock the orders with tax calculations out of a specific limit band.