IBS Inventory Control supports a free definition of the physical distribution network, to be used for supplying items from manufacturers/suppliers to the end customers. It is possible to define a distribution network on item level, i.e. each item can have a separate definition of how the item is physically distributed.
Warehouse structures
Internal and external supply
A supplying warehouse can be defined for each item/warehouse combination in Supplied from whs on the Inventory management panel in the Item file. By completing this field you can define warehouse structures on as many levels as you like. The system checks that the selected supplying warehouse exists as an active item/warehouse record in the Item file.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| External supply | If Supplied from whs is left blank, then the default way to supply the item at this warehouse is by purchasing from a supplier. This is referred to as external supply. The supplier information is used to create purchase suggestions for this item/warehouse record. |
| Internal supply | If a different warehouse is defined in Supplied from whs for the item/warehouse combination, then the item is supplied from another warehouse. This is referred to as internal supply. |
| Note: Supplied from whs can be manually maintained in the Item file, but it can also be updated via the Fast update II function. See About working with fast updates. | |
Default supplying warehouse
To make the definition of the warehouse structures easier, the default supplying warehouse can be defined for each warehouse in Work with warehouses. When new records are added in the Item file, the default value for Supplied from whs will be retrieved from Work with warehouses.
Replenishment suggestions
The warehouse structure is the basis for the replenishment suggestions. A purchase suggestion is created for all externally supplied warehouses when it is time to replenish the stock. For all internally supplied warehouses an internal replenishment suggestion is created, specifying the from warehouse as supplier. See About working with purchase suggestions (IBS Inventory Control) and About working with internal replenishment suggestions (IBS Inventory Control) for more information.
Distribution level
For each item/warehouse record the system calculates the distribution level. The distribution level is the classification indicating which level in the physical distribution network the warehouse resides, and from where the warehouse receives its items (i.e. other warehouse or external supplier).
The Distribution level field on the Inventory management panel in the Item file displays the level for each item/warehouse combination. Independent warehouses are set to level 1, warehouses supplied from an independent warehouse are set to level 2, etc.
The warehouse structure that is defined for each item can have one or many externally supplied warehouses (main warehouses) and any number of internally supplied warehouses (satellite warehouses) on as many levels as required.
Reorganisation
Normally, you should not have to reorganise the distribution level information. However, if the values in Distribution level have become corrupt, you can run the Recalculate distribution levels program that will recalculate and update the distribution level on all selected records in the Item file. The recalculation is based on the information in Supplied from whs.
Internal transport time
The replenishment function handles external and internal replenishment. The transportation time must be handled separately for these two situations. Internal replenishment is in fact a transport of goods from one warehouse to another.
Each occurrence of a from/to warehouse combination, where supply of goods can take place, is defined as a transport link. For every transport link the system requires information such as the transport time needed to ship goods between the warehouses, and the freight capacities. In the Internal transport time table you define every from/to warehouse combination. For each transport link the default manner of transport is defined, which will be used for the replenishment suggestions when nothing else is stated.
For each transport link there are records in the Internal transport time table. That table contains the transportation time, distance and freight capacity for one or more manners of transport, including the default manner of transport. That means that the system can identify the number of days needed for air transport, differing from the number of days needed for land transport by car, for every transport link where internal shipment of goods takes place.
In this table, you can click Create MOT time records to let the system automatically create one record for each manner of transport.