x-Chain Inventory

X-Chain represents our software platform for the integration of Supply, Fulfillment, Retail and Value chains into a congruent Merchandising system. The X-Chain platform provides the essential work flow requirements of a growing and diverse product centric enterprise in addition to the standard inventory and sales requirements which are expected.

The primary objective of the X-Chain platform is to provide for many different sales channels into a common and uniform work flow for your product development and distribution enteprise by encapsulating internet presence requirements, retail store front requirements and the logistics and supply chain requirements into the right places of the Merchandising effort.

The X-Chain platform comprises a collection of Standard Applications, Web Interfaces, Workflow Applications, Maintenance Applications and Analysis Interfaces.

Standard Applications in the X-Chain platform include those applications that are expected to be found in any product development and distribution centric system in support of the sales, purchasing, inventory management and financial operations of an inventory bearing enterprise.

X-Chain Platform standard applications include a Sales, Purchasing, Merchandising, Inventory Management and Retail Desktop Interfaces.

Representing navigation, selection and information tools within the systems repository for use in document production and information maintenance.

Product Explorer

The Product Explorer allows the user to access the merchandise information for the purposes of completing day to day processing and analysis activities. The Product Explorer allows each user to custom configure the columns presented in the display and the sort order of that data. The data itself can be viewed at the global Client level, Line of Business level, store level and store organization and group level. The data may be filtered in any number of ways by selecting criteria or by using an integrated mechandise class navigator by selecting branches from the merchandise hierarchy or the strategic business unit (SBU) navigator trees. This allows for the merchandise catalog in the system to be viewed from multiple perspectives.

Merchandise information elements such as quantity on hand, on sales order, on purchase order, in transit and all other quantitative information are combined here for creation of financial, valuative and standard views of the merchandise repository. Information can be copied and pasted to other applications for offline data activities and reporting allowing a multitude of possibilities.

Functions can be performed on single merchandise elements or grouped elements, with the ability to store items in system groups and user specific groups. Functions include such things as, mark-up and mark-down, output of labels, mass information changes and the like. Similarity searches are performed so that many items are returned based upon user entry, allowing for users to find what they are looking for immediately. The Finder also allows for Image++ searches by displaying the default image in each row, so that the merchandise can be visually browsed. Item maintenance, inventory, transaction values, image++ and object launching are also provided moving with the selected merchandise in an object oriented fashion without having to do anything but select the focus.

The Product Explorer takes on the needed role in Purchase Orders, Sales Orders, Retail Transactions, Transfer Orders, Merchandise Maintenance, Inventory Browsing as the user moves in and out of those applications areas, always available. All setting related to the Finder are maintained within the user’s own personal registry environment and the systems database remaining intact irrespective of time or locations, also allowing multiple people to utilize common equipment.

Merchandise Catalog

The Merchandise Catalog is a tool that saves time in the creation of order documents and allows the merchandise to be navigated with many perspectives. Entries take place by indicating quantities beside the item in question and the items are presented in a predefined sequence using the merchandise hierarchy and additional sorting options. When combined with the navigator windows for filtering and finding the first items within each section the user has the entire repository at their disposal.

In sales order, the catalog view makes itself customer oriented and presents all of the product available for sale in a catalog format that is sorted in a user definable setting that would normally match a printed and distributed catalog or other predefined format. This allows for sales people and customers to move at the same pace and on the same page in order to satisfy the requirement. Customers often refer to their prior purchase so you will find their history available and be able to quickly enter a new order quantity.

All of the information found in the Product Explorer can be found in the same fashion in the Catalog. With purchase orders you will find the Catalog to be vendor specific, with vendor history and purchasing centric information. In Transfer Order you will find it to be source and destination oriented with transfer history available.

Smart Window

The Smart Window supplements the line by line entry screens of the system transactions by providing the Merchandise Explorer and Catalog informational views in nailed up or dynamic fashion providing information while in a document centric display such as sales or purchase order.

Order entry with the power of an enhanced catalog sales tool, Image++, Product Explorer and Smart Window, bound with a Customer Explorer and Document Explorer.

Customer Explorer

The Customer Explorer permits the user to quickly find the customer they need and access all the information in a heartbeat. The Explorer provides general customer information, sales history with a definable start date, special product pricing for the customer, notes and alarm entries and an image++ chain much like the image++ chain found for the merchandise.

Customers are permitted to have an unlimited number of ship to locations as well as a grouping qualifier in cases where there are numerous locations and the customer would like to work with you in location groups instead of discrete locations.

The Customer Explorer also permits the user to query customers based upon their sales activity, location etc, and then export the contents of their result set to the clipboard and into any application they choose. A great way to create mail merge documents and labels. Support is also provided for Employee and Sales Associate Definition within the same control area, since these parties are also capable of being customers.

Document Explorer

The Document Explorer allows the user to quickly view all outstanding sales orders and credit orders and allows the user to perform actions on those documents in keeping with their status. The user can also view Invoices and Credit Notes that have been produced from those source documents.

The Document Explorer allows a user to get a top down view of the sales activities in process, sales history and current order status, and then get into the areas they need to. The information in the results window can be copied and pasted into the user’s local applications with a simple click.

Sales Orders

Created with a simple click from the customer area or from the application tool bar, sales order creation commences. The document is created and allows the user to create a sales order or credit order under the CLIENT/LINE/STORE they are working within for their customer. The Sales Order Document is comprised of a document header section, detail section, additional costs section, totals section and customer section. The customer section is repeated to allow access to the customer information from within the order entry document. The detail section provides the control of the item contents of the order and the additional costs area manages shipping and miscellaneous charges.

Multiple Destinations

Sales Order can be single destination oriented with separate billing and ship to locations or they can be configured using the sales distribution tool for multiple destinations. Multi-Destination sales orders allow for quantities to be keyed for customer locations in a spreadsheet like fashion with destinations in columns and product quantities in rows. A powerful tool for dealing with customers that have many locations such as retail oriented customers or large corporate customers. Billing rules are also available that permit you to create an overall invoice or bill each location distinctly.

Ship Complete and Back Orders

Sales Orders also have special processing rules that establish ship complete or back order capabilities and then what should be done when back orders are created. Allowing for the sales person to get what they want out of the Operational Centers. Back Orders can create new orders or simply loop through the operational center until they can be filled or canceled, with the salesperson being notified of each occurrence.

Order Templates and Quotation Documents

The Sales Order can be produced in a Sales Quotation Document and saved as a sales order. Sales Orders are not active in the system until they are released and once released become actual sales orders applying quantities on sales order to the inventory. Sales Orders can be copied to a new order document for the creation of Order Templates and Standing Orders. These saved orders are capable of being applied to different customers than they were saved under.

Forms

All forms and reports in the system were created with Crystal Reports/Business Objects and are thus modifiable by nature. Crystal allows for a WYSIWYG environment for forms design. Stored logos and graphics for use in standard business document presentation are also provided for use of standard forms that are provided with the system.

Operational Interface

Orders once released follow predefined paths within the system as designed by the business model applied to the sales department and line of business definitions. Orders that are destined to an operation center for picking travel to the destination as immediately as the network connection that is defined between them, if located in the same site that would be immediately.

Purchase Order and Transfer Order entry with the power of an enhanced catalog sales tool, Image++, Product Explorer and Smart Window, bound with a Vendor and Destination Explorer and Document Explorer.

Vendor Explorer

The Vendor Explorer permits the buyer to quickly find the vendor they need and access all the information associated with that vendor.. The Explorer provides general vendor information, purchase history with a definable start date, notes and alarm entries and an image++ chain much like the image++ chain found for the merchandise.

Document Explorer

The Document Explorer allows the user to quickly view all outstanding purchase and transfer orders and allows the user to perform actions on those documents in keeping with their status. The user can also view Receipts and Returns that have been produced from those source documents.

The Document Explorer allows a user to get a top down view of the purchasing and supply chain activities in process, receipt history and current order status, and then get into the areas they need to. The information in the results window can be copied and pasted into the user’s local applications with a simple click.

Purchase and Transfer Orders

Purchase Orders Documents define the supply details associated with the purchase of product from vendors. The replenishment model jobs create purchase order documents when the model is defined with a vendor source.

Created with a simple click from the vendor control or from the application tool bar, order creation commences. The document is created.

Transfer Order Documents are created in the same fashion with the source being an existing inventory bearing entity within the enterprise. The replenishment model jobs create transfer orders when they are defined with an inventory bearing enterprise entity source.

The information provided is a header section, details where broken out by three levels, case, case pack and consumer unit orientation, additional cost section and totals section.

Currency Management

Once the document is created the currency of the vendor or the source of the transfer order dominates and the product is valued in that currency. The system resolves all currency conversions during the receiving process. This allows for faster document preparation and a more streamlined process

Importation of Goods

The purchase/transfer document allows additional costs to be bound to the vendor of the goods or to a different vendor that may or may not use a different currency in order to allow for the Importation of goods and the payment of taxes, duties and customs brokerage charges. The system also permits these charges to be bound to the inventory valuation using a smoothing formula based upon the merchandise quantity and value.

Transfer Orders can also incorporate additional costs associated with moving the merchandise.

Multiple Destinations

The system provides for a distribution tool that allows the user to create purchase orders and transfer orders for multiple destinations under one order document. This is also known as distribution in some circles. The Supply Chain definition controls the logistical concerns related to creating orders that are distributed via your own operational center or alternatively the vendor may be told to direct ship the goods to the destination.

Order Templates

Orders are not active in the system until they are released and once released become actual purchase and transfer orders applying quantities on purchase order to the inventory of the destinations in question. Orders can be copied to a new order document for the creation of Order Templates and Standing Orders.

Forms

All forms and reports in the system were created with Crystal Reports/Business Objects and are thus modifiable by nature. Crystal allows for a WYSIWYG environment for forms design. The system also stores a corporate logo within the top level business definition for use in standard business documents and can be removed should your firm have preprinted standard documents.

Receiving Process

The receiving process depends a great deal on the supply chain definition and logistics system definition. Logistics facilities can be predefined as distribution oriented, storage oriented, case and case pack oriented and in cases where the operational center does not play a role in the receipt of merchandise the receiving destination controls the receiving process.

This permits stores to not only receive goods that it must receive but also to confirm the receipt of goods that the operational centers have distributed to them creating a full circle environment instead of one that is based upon assumptions in the logistics area.

The receiving functions are either financially driven or driven by the verification process for later financial verification.

Active Framework

The Retail Applications is a desktop application application that utilizes a register secific display and functionality supporting retail hardened equipment. This Retail specific framework allows for item barcode scanning, fast keystroke navigation and touch screen navigation by design. The application supports all of the merchandising and active tools that are found in desktop editions of the system such as Product Explorer, Smart Window, Merchandise Catalog, Image++. The framework is completely streamlined for scanned checkout of merchandise and the power to find the merchandise if a scan is not possible or part of your workflow. The active framework provides the user with all available option in a moveable menu architecture that alters its capabilities depending on where the operator is within the application. Internet and Intranet Browsing is supported within the Framework as is the launching of applications that have been registered for use on the register.

Chain

An unlimited number of stores and registers within a store under a Line of Business and Client architecture is supported through the use of a designated or seperate in-store processor that interfaces with the head office system.

An In-Store Processor is a separate, central machine that provides store level interconnectivity and head office connectivity. This application will provide access to the system that are required for store management and would be excessive on the Register, such as database support, communications, receiving and management functions.

Replication and Replication Groups

Replication in the sytem is Internet ready with full security and encryption which involves the synchronization of data from and to remote facilities with data packages that are transaction oriented. The data package produced at either end of equation supports sales, receiving, merchandise updates, customer and inventory information sharing, all capable of running while the store is in operation. Stores within the chain can be configured into information sharing groups or communication groups where inventory, sales and customer information can be shared between a logical collection of stores. Stores within the same geographical area would be a common grouping.

Online support is provided where an on-line interface to Head Office is employed in a three-tiered architecture where updates at Head Office follow updates at the store.

Real Time Credit and Debit Transactions

The system supports online debit and credit card transactions with the use of localized support within your jurisdiction.

Tender Management

The system supports X/Z out reporting by register, user and for the entire store. Tills are managed via the till management application where tills are opened and closed by a cash office manager. Each till is assigned a control number and till auditing can be performed any number of times to derive a deposit. The system supports multiple tender and multiple currency transactions with mixtures for both and exchange as per predefined rates.

Customizable Receipts and Transaction Detail

The receipts produced from the Retail Register can be custom configured through some basic file formatting typical of the formatting required for tickets and tags. The columns in the customer check out item detail can also be configured to permit customized merchandise information display in the screen for the operators use or the customer view.

Gift Receipts and Certificates and Registry

The system supports the complete management of Gift Receipts where the customer requires a printout without the pricing information, enabling the recipient of the gift to return/exchange the item. Gift Certificates are definitely available in the tender area of the system if configured and the system can also produce gift certificate encoding using a printer capable of printing such materials such as a check franking or reporting printer that exists on the IBM SureMark Printer. A Gift Registry allows for customers to create a list of items that they would like to have purchased for them and keeps track of what was purchased and by whom, also printing a gift card for times when the merchandise will not be leaving the store but has been paid for.

Special Orders

Because of the tight integration with the Sales Desk, Retail Entries can be saved as Sales Orders or Special Orders if you will, that can be filled at a later date. Special Orders are also communicated to head office as Sales Orders and can also include shipment information for directive fulfillment via another facility or to indicate a special buy for the customer. The Sales Desk application can also run in the Retail Store on the ISP or another machine other than the Retail Register. This becomes very useful at a service desk/counter where special orders or custom configuration orders are the norm. Invoices and Quotation Documents can be produced as well as register receipts within this type of environment, providing a professional level of customer response.

Traffic

The system supports the tracking of customer traffic by interfacing with the store security system to retrieve a count of the number of people within the store. This provides a traffic number by hour, day of the week and calendar date for each store. Coupled with the actual store sales this data can then be presented in an efficiency rating that shows the effectiveness of the store staff at turning the traffic into sales on an hourly and daily basis. This data can also provide useful Resource Planning information for future dates based upon past experience.

Resource Management

Store resources can punch in and out via the system like a punch clock and calculates the time spent in the store for a total shift scenario. The system also supports an advanced schedule that records the resources scheduled work requirement. This can be printed and given to the staff member. Alarms are also used indicating that a resource should be getting ready to complete their shift or if they have worked passed their allowable shift. Store closure will also review the currently active resources in the store to ensure that no one forgot to punch out.

Sales Commissions

Sales commissions can be tracked based upon sales person sales which is managed apart from the register operator data. This is provided for reporting purposes only and has no financial value except as an informational flow.

Retail Signage

Instead of purchasing a Retail Signage Application, Image++ allows you to produce a custom formatted sign for use in the retail environment that can include Image++ objects and store it as an Image++ Document using the application of your choice. The Merchandising Database contains all of the information you need to create a professional retail sign.

IBM Retail Equipment

IBM SureOne, SurePoint (touch and non), 4694 and 4695, POS 500 and 700 Series.