Inventory

The parts or item master sits at the core of the system. It identifies every entity that can exist in inventory, from raw materials and assemblies to finished goods, spare parts, consumables, tools, tooling and even items that never physically exist, such as phantom assemblies, services or non-inventory items such as shipping.

  • Maximum 18 character part numbers with extensive individual and standard texts.
  • Separate stock and multiple sales and purchasing units of measure.
  • Multi-location inventory with extended batch or location information.
  • Selective control of batch tracking with shelf-life and serial numbering.
  • Extensive planning variables, product family forecasting and by-product management.
  • Sales price, quantity pricing or discounting, and up to five foreign currency price lists.
  • Duplicate-part, bills of material and route function and extensive global parameter change feature.
  • Automatic duplication of QA regime and serial number structure for duplicated parts.
  • Drill-down also operates on part physical quantity, giving inventory history for the part.
  • Export and import of a part and all related characteristics for business to business e-commerce.
  • Powerful screen review scheme for parts data and use in bills of material.
  • Open and use multiple versions of the maintenance window simultaneously.

Bills of material (BoMs) are the physical definition of how your products fit together. For an assembly or product, the BoM is a list of parts with the quantities that are used to create the assembly, much like the list of ingredients in a recipe. The accurate definition of BoMs enables the system to understand the relationships between the customer demand for production output and the supply of materials and consequent work orders. The system can accurately balance the supply side of your business with the demand side and, in doing so, minimise stock holding and maximise productivity. The inclusion of tools and tooling provides control over usage for calibration and the costing of wear and the management of tool issue to production.

  • Multi-level with tree list representation. There are no restrictions on bill size or depth.
  • Drag-and-drop from parts scratchpad for extremely rapid engineering administration.
  • Parent-component link with component quantity, reference and both standard and individual structure comment texts that can be used to annotate picking lists.
  • Phantom (blown-through) and outwork (processed by subcontractor) assemblies.
  • Comprehensive structure integrity validation.
  • Maintenance of assembly BoMs can be locked to a specific user for added control.
  • Engineering issue update can be mandatory for BoM changes, with engineering note addition.
  • Comprehensive changes log can be maintained automatically for a rigorous audit trail.
  • Copy and delete complete assembly structures and mass-change component functions included.
  • Structure changes can be prevented for parents that are subject to active orders.
  • Multi-level serial numbering following BoM structure can be maintained using tree lists and drag and drop.
  • Assembly multi-level, component single and multi-level where-used reviews readily available.
  • Printed reports include costed, lowest-level component breakdown and trial kitting.

Process routes define the processes that are carried out on a BoM to create the assembly or end product. Each assembly is given a list of operations that collectively and in sequence define the activity needed to produce the assembly from its kit of materials. Each operation is carried out in a work centre that can represent a repetitive activity, machine or other production resource. Accurate process routes enable the system to predict the use of production resources, identify capacity bottlenecks and accurately measure production performance.

  • Work centres define working areas in the production environment including labour and overhead cost rates.
  • Outwork and subcontracting can be classified as work centres so that they can be handled by purchase orders.
  • Work centres can be grouped into departments.
  • Routes define production processes, labour set-up and run times and product mass changes.
  • There can be up to 999 work centre operations per route.
  • Route operation times can be entered in hours, minutes and seconds.
  • Lag time can be used for waiting or safety non-costed time or used to permit parallel operation working.
  • Additional resource information for advanced scheduling interface maintained.
  • Copy and delete route functions included.
  • Cost implications of changes visible during route maintenance.
  • Non-productive work centre can be used to monitor movement between centres or into holding areas.
  • Alternative Operations can be defined and resulting Work Orders contain independant operation routes.

With the system knowledge of the cost of materials, the use of materials from the BoMs and the cost of resources consumed through the work centre rates and process routes, each product and sub-assembly can be accurately costed. Accurate costs mean accurate judgements on prices and margins. Rapid re-costing enables you to see the effects of key cost or rate changes – especially important in volatile trading circumstances.

  • Standard and current costs with components of accumulated material, labour, receiving overhead, labour overhead and outwork as well as a this-level amount are maintained.
  • Current costing of purchased parts are optionally based on last cost, FIFO, LIFO or average of history.
  • Reports, reviews and functions to generate accurate part costing and pricing are provided.
  • A receiving overhead rate can be applied globally to purchased and manufactured parts.
  • Current costs can be rolled-over to standard, and selling prices can be adjusted or calculated from standard cost by a margin or mark-up.
  • Parts cost record system – cost updates are logged with listing, reporting and snapshot features.
  • Costing changes can be viewed graphically for easy identification of trends.

Consistent quality is an important ingredient of manufacturing success. Caliach Vision enables you to set up regimes of testing for any part whether purchased or manufactured. The results of testing are recorded when a batch of the part is received.

  • Any part can have a regime of testing defined with result limits.
  • QA test regimes allow for both “inset” test data limits for internal QC purposes and customer test limits for public documents.
  • Option to enforce result limits.
  • Default comments can be assigned to test results.
  • QA tests can be flagged to force stock into quarantine if outside specified range.
  • Results of tests can be compared graphically.
  • Non-conformance reports can be produced and batches placed in quarantine.
  • Test certificates can be printed for customers.
  • Non-conformance reports (NCRs) allow for both corrective and preventive action logging.
  • NCRs can be triggered by PO returns, SO returns, WO scrapped items and quarantine of parts.

Engineering data is supplemental data that may be associated with parts. It is generally used for drawing or document control and for attaching additional text and graphics to parts when documents are printed. For instance, you can attach sketches to work or purchase orders to ensure that mistakes are avoided. Additionally you can use the system to apply graphic warnings to sales orders of hazardous materials.

  • Drawing and additional engineering information on parts, including graphics.
  • Texts of up to 10,000,000 characters.
  • Fields for engineering drawing database.
  • Data, including graphics, can be automatically reproduced on all orders.
  • Parts can have an engineering issue reference and a flag that identifies when engineering change is in progress.
  • Work order generation can be limited to parts that have complete or partial specifications, for example BoM, Process Route, QA specifications.

Most businesses need to manage the development of sales leads into customers. The Caliach Vision contacts management feature enables you to fully exploit the sales leads that you obtain. Numerous tools are available to track and analyse the sales development process with multiple sales staff, even in off-site locations.

  • Full-featured contacts management and event tracking and history.
  • Unlimited addresses, each of which can have any number of contacts.
  • Extensive mailshot and mail-merge facilities.
  • Telephone callback scheduling.
  • Multiple user-defined fields for analysis, grading and ownership.
  • Remote management facilities.
  • Powerful keyword search makes finding a contact easy and fast.
  • Automatic conversion of contacts to customers and suppliers.
  • Marketing contacts, customers and suppliers email copy address feature allows cc and bcc email addresses to be auto-loaded when printing to email.
  • Customers and suppliers have bi-directional links to marketing contacts, enhancing CRM and SCM capabilities.
  • Marketing standard letters can be exported and imported, to aid remote sales operations.
  • Marketing letters can include intelligent square bracket notation, allowing the auto-insertion of data and calculations from marketing, customer and supplier records.
  • Marketing letters can be sent as personalised emails in a bulk process for Internet mail-shots.
  • Sales and purchase information can filter lists of marketing contacts, for targeted CRM and SCM campaigns.
  • Individual contacts within a marketing record can be flagged for inclusion in mailshots.
  • Standard letters can be printed instantly from whereever a contact or address is shown.

Customers you sell to, and suppliers you buy from, all need to be defined, so that they can be linked to sales or purchase orders respectively. With the ledgers licence option they will also have receivable and payable ledger accounts.

  • Extensive details are available for use on sales orders, purchase orders and in ledgers.
  • Customers have an 11 level discount structure plus a default quick-payment discount rate.
  • Current on-order value, account balance and credit/on-order limits can be maintained.
  • Drill down to sales orders and invoices from on-order value and sales history fields.
  • Unlimited addresses, each of which can have any number of contacts. Addresses and contacts can be linked to particular documents.
  • New marketing contact records can be auto-generated from customer and supplier records.
  • Powerful global change features for both customer and supplier values.
  • Standard letters can be printed instantly from whereever a contact or address is shown.
  • Documents can be emailed directly to customers or suppliers.
  • Comprehensive customer credit checking can control order or job creation, or just dispatch and invoicing.
  • Suppliers have a defined minimum order value with associated rule.

While parts themselves have general sales information associated with them, you have the option to use customer parts to set up specific details for a part associated with a particular customer. These can be used to control and monitor supply contracts.

  • Contract selling arrangements for parts to specific customers.
  • Independent customer part number and description, unit of measure, currency and price/discount structure.
  • Dispatch date and quantity limits can be set and the total balance shipped to-date is recorded.
  • Up to four quantity/price or discount breaks with additional contract information.
  • Pricing regime accommodates time limited prices for promotional pricing environments.
  • Customer parts data is provided, as default, to sales order line items.
  • Rapid access to sales history listings and a powerful mass change feature is provided.
  • A changes log can track all changes made and provide a complete commercial history.

Secure purchasing requires multiple sources of supply. Caliach Vision makes the management of the supply chain simple with specific purchase details on any number of suppliers for a part. This database of details can be generated automatically or revised as new purchases take place. Comparative performance of suppliers is monitored enabling precise assessments to be made on each part’s preferred supplier.

  • Purchasing details for an unlimited number of different suppliers for a part.
  • Independent supplier part number, unit of measure, currency and cost structure.
  • Up to four quantity/price breaks can be recorded.
  • Supplier performance indicators for delivery speed and reliability, price and quality.
  • Multiple supplier part numbers can be maintained for the same part/supplier relationship.
  • Records can be automatically created and maintained on goods receipt.
  • One supplier for a part can be designated the primary supplier.
  • Purchase part data is provided, as default, to purchase order line items.
  • Rapid access to purchase history listings.

Sales management in a multi-currency fast moving trading environment is a key component of manufacturing business success. Caliach Vision provides a wealth of features that ensure you get the best from your sales activity with minimum administration. From quotations to invoicing, the system is both flexible and rigorous, ensuring maximum performance and professionalism. Accurate sales commitment information is the key source of demand for production planning and efficient scheduling.

  • Comprehensive multi-currency sales order processing.
  • A quotation can be converted into a sales order.
  • Drag-and-drop and copy feature makes sales orders easy to create.
  • Three alternative types of delivery and invoice addressing.
  • Both part and non-part line items are permitted with provision for extensive descriptive text.
  • Cash and dispatch sales orders can be prepared providing for factory shop sales.
  • Multi-level sales order dispatch kitting with shortage control.
  • Product serial numbering and tracking on dispatch.
  • Prices, discounts, VAT sales tax and quick-payment discounts can be amended individually on the order.
  • Quotation validity dates allow for sales quote specific timescales and progress reporting.
  • Sales order configuration for sales staff assembly generation.
  • Quotations and sales order acknowledgements may contain engineering data text and graphics.
  • Order preparation history for parts.
  • Dispatch potential selective reviews.
  • Available-to-sell review including available-from-family analysis.
  • Cash-before-delivery invoices (also known as pro-forma invoices).
  • Bonding of inventory to sales orders manages consignment sales.
  • Shipping load management allows organisation and dispatch of items by shipping load number instead of by sales order.
  • Sales and purchase tax system accommodates complex tax regimes where compound taxes are required, for example North America, as well as European style VAT regimes.
  • Comprehensive sales commissioned agents system with automatic accrual and posting of direct commissions, as well as “pool” commissions for sophisticated incentive schemes.
  • Commission can be calculated on sales values, margin or cost.
  • Quick-pay discount days are variable by sales order for maximum flexibility.
  • Incoterms trading codes are supported.
  • Multi-level projected stock analysis for demand, enables fast order-available-date assessments.
  • Multiple dispatches of a single line item are possible with kit shortage item control.
  • Invoices automatically generated on dispatch or consolidated later.
  • Customer returns generate credit notes with backorder control.
  • Customer returns offer multiple transaction options, and additions to credit notes for handling charges.
  • Real-time automatic integration to account receivable and general ledger.
  • Documents can be emailed direct to the customer.
  • Consolidated quotations, bookings and billings reporting allows easy sales performance analysis.
  • Both current and standard costs are recorded with sales history, for accurate margin analysis.

The Jobs and Estimating feature in Caliach Vision provides an alternative to Sales and Work Orders as well as providing a work and product estimating tool. Jobs can be thought of as Sales Orders with process operations. Jobs are appropriate for ad-hoc sales of undefined manufactured items, repair work, or whole projects. They are particularly useful to jobbing-type businesses. This powerful and flexible system dramatically extends the sales administration options and integrates fully with invoicing, accounts, scheduling and planning functions.

  • Comprehensive multi-currency job and estimate processing.
  • An estimate can be converted into a job.
  • Drag-and-drop and copy feature makes estimates and jobs easy to create.
  • Three alternative types of delivery and invoice addressing.
  • Part, non-part and operation line items are permitted with provision for extensive descriptive text.
  • Lines are both costed and priced so that margins and performance can be measured.
  • Multi-level issue kitting with shortage control.
  • Product serial numbering and tracking on issue.
  • Prices, discounts, VAT sales tax and quick-payment discounts can be amended individually.
  • Sales Order configuration for sales staff assembly generation.
  • Estimate and job acknowledgements may contain engineering data text and graphics.
  • Order preparation history for parts.
  • Parts and non-part items can be issued to and returned from a job.
  • Job working on operation lines can be flexibly recorded.
  • Invoicing can be either general or replicate the job line items.
  • Stage payments can be made as a proportion of job sales value.
  • Jobs remain on file after being completed and closed.
  • Multiple issues of a single line item are possible with kit shortage item control.
  • An estimate or job can be converted automatically into an assembly, bill of materials and process route.
  • Jobs, having been completed can be re-opened.
  • Real-time automatic integration to account receivable and general ledger.
  • Documents can be emailed direct to the customer.

Sales document creation wizards enable simplified generation of quotations, estimates, sales orders and jobs. A user simply starts and then follows a wizard, making selections and entries as prompted, to create a document. The configuration designer has access to a wide range of user-interface field types, and can create rules for the conditional inclusion and population of fields, as well as rules to control final sales document elements and other results, based on user choices.

  • Configurations have full control over all sales document and line item elements.
  • User-interface fields available include text entry, radio button, check box, drop-down list, headed list, push-button and message text objects.
  • Objects can be placed in groups to organise configurations.
  • Pre-configured sub-windows are available for the selection of addresses, parts and work centres; the display of summary information with graphical margin reporting, and for the full multi-level analysis of stock availability.
  • The configuration designer controls the order of pages, groups and objects.
  • Tool tips can be created for all elements, and user help text included anywhere on a wizard page.
  • English language functions, aided by visual programming tools, keep the design process simple.
  • Configuration results can modify and create: – parts, BoM, process routes, quality regimes and serial number structures.
  • Powerful post-processing options include the viewing and printing of documents, and the automatic creation of supply orders for new demand.
  • Dedicated open source custom code object for virtually unlimited expansion.

While sales orders manage the demand side of your operation, purchase orders manage the supply side. Caliach Vision’s multi-currency purchase order system simplifies purchase control and management. It makes routine administration quick, easy and reliable, releasing staff resources for the important task of contract negotiation and enabling radical purchase savings.

  • Comprehensive multi-currency purchase order processing with provision for outwork operations and assembly kitting.
  • A request for quotation can be converted into a purchase order.
  • Multiple delivery details and supplier addressing for multi-warehouse or invoice factoring.
  • Both part, non-part and work order outwork operation line items are permitted.
  • Purchase part data is provided by default and can be amended at will.
  • A purchasing unit of measure, specific to the supplier, can be used.
  • Powerful order maintenance functions.
  • Incoterms trading codes are supported.
  • Prices on the order can be amended after goods receipt and can automatically update part costs.
  • Order preparation history for parts.
  • Request for quotation documents can be printed automatically for all suppliers of a part or group of parts.
  • Purchase orders can be emailed direct to suppliers.
  • Outwork kit dispatch, valuation and shortages.
  • Speedy goods receipt and return, with quarantined locations and quality test recording.
  • Shortage items in sales or production are immediately flagged for attention as soon as they arrive.
  • Multiple receipts of single line items.
  • Purchase orders can be created and printed in batch mode directly from MRP recommendations.
  • Goods inward receipt date can be other than booking date for accurate vendor assessment.
  • Parts can be added to a purchase order at the time of goods receipt, to allow for extra items delivered.
  • Purchase kits are supported, with individual stocking of kit items on receipt.
  • Incoming goods can be optionally assigned location tags according to current allocations; appropriately tagged items are then automatically selected when issuing to work orders, jobs, sales orders or sub-contract orders.
  • A complete set of purchase orders can be auto-generated from a sales order for M-T-O environments.

Manufacturing production is managed through work orders. A work order is an instruction to manufacture a batch of an assembly. Associated with this is a kit of parts or materials drawn from the assembly’s BoM, as well as a set of manufacturing instructions drawn from the assembly’s process route. The combination of this information defines precisely how the assembly is made.

  • Normal work orders are kitted into work in progress, manufactured and recorded as complete.
  • Components, tooling and raw materials are allocated when a normal work order is created.
  • Work orders can be backflushed where material usage is recorded after production is complete.
  • Printed work orders show all route instructions and can also show a graphic and kit list.
  • Process Route operations are mapped to Orders and alternative operations can be set and changed while WO is in production.
  • Outwork subcontract operations are supported for processing on purchase orders.
  • Work order available-to-kit reviews and kit picking lists are available.
  • Order preparation history can be recorded.
  • Kit issue confirmation automatically logs shortages. Users are warned during subsequent receipts of shortage items that they are short and where they are needed.
  • Extra items can be issued to work orders and included in subsequent cost analysis.
  • Kits can be returned to stock if orders are cancelled at a later stage.
  • Work orders can be created, printed and kitted in batch mode directly from MRP recommendations.
  • A complete set of work orders can be auto-generated from a sales order for M-T-O environments.
  • Work orders can be partially kitted for a given quantity of the parent.
  • Assemblies can be costed against actual material, outwork and labour consumed.
  • Shortage Analysis can list supplier and purchase order information for purchased items and work order details for in-house items, providing an integrated expediting report.
  • Shopfloor data can be collected as and when operations are completed.
  • Sophisticated barcode-based work tracking can be used to monitor individual worker performance and the system can also record time and attendance.
  • History comments can be recorded with work operation records.

The vast bulk of inventory movements are recorded automatically during order operations. Dispatch, returns, receipts, kit issues etc., all update stock changes and other process balances automatically. The system maintains a full movement history, creating a stock audit trail. Additional inventory management features are also provided.

  • General issue, return and adjustment stock control transactions can be recorded.
  • Selective multi-location and batch tracking, including quarantined stock.
  • Option to record stock movement history, creating a full audit trail for inventory.
  • Stock valuation on physical, kitted WIP, outwork, quarantined, bonded and full WIP, all of which report any valuation errors.
  • Extensive stock take facilities for routine cycle counts enable financial analysis.
  • All multi-location and batch source or destination information is recorded against each transaction for comprehensive stock movement auditing.
  • Flexible stock location maintenance and reporting facilities aid stores and warehouse management.
Features