Vendor Materials

Vendor Materials are specialized records that connect your internal inventory materials with the specific products offered by your suppliers. They create a bridge between your organization's material catalog and the items you purchase from external vendors, establishing a clear mapping for procurement and inventory management.

Each Vendor Material record includes:

• Material Reference - Link to your internal material record
• Supplier - The vendor who supplies this particular material
• Vendor Material Code - The supplier's unique identifier for the product
• Vendor Unit of Measure - The unit in which the supplier sells the material
• Manufacturer Part Number (MPN) - The manufacturer's identification number (when applicable)
• Properties - Additional custom attributes specific to the vendor's version of the material

Vendor Materials can be identified through multiple methods:

• Barcodes - Store and scan multiple barcodes for rapid identification
• Vendor Material Code - The supplier's specific code for the item
• Manufacturer Part Numbers - When products come with manufacturer identifiers

A critical feature of Vendor Materials is the ability to manage conversions between:

• Vendor's Unit of Measure - How the supplier sells and packages the material
• Your Base Unit of Measure - How your organization tracks the material in inventory

Each conversion includes:

• Conversion Factor - The mathematical ratio between units
• Rounding Precision - How many decimal places to maintain in calculations

• Accurate Ordering - Order the exact products your suppliers recognize
• Simplified Reordering - Quickly identify the correct vendor items for replenishment
• Reduced Errors - Minimize miscommunication about product specifications

• Seamless Receiving - Easily reconcile delivered items with your inventory system
• Consistent Tracking - Maintain a clear connection between purchased items and inventory
• Unit Conversion - Automatically convert between vendor units and your internal measurement standards

• Vendor Organization - Group materials by supplier for better relationship management
• Price Comparison - Compare equivalent materials across different suppliers
• Product Consistency - Ensure you're ordering the correct specifications every time

1. Navigate to the Inventory Management section
2. Select "Vendor Materials"
3. Click "Create New Vendor Material"
4. Select the internal material this vendor item corresponds to
5. Choose the supplier who provides this material
6. Enter the vendor's material code and unit of measure
7. Add manufacturer part number if applicable
8. Set up unit of measure conversions between vendor units and your base units
9. Add any barcodes associated with the vendor material
10. Save the new vendor material

When creating or editing a Vendor Material, you'll need to establish conversions between the vendor's unit of measure and your organization's units:

1. Select the vendor's unit of measure (how they sell the product)
2. For each conversion, specify:
   • The target unit of measure in your system
   • The conversion factor (mathematical ratio)
   • The rounding precision (number of decimal places)

Example: If a supplier sells material in cases of 12 items, and your base unit is "each", you would set a conversion factor of 12 with appropriate rounding.

Vendor Materials support multiple barcodes for flexible identification:

1. Add standard barcodes used by the vendor
2. Create custom barcodes for internal use
3. Scan these barcodes during receiving to quickly identify vendor materials

1. Material Requirements Planning

   • Identify materials needed for operations
   • Determine which vendor materials to order based on specifications and availability

2. Purchase Order Creation

   • Select vendor materials from appropriate suppliers
   • Use vendor material codes and units for accurate ordering

3. Receiving and Inspection

   • Scan vendor material barcodes to verify received items
   • Use unit conversions to translate vendor quantities to internal inventory units

1. Stock Identification

   • Quickly identify materials and their suppliers using barcodes or codes
   • Track which vendor supplied specific inventory items

2. Inventory Counts and Audits

   • Accurately count items using the appropriate units
   • Reconcile physical counts with system records

1. Vendor Evaluation

   • Track material quality and consistency by supplier
   • Compare similar materials across different vendors

2. Product Catalog Management

   • Maintain up-to-date vendor product information
   • Track changes to supplier product specifications

• Consistent Naming - Use a standardized format for vendor material codes
• Complete Information - Include all relevant supplier details and specifications
• Regular Updates - Maintain current information as supplier catalogs change

• Verify Accuracy - Double-check conversion factors with suppliers
• Document Special Cases - Note any unusual conversion requirements
• Test Conversions - Verify that conversions work correctly in practice

• Link to Materials - Always connect vendor materials to your internal material records
• Maintain Barcodes - Keep barcode information current for efficient scanning
• Document Supplier Changes - Track when suppliers modify their products or codes

• Problem: Quantities don't match when converting between vendor and internal units
• Solution: Verify conversion factors with suppliers and update as needed
• Prevention: Regularly audit conversion factors, especially for high-volume materials

• Problem: Difficulty determining which vendor material corresponds to an internal material
• Solution: Use descriptive naming and maintain complete documentation
• Prevention: Establish a clear process for creating and documenting vendor materials

• Problem: Multiple vendor material records for the same supplier product
• Solution: Search thoroughly before creating new records and merge duplicates
• Prevention: Use unique constraints and implement validation during record creation

Vendor Materials connect with several other components of your inventory system:

• Materials: Link to your core material records
• Suppliers: Connect to your supplier database
• Units of Measure: Utilize your measurement system with conversion capabilities
• Barcodes: Integrate with barcode scanning functionality
• Products: May link to external product catalogs when applicable

By properly maintaining vendor materials, you create a robust bridge between your internal inventory management and your supplier relationships, ensuring accurate procurement, receiving, and inventory control.