"Once distributors see what Datalliance VMI can do for them, they get really enthusiastic about it. With our biggest distributor. now neither we nor they would want to be doing business any other way." Mike Gilroy VP of U.S. Sales Canplas LLC

Datalliance VMI delivers all the capabilities you need to provide your customers with effective inventory management while requiring a minimal level of day-to-day effort.

Customer Data Acquisition, Translation, and Verification

Customer Data Acquisition, Translation, and Verification simplifies and automates the complex task of getting timely, accurate product activity from each customer location.

On a daily basis, Datalliance automatically acquires product activity reports from each customer using the communication method they choose (e.g. Value Added Network, AS2, FTP, etc.). This data is supplied by customers in data formats that they choose (EDI, XML, flat files, etc).

Customer business systems create different variations of the product activity report. In the translation step, Datalliance interprets each report - converting all customer data into a common, supplier-centric view. When customers upgrade business systems, change communication methods or modify data formats, Datalliance assumes complete responsibility for managing these changes and requires no involvement from the supplier's IT department.

Data verification assures the quality of the information received from each customer. Unusual events will inevitably occur when dealing with multiple customers and managing thousands of items. Some indicate errors, some are one-time events, and some signal the beginning of a new trend. Datalliance VMI recognizes and alerts users to such situations, streamlining the effort required to manage customer inventories.

Replenishment Order Generation

Replenishment Order Generation accelerates your responsiveness by automatically generating recommended orders for approval. Within the order process, Datalliance VMI also alerts you to unusual events, creating a meaningful discussion point for you and your customer.

On a weekly basis, Datalliance VMI generates an entire inventory plan for every item utilizing proven inventory management logic. On a daily basis, every item is compared to the inventory plan to ensure timely replenishment with the most current information. Although Datalliance VMI creates a recommended order, the supplier maintains full control to override the recommendation if additional information dictates a change.

For approved orders, Datalliance VMI automatically sends a Purchase Order to the supplier and optionally sends a Purchase Order Acknowledgment to the customer.

By automatically creating inventory plans every week, Datalliance VMI enables rapid response to changes in demand and inventories while greatly reducing the system-generated variability some inventory management plans often cause.

Although Datalliance VMI inventory management logic is state-of-the-art, the system must also be transparent, easy to use and efficient. Complete explanations are provided for every item ordered. And as a Web-based solution, a complete picture of each item is readily available to both the supplier and customer. This visibility raises confidence and enables clear communication between the VMI planner and the customer.

Activity and Analysis Reporting

Activity and Analysis Reporting tells you and your customer where you are, where you've been, and how you got there through graphic representations of your inventory information.

Datalliance VMI provides a comprehensive range of Web-accessible reports that display such information as demand, turns, and out-of-stock conditions, to regularly monitor how the VMI program is meeting the mutually agreed to objectives of the supplier and their customer. From these reports, the user can identify trouble areas and drill down to successively lower levels of detail to explain specific situations.

For instance, Datalliance VMI analyzes lead-time components, identifies items that were received late, and highlights the stage of the shipment cycle that was the cause. Datalliance also has reports that analyze excess inventory and its cause.

The foundation of VMI is trust. The rich library of Datalliance VMI reports provide suppliers and their customers the information they need to stay focused on continuous evaluation of objectives.

Unexpected Features

Unexpected features take Datalliance VMI 'beyond replenishment' to help you further streamline business processes and improve communication between you and your customers. For instance:

Recommended Site-to-Site Transfers enable suppliers to help customers further improve fill rates and turns. These recommendations are included along with suggested orders, increasing the speed and ease of managing customer locations.

Simulation capabilities make it possible to perform "what-if" scenarios that show the potential impact of changes to any planning parameter to help suppliers collaborate with customers to fine tune inventory management plans.

Insight Reporting provides analysis capabilities that enable suppliers to identify opportunities for customers to increase market share and generate incremental revenues. For example, Datalliance reports on products that should be stocked based on overall market sales but are not stocked at one individual location.

These and other Datalliance VMI 'beyond replenishment' capabilities help you utilize the wealth of information the system collects and enables true strategic partnerships with your customers.

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