Use More of PowerShift to Work Smarter
PowerShift is packed with time-saving, productivity-boosting features! Maybe it’s time to think about implementing one that you hadn’t considered. Here are few to think about:
Customer Service? We've got your back!
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If you want customers to take charge, e-business applications put excellent service at your customers’ fingertips! PowerShift web applications give customers 24/7 access to the business they do with you. They can check pricing and availability, enter orders, view and track orders and payment status, and more! More about e-business
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To keep your customers in the loop about their pending orders, it’s easy to send them a list on a periodic basis. Customer Service Inquiry (CSI) may provide exactly the info they’re looking for. In program options, select the orders they want to see (e.g., open) sorted how they want to see them (e.g., by customer PO number), click Print, and select an email output device. Use the default email device (e.g., EM1) and the program prompts for an email address. Try sending the output to yourself and see what you think. We bet your customers will appreciate the info!
Electronic Data Interchange
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Encourage your customers to send orders electronically, if possible. PowerShift includes the EDI 850 purchase order interface.
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If your customers do send EDI 850s, you can probably return the EDI 810 invoice transaction. An EDI 820 remittance transaction is also available for them to document their invoice payments.
Document Management
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Set up documents (e.g., orders, invoices, statements) to be emailed – with multiple copies distributed at the same time -- and eliminate the expenses associated with printing, filing and postage. Archive PDF copies in your document archive so they’re accessible from your desktop – no filing required! More about electronic documents
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You can scan a customer’s purchase order and “attach” it to the sales order you create so it’s available for anyone to view as needed. Change orders can be handled similarly.
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Drawings, specifications, material information sheets and other documents can also be available to PowerShift. More about related documents
RF Transactions
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Using wireless handheld data collection devices is a great way to improve inventory accuracy. RF (radio frequency) devices enable you to make inventory transactions (i.e., receive, pick, adjust stock, cycle count) wherever the activity occurs. In addition to eliminating entry errors, real time entry provides timely information (i.e., updates occur with each transaction). More about RF Support
PO-less Purchasing
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Develop supply chain relationships with your biggest suppliers for better prices, reduced inventory, shorter processing times and less paperwork. Vendor release schedules eliminates purchase orders – and the inevitable PO revisions that always seem to be necessary. More about supply chain features
Vendor Payments Simplified
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ERS (Evaluated Receipt Settlement) sets up the vendor invoice when goods are received, eliminating invoice entry. More about ERS
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Substitute check payments with electronic funds transfer to eliminate the expense of mailing checks and vastly reduce check reconciliation time. (As an option, notification can be emailed to vendors as invoices are paid.)
Planning and Forecasting
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Use family forecasts to quickly build forecasts of customer demand by item. You can even assign a price and a cost to the family item to arrive at sales and cost of goods sold estimates. Most companies can plan their customer demand with ten or fewer families.
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If you have item forecasts, you can set up Sales Order Entry (OE) to warn the operator if a requested shipping date is not within the current plan. You can even set it up to provide you with the best shipping date based on your current plan!
Capacity Planning
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Planned and released orders along with the manufacturing routing will allow you to generate a capacity plan to find bottlenecks before they occur. Work Center Operations (WCO) is a plant scheduling application that enables operators to simply work down the backlog for a machine. Supervisors can adjust the sequence of orders to take advantage of shared setups. More about capacity planning
Labor Data Collection
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Implementing labor data collection greatly expands your view of plant, enabling you to see who is clocked in and what they are working on at any point of time.
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Another benefit of labor data collection is being able to check run efficiencies. You can even compare shift and/or operator efficiencies. The Labor Efficiency Report (MLP) reports details or in summary based on your sort and selection criteria.
Online Help
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PowerShift offers a full complement of supporting documentation. Enter ?OVER at any menu to access overviews of many system features and functions.
Let us show you how expanding your use of PowerShift could benefit your business. Contact the Qantel Helpdesk or call us at 630.300.6999.
