VAI Launches New Purchasing Module

June 28, 2011 Alex Woodie

VAI yesterday announced a new addition to S2K, its IBM i-based suite of ERP solutions for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. The new suggested purchasing module in S2K version 5.0.3 is designed to help buyers make better decisions about their purchasing activities, thereby boosting profits and making customers happier.

According to VAI, the new suggested purchasing module in S2K 5.0.3, which was rewritten from the ground up, helps customers in several ways. For starters, VAI has consolidated three previously separate ordering formulas into a central dashboard, which VAI says provides a more accurate view of product usage, seasonality, and trending.

Buyers working with the new suggested purchasing module have access to several planning modules, including min-max planning, economic order quantity (EOQ) modeling, and vendor target formulas. VAI says buyers can also manipulate these formulas and conduct “what if” calculations to determine which method makes sense for their business models. Purchasing activities for several locations can also be planned and managed from a central point.

The end result of the improved functionality is more accurate inventory management, fewer cases of overbuying, a better product mix, reduced inventory costs, reduced shipping costs, and more effective management of workflow triggers to monitor buying activities, the Ronkonkoma, New York, company says.

The idea behind the new module is to ensure that S2K users have all the resources to make effective purchasing decisions, according to VAI vice president of sales Joe Scioscia. “Not only does the dashboard give a thorough inventory overview, but it provides multiple ways to determine cost-effective reordering and allows our customers to select which methods work well for their business,” Scioscia says in a press release.