Combined Deliveries

This service pack contains a significant enhancement to the delivery processing facilities provided by Global 3000 Sales Order Processing. The new feature referred to as "Combined Deliveries" can be operated as an alternative to, or in parallel with, the existing order based picking, delivery and invoicing facilities provided by Global 3000 Sales Order Processing.

Combined Deliveries introduces the ability to print an individual picking list, combined delivery note and covering invoice for multiple sales orders on a selected customer account. The feature is available for specifically selected customer accounts and can be overridden for specific orders on those accounts during sales order entry to cater for special order deliveries.

 

Order Processing Cycle

 

 

Once allocation is complete, the remainder of the processing cycle, involving printing picking lists and delivery notes, confirming despatch and printing invoices can be approached in either of two very different ways depending upon the nature of delivery processing required. The two different types of delivery are referred to "Order Delivery" and "Combined Delivery" respectively.

Order Delivery

Order Delivery is, historically, the more commonly used method of delivery processing in Global 3000. It involves variations on:

  • print a picking list showing all the goods that qualify for delivery on orders for customers flagged for Order Delivery;
  • print a delivery note for each order or part order to be delivered;
  • confirm despatch of each delivery and finally;
  • invoice delivered goods for completed orders, specific deliveries or orders/deliveries grouped by customer account.

Picking

Picking can be done from a bulk picking list or from the delivery notes or from a plain paper copy of the delivery notes. These documents can be printed as often as required - typically once or twice a day - and include all eligible orders up to a given delivery date. There is also an option to print immediate delivery notes as each order is entered. If picking has been done from a bulk picking list or plain paper delivery notes, the real delivery notes can be printed either before or after despatch confirmation.

Despatch confirmation

Despatch Confirmation records the issue of stock and allows the picked quantities to be changed; for example, if the computer’s record of the available stock differs from the actual stock for some reason. If delivery notes are printed after confirmation they will reflect any such changes. It is also possible to print delivery notes before confirmation and automatically reprint any with changed quantities.

 

Confirmation can also be done after the physical delivery to the customer, working from a signed delivery note, but in this case any changes in picked quantities will have to be marked on the delivery notes by hand.

 

If the stock is batch tracked or serialised, the details of the items used are usually entered during despatch confirmation. Depending on system parameter settings, batch numbers and serial numbers default to those recommended on the picking list.

Invoicing

Once order delivery has been confirmed, goods become eligible for invoicing. There are options to determine whether:

  • Part deliveries are invoiced individually or only on completion of the entire order.
 

  • Several invoices for the same customer can be combined onto a single invoice document.
 

During invoicing, there are options to:

  • Exclude goods despatched after an entered date.
 

  • Restrict the invoicing to a selected customer, order number, sales representative, or territory.
 

The invoicing process creates the printed invoice, updates the sales analysis figures, and posts the customer’s account in the Debtors Ledger and the sales accounts in the General Ledger.

 

If Global 3000 EDI is in use, invoices can be exported via EDI, either instead of, or in addition to printing. The type of invoice handling (print, export via EDI or both) can be set differently for each customer account in Debtors Ledger, or just for those customers which differ from the norm.

 

After an order has been fully invoiced it remains on the order file for enquiry purposes. The number of months for which orders are to be retained is set as a system parameter. A purge is run periodically to remove such orders, and this also removes quotations that have been outstanding for more than a pre-set number of days.

Combined Delivery

Procedures for combined delivery were introduced more recently and are geared towards minimising overheads in situations where deliveries to a customer involve factors that make it worthwhile grouping orders for that customer into a single despatch. Examples of such factors include not only the relatively obvious ones arising on high delivery cost accounts, e.g. export accounts, but also some less obvious ones such as additional stages in delivery processing to meet client sp ecific quality assurance needs. A combined delivery involves:

 

  • selecting a particular customer;
 

  • selecting the first order to be included in the delivery;
 

  • printing a picking list showing all deliverable lines for the customer on the selected order and all subsequent orders marked for combined delivery that have the same delivery instruction code, delivery address number and invoice address number;
 

  • printing a combined delivery note showing all the items included in the delivery for the customer;
 

  • confirming despatch of the combined delivery;
 

  • printing one invoice covering the whole delivery.
 

Combined delivery has to be specifically enabled for customers using either the "Set Account Defaults" window in Sales Order Processing Order Entry or the "Customer SOP Details" window in Debtors Ledger Customer Account Maintenance.

 

Every sales order added to a customer account marked for combined delivery is flagged by default for inclusion in the next combined delivery for that customer. Individual orders for customers who receive a combined delivery can be marked for separate order delivery. Such orders are processed individually using a Combined Delivery Special order feature to ensure the Combined Delivery format (i.e. orders within customer) is used for delivery note & invoicing.

 

The data stream for combined delivery notes differs markedly from that of the delivery notes used for order delivery. The header shows customer rather than order details and each delivery note line identifies the order and order line giving rise to the delivery.

 

The invoice covering a combined delivery includes all lines appearing in the combined delivery note.

Which type of delivery to use?

The rules governing which order lines are considered for picking, delivery and invoice in each type of delivery have deliberately been kept very simple as the potential for confusion in this area is high.

1.

Orders entered for customers who are not marked for combined delivery are processed using the standard order delivery procedures.

2.

Orders entered for customers who are marked for combined delivery are processed using the combined delivery procedures and are ignored by the standard order delivery procedures.

3.

Orders entered for customers who are marked for combined delivery can have their delivery type in the order header changed from "combined" to "order". Such orders are ignored by the standard order delivery and must be individually selected and processed using the special delivery option offered by combined delivery in Picking List Print.

4.

At the point where you print a new picking list you decide whether to perform an order delivery or combined delivery. If you choose to perform a combined delivery, you then decide whether to print the picking list for a customer’s account or for a special order on that account.

5.

When you print a new picking list for an order delivery, every order line in the range of orders that you select is considered for picking EXCEPT lines on orders belonging to customers marked for combined delivery.

6.

When you print a new picking list for a combined delivery and select a customer account, every order line for the customer you select is considered for picking EXCEPT lines on orders that have been marked for special delivery.

7.

When you print a new picking list for an order marked for special delivery on a combined delivery customer account, all lines on the order you select are considered for picking.

8.

Regardless of the type of delivery, whenever an order line (or part of an order line) is printed on a picking list, the order line is marked as currently undergoing delivery and until the line is withdrawn from the delivery process or despatch of goods is confirmed, you cannot change the delivery type set up on the order header.

9.

All lines included in a combined delivery (and only those lines + added comments) are processed by invoice print regardless of part invoicing and combined invoicing option settings in customer details or on order headers, i.e. the combined delivery system forces production of a single combined invoice covering all and only the contents of that delivery.

 

 

Combine deliveries?

Specify whether or not orders are to be combined for deliveries to this customer. Options are:

 
  • No – Process orders individually using a picking list covering selected range of orders, one delivery note per order despatched and an invoice per order, delivery or, if combined invoices in use, per customer.
 
  • Yes – Combine orders for a selected customer producing a picking list covering deliverable orders on the customer account, a single delivery note for the account showing all orders picked and a single invoice matching the delivery note.

 

Order delivery is suitable for situations where customers expect each order to be delivered separately. Invoicing can be based on order, delivery or account in such cases.

 

Combined deliveries are suitable for customers where delivery involves a significant overhead. In a combined delivery, all deliverable orders for the customer are picked, delivered and invoiced in one go using a single delivery note and one invoice matching that delivery note.

Note

For customers who receive combined deliveries, orders can still be flagged for individual delivery. In such cases, the customer based delivery note and invoice formats are still used.

Note

The setting of this parameter controls the format of delivery note and invoice stationery used for the customer in addition to the delivery processing procedure and cannot be altered while there are uninvoiced order lines for the account.

Combined delivery?

(Defaults to the setting on the customer account) The type of delivery processing to be used for this order. Settings are:

 
  • No – If customer receives normal order deliveries, process the order using the standard order delivery procedures. If the customer receives combined deliveries, process this order using the special delivery option in the combined delivery picking window.
 
  • Yes – Process the order as part of a combined delivery for the customer.

Note

This setting on an order header cannot be altered while any line on the order is undergoing delivery, i.e. has appeared on a picking list but has not been confirmed as despatched.

 

 

New or Reprint Menu

This menu appears when you select Picking/Delivery Note Print from the Order Processing menu

Note

This menu also appears when you select either the Picking/Delivery Note Print or the Combined Stock/Sales Pick options from the Stock Requisitions menu in Stock Control.

The options are:

New picking list

Run the program for stock allocated since a new list was last generated. Þ Picking/Delivery Note Print Window.

New combined delivery

Print picking list for stock allocated to orders since the previous delivery on a customer account configured to receive combined deliveries Þ Select Customer for Combined Delivery Window.

Reprint

Reprint all or part of a previous list. Þ Select Picking List Number window.

Note

Except when reprinting a picking list for a combined delivery, the contents of the reprint can be restricted to information for a particular order or area etc. For further details Þ Picking/Delivery Note Print Window.

Exit

Return to the menu from which you came.

 

 

Select Customer for Combined Delivery

 

This window appears when you select the New Combined Delivery option in the New or Reprint menu for picking lists.

Purpose

This window lists customers flagged for combined deliveries and enables you to select one to start their next combined delivery or a special order delivery.

Search keys

This is an enquiry-mode window with two search keys: account code and customer name.

Display

Enter a partial code followed by <Page Down> to list customers starting from that code. Enter a partial code followed by <Page Up> to list customers up to that code.

Leave the key blank and press <Page Down> or <Page Up> to list all customers in ascending or descending sequence.

Press <F6> to change the search key.

The outstanding amount, delivery instructions, first price list, second price list, whether acknowledgements are required and back orders and part deliveries are allowed, location and discount level are also displayed for each customer.

Move the cursor to the required customer and press:

<Special>

To view orders marked for special delivery on the customer's account. Þ Select Special Order for Delivery window.

<Combined>

To build a combined picking list based on deliverable order lines for this customer. Þ Select First Order for Delivery window.

On exit

Þ New or Reprint Menu.

 

Special Orders for Delivery

 

This window appears when you select the Special option in the Select Customer for Combined Delivery Window

Purpose

This window lists all outstanding sales orders on the selected customer account that are not marked for combined delivery.

Upper part of window

The order number, type, customer account code, status, location, order date and time, and the required date are displayed for each order listed.

Lower part of window

The lower part of the window shows the following for each order as you scroll through the list: the customer order reference, the operator who created and last amended the transaction, order analysis type, sales rep code, area code, trade discount level, sales location, main price list, second price list and whether back orders are allowed.

On selection

When you select a transaction from the list Þ Wherever Immediate Pick goes.

On exit

Þ Select Customer for Combined Delivery Window.

First Order for Delivery

 

This window appears when you select the Combined option in the Select Customer for Combined Delivery Window

Purpose

This window lists all outstanding sales orders on the selected customer account that are marked for combined delivery. It lets you identify the first order to be included in the combined delivery. All orders marked for combined delivery following the one you choose are included if they match the selected order for:

  • delivery address number,
  • invoice address number (except branch accounts),
  • delivery instruction code,
  • settlement terms,
  • currency.

Please note

The order selected at this point is the order from which settlement terms, invoice address, delivery address, delivery instructions and currency are drawn when printing both the combined delivery note and the invoice from the combined delivery. Changing any of these items on other orders involved in the combined delivery after the picking list/delivery note have been printed will not affect the content of the delivery or the information appearing on the invoice.

Upper part of window

The order number, type, customer account code, status, location, order date and time, and the required date are displayed for each order listed.

Lower part of window

The lower part of the window shows the following for each order as you scroll through the list: the customer order reference, the operator who created and last amended the transaction, order analysis type, sales rep code, area code, trade discount level, sales location, main price list, second price list, delivery address number, invoice address number, delivery instruction code and whether back orders are allowed.

On selection

When you select a transaction from the list Þ Picking/Delivery Note Print Window.

On exit

Þ Select Customer for Combined Delivery Window.

 

Invoice Print Selection Menu

This menu appears when you select New Invoices, Reprint Invoices or Proforma Invoices from the Invoice Print menu.

The options are:

All orders

(Not available when reprinting invoices if combined invoicing is in use.) Select this option to print invoices for all eligible orders. Þ Invoice Details Window.

Customer account

Select this option to print/export invoices for all eligible orders for a single customer. You are prompted for the customer account code. Enter a customer account code to restrict the print to one customer, or leave blank for all customers. A pop-up enquiry is available. Then Þ Invoice Details Window.

Order number

Select this option to print/export an invoice for a single order. You are prompted for the customer account code and the order number. Pop-up enquiries are available. You can leave the customer account code blank, but you must enter an order number. Then Þ Invoice Details Window.

Note

If combined invoicing is in use, it is not possible to reprint invoices for an individual order unless the 'Combine invoices' indicator on the order header was set to N when the order was created.

 

This restriction has been designed to prevent the partial re-printing of combined invoices. It is possible, however, to reprint a known combined invoice number by specifying that number in the invoice number range in the Invoice Details window.

Sales rep

Select this option to print/export all invoices for all eligible orders belonging to a particular sales representative. You are prompted for the representative's code. A pop-up enquiry is available. Then Þ Invoice Details Window.

Area code

Select this option to print/export all invoices for all eligible orders associated with a particular area code. You are prompted for the area code. A pop-up enquiry is available. Then Þ Invoice Details Window.

Combined Delivery

Select this option to print an invoice for a special or combined delivery for a customer account marked as using combined delivery. You are prompted for the delivery note number (picking list number) of the delivery to be invoiced. A pop-up enquiry is available. Þ Invoice Details Window.

Please note

Invoices for combined deliveries have a different lay out to invoices for orders (combined or otherwise). Each combined delivery invoice shows information such as terms, addresses etc taken from the first order included in the combined delivery when it was picked and each individual line on the invoice identifies the order from which it arose.

 

In addition, the selection of product lines appearing on the invoice matches those that were printed on the last copy of the delivery note for that combined delivery.

 

Invoice Details Window

This window appears when you select an option from the Invoice Print Selection menu

Note

This window also appears when you select one of the invoice print options from the Print Options Menu in Order Entry.

The prompts are:

Invoice date

(Not when reprinting invoices.) Enter the invoice date. This is also used to select the accounting period for postings. The default is either today or the last day of the current period in Debtors Ledger, whichever is earlier. You can change this to an earlier date or to a date in the 'next period' in Debtors Ledger. If you enter a date in the 'next period', a warning window appears. You cannot enter a date beyond the end of the 'next period' in Debtors Ledger.

Note

Today's date is taken from the GSM system date.

Exclude deliveries after

(Not when reprinting invoices or invoicing combined deliveries.) If you want to exclude deliveries marked for despatch after a particular date, enter the date here. If you leave this prompt blank, all confirmed deliveries that meet the other criteria are included on the invoices regardless of their despatch date. The default is the invoice date entered above.

Note

If part invoicing is not allowed and a fully confirmed order has a despatch date after the date entered here, no invoice is printed for the order.

Invoices from...to

If you selected New Invoices from the Invoice Print menu these are for display only, and indicate the next available, and the last possible, invoice numbers. Any new invoice type transactions that have already been allocated an invoice number are also included in the print despite not being in the range shown here.

 

If you selected Reprint Invoices from the Invoice Print menu you can enter a range of invoice numbers to be reprinted.

 

If you selected Proforma from the Invoice Print menu, these are blank.

Note

If combined invoicing is in use, it is not possible to reprint more than 75 invoices at one time.

Analysis location

(Cannot be changed if you are processing a single order or a combined delivery.) Leave blank to select all locations, or enter a valid location code to restrict processing to orders for that location.

Message line 1 & 2.

Two lines of 30 characters each for printing on the invoices or exporting with the invoice details. Typical uses are for sales announcements or statements of terms.

Include combined invoices

(Cannot be changed if you are reprinting or processing a combined delivery) Set to Y if the run is to combine orders invoiced on customer accounts marked for combined invoicing. Set to N if the run is to invoice each order individually.

Note

When printing an invoice for a combined delivery, the order based options for part invoicing, part delivery, back ordering and combined invoicing have no effect. Other than comments, the invoice for a combined delivery reflects all and only those lines that were printed on the combined delivery note.

On completion

If you are printing Þ Standard Print Options Window. When printing has been initiated a progress window appears showing which order is being processed.

 

If you are exporting and not printing, a progress window appears showing which order is being processed.

Note

If no invoices are generated, at the end of the process a message appears indicating the reason.

Note

Processing can be interrupted by keying <Ctrl G>. Processing will cease when processing of the current invoice is complete, this may take a while if several orders are being combined onto a single invoice.

Error

If the program cannot find the overlay specified in the Invoice/Credit Note Layouts window, an error message will appear of the form 'PROGRAM xxxxxx REQUIRED IN P.SO3000' where xxxxxx is the name of the missing overlay. See the Invoice/ Credit Note Layouts Window for further details.

EDI error

If an error occurs during the export process, for example because an EDI database file is full, the export program:

§   Displays a message explaining the problem.

 

§   Marks the EDI batch as wasted.

 

§   Deletes any entries in the EDI batch that were created successfully.

 

§   Resets the invoices so they are no longer marked as printed.

 

You need to correct the problem that caused the failure. Then you can re-trigger the export by selecting the Invoice Print option again.