Linking the trading partners, process and systems that make up your supply chain has become the differentiator you need to achieve industry leading performance. Removing processes that do not add value and synchronizing processes within and outside a company enable you to meet customer demands for lower cost and faster delivery.

Vantage provides the most effective coordination from initial raw materials to the ultimate consumption of the finished product by providing the visibility you need throughout your value chain.

Purchase Management
Purchase Management handles purchase order writing and the tracking of supplier performance. Detailed line items indicate planned receipts to inventory or a job, although their destination may be changed at the time of actual receipt entry. Purchase order receipt processing updates suggested supplier and detailed purchase history files, which provides continual reference to aid in making purchasing decisions. An online time-phased material requirements report provides a strategic planning tool to buy the right amount of material—at the right time. With Purchase Management, you can reduce inventory levels, improve on-time deliveries, enhance your cash flow, and increase your profit levels.

Supplier Relationship Management
Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) provides a tool for purchasing agents, or those providing quotes, to request quotes for raw materials or subcontract services from one or multiple vendors. Request for quotations (RFQs) are generated with one or more lines, each line having the ability to request pricing from one or more vendors. Vendor RFQ responses automatically build or add to existing part price-break tables, with current effectivity dates to be used in other Vantage applications.

Inventory Management
Inventory Management updates and maintains raw materials, WIP and finished goods inventory quantities and costs. Allocations are relieved as inventory items are issued to the job, or as purchase order receipts for purchased items are posted. Issued inventory reduces quantities on-hand, which are continually replenished through the processing of purchased or manufactured item receipts into inventory. Average and lost costs for every item are continually updated. A variety of screen inquiries provide management analysis of MRP, shortage monitoring, reorder analysis, stock status, valuation, and critical items.

Handheld
Vantage Handheld functionality extends the traditional Manufacturing Execution System (MES) on the plant floor with wireless functionality for the efficient capture of real-time transactions and maximization of employee effectiveness. Whether doing physical inventory, material moves, or looking up serialized part information, the Vantage Handheld application offers an easy to use interface that is designed for plant employees.

Offering, comprehensive inventory visibility and control, the Vantage Handheld module allows you to track your inventory as it moves throughout your enterprise. Through the use of barcode scanning using stationary, portable, wired or wireless (radio frequency) equipment, users can quickly complete inventory transactions as they happen on the floor. Real-time data capture eliminates the need for data entry as a second step which will aide in improving inventory accuracy and speeding up the order-to-ship cycle. Vantage Handheld transactions provide your users with event-based directing and routing of all managed tasks in real-time. Additionally, you can maintain complete transaction event history for analysis and reporting purposes.

Epicor is a Honours Partner and reseller of Intermec Technologies Corporation and the Vantage handheld transactions are tested on Intermec® equipment. This does not preclude you from using other vendor’s equipment. If you choose to use another hardware vendor you must adhere to the above requirements. Epicor is a Software Partner of Seagull Scientific, Inc. and the Vantage Handheld solution is compatible with their BarTender® labeling technology.

Advanced Material Management
Advanced Material Management (AMM) enables manufacturers to produce electronic requests for materials, dispatch those materials, and track movements of all inventory, including raw materials and work in process (WIP). Leverage AMM as part of an Epicor solution that includes wireless, handheld devices equipped with bar coding technology to track inventory in real-time. Vantage offers complete control and visibility of raw materials and WIP throughout the enterprise.

Shipping
The Shipping Module monitors all outbound shipments, including customer orders, transfer orders, subcontract orders and miscellaneous shipments. Whether the items being shipped are pulled from stock or are made to order, flexible controls allow you to process your outbound shipments in the manner that best suites your business processes as well as your customer’s specific shipping requirements.

Receiving
The Receiving module controls incoming items, including raw material being received from a purchase order to a job or into inventory. Online transaction processing promotes efficiency, ease of use and accuracy. All receipts are processed in an efficient, accurate and cost-effective manner.

Purchase Contracts
Purchase Contracts improves timeliness and accuracy of the supply chain through automation of delivery schedules from key suppliers. Once a supplier contract is established, demand drives schedule updates. The delivery schedules may be regularly revised, re-issued, and against which regular, frequent deliveries are made. Epicor understands that key purchases and material requirements are often sourced from multiple suppliers to maintain stability in supply. Purchase Contracts adjusts and allows products to be purchased in ratio from multiple suppliers and automates the selection of the supplier based on preset criteria such as percentage of supply, delivery periodicity, minimum quantity and more.

Tightly embedded in the Epicor Vantage application, Purchase Contracts can be used as an extension of MRP (Material Requirements Planning) to extend the visibility of buyers with forecasted demand.

Epicor Vantage uses Purchase Suggestions to alert buyers to material and purchase requirements for forecasted as well as planned production. With Purchase Contracts these suggestions (there could be many depending on make up of production requirements) can be automatically consolidated for easier management of supplier purchases.