VENDOR MANAGED INVENTORY.NET

Each Step in this process is extremely important. Skipping or not completing any steps will have a major impact on the success of your VMI program. Expect to spend a significant amount of time on each step. The steps below assume the use of an EDI based system.

    .....SETUP

Step1- Senior Sponsorship: Since the business paradigm is changing, senior management must make a firm commitment to this new process. VMI must have senior management sponsorship. It should be identified as a strategic objective and then communicated throughout the organization. Senior management must commit to the: costs involved, manpower needed for setup/maintenance and also the concept of having someone else manage their inventory.

Step2-Employee Acceptance: Get all employees to buy into the concept, especially the person currently responsible for maintaining the inventory levels. Without their acceptance, your program will never work. They must understand that VMI will not push them out of a job. It will free up some of their time to allow them to be more productive in other areas. Employee should be given a complete overview of what VMI will mean to the company and the reasons why its being done.

Step3-Synchronize Files: Synchronize the Distributors Product Files with the Manufacturers. This step alone is one of the greatest benefits you will receive from VMI. Synchronizing means that you must match the manufacturers product data with the distributors product data. Are there old, obsolete items on the file? Are the correct product numbers being used? Have new product numbers been properly communicated to the distributor? Any time there is a change to the product catalog, the manufacturer must share the data with their VMI partners. Your initial data synchronization is extremely important as well as the ongoing synchronization that will be needed.
      In most cases, you will probably be surprised at how out of synch the files are....

Step4- EDI Testing: Extensive testing of all EDI sets to be used. The manufacturer and distributor must work very closely together to validate that the data is being properly sent/received. For example: Does the Quantity on Hand
that is being received by the manufacturer match the Quantity on Hand in Distributors stock? Is Quantity
Sold being properly sent? You should check a variety of items in different categories (A,B,C). EDI testing many take many tries and adjustments before it is finally correct.

Step5- Acceptance & Measurements: The Distributor must understand and agree with the Stocking Plan the Manufacturer is creating. Even though the exact method may be a proprietary method, the distributor should still have an understanding of how the plan is calculated. This will help avoid the future question "Why did they send us this product if we don't need it?"
Additionally, predetermined Inventory Turns, Fill Rates and Service Levels should be targeted. The Distributor should monitor their current performance for comparison to later results. Both parties must agree upon the frequency of replenishment (daily? once/twice per week?). The Distributor should have at least one years worth of measurements prior to VMI for comparison to later results.

Even though the Manufacturer creates the Stock Plan- the Distributor should understand and be comfortable with it....

Step6- POS History:The Distributor sends the Manufacturer his POS (Point of Sale) History file, usually 1-2 years (Disk or Email). This will allow the manufacturer to base the inventory plan on direct sale data rather than data from the distributors past ordering history.
The format of the file must be compatible to the needs of the manufacturer. Then the Distributor sends an EDI #852 All Item Refresh. This tells the status and stock level of every item they have. MAKE SURE YOU VERIFY BOTH SETS OF DATA!!! This is your last and most important validation point.
Note: The standard #852 only sends those products that had a change in position since the last transmission (if no activity took place for that item, then the item isn't sent). An #852 All Item Refresh sends every every item.

....GOING LIVE

Step7- Distributor makes a sale and enters that transaction into their computer.

Step8- On a daily/weekly basis the Distributor  sends an #852 Product Activity. This reports a change in position
on any item since the last #852.

Step9- The Manufacturer receives the #852 and updates the Distributors Stock Plan. Once an Item or Items
have hit their Reorder Point (ROP), the Manufacturer creates an Order.

Step10- The Manufacturer sends out a #855 Purchase Order Acknowledgment to the Distributor. This lets the distributor update their system with the newly created PO. During the beginning of stages of your VMI partnership, it is important to have the Distributor review the #855 and point out any problems.

Step11- The Manufacturer picks and ships the order and transmits a #857 Advance Ship Notice. This tells the distributor exactly what is being sent and when its shipping.

Step12- When the shipment is received, the Distributor transmits a #861 Receipt Advice. This tells the manufacturer exactly what was received. The manufacturer can then match this to his Purchase Order to determine any potential problems (mis-shipped etc)

Step13- (optional)- The Invoice is sent out via an #810. Payment by a #820...

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The information on this website is the opinion of the webmaster. It should NOT be used as the sole information source when implementing a VMI program. If you are starting or are currently involved in a Vendor Managed Inventory program, we strongly recommend that you work with a qualified professional.
For additional Vendor Managed Inventory information, please see VendorManagedInventory.com