Bulk Deliveries & Forecasting
| TrackAbout Module | |
|---|---|
| Module Name: | Bulk Deliveries & Forecasting |
| Short Description | The TrackAbout Bulk Delivery and Forecasting Module is used to track deliveries of bulk products (liquid CO2, liquid oxygen, etc) into tanks at customer sites. |
| Supported In: | TAMobile 5, TAMobile 6 Rugged, TAMobile 6 Desktop |
| Business Process: | Distribution |
| ← Back to list | |
Overview
Manually recording bulk deliveries on paper and later keying this data into the business system for billing is a time consuming and error prone process. In addition, it can be challenging to schedule bulk deliveries while ensuring that customers do not run out of bulk product.
The TrackAbout Bulk Delivery and Forecasting Module is used to track deliveries of bulk products (liquid CO2, liquid oxygen, etc.) into tanks at customer sites.
Some of the benefits we provide for you:
- Supports printed delivery confirmation to customers on the spot
- Delivery data can be integrated back into business systems for billing purposes
- Forecasting is used to predict when a customer will need to be resupplied
- Suitable for different types of product grades and applications(medical, high purity)
Three Easy Steps:
- Registering New
- Performing Bulk Delivery
- Forecasting
This feature is available for: Standard tracking and POD
How it Works
File:Bulk Tank Delivery TAM 7 (2).pptx
Setup Asset Types as Bulk Tanks
Once this module is turned on by TrackAbout Support you should see a couple of new options for Asset Types. You can find this in the TrackAbout Config > Asset Classifications page.
- "Is Bulk Tank" - Set this to Yes for your bulk tank assets.
- "Item Number for Bulk Fills" - This is used for any integration or printing of receipts. In the example below this is a CO2 tank and so an item number of "CO2-LB" is used to indicate one pound of CO2 delivered to fill this tank.
Set up the Product Codes to Track Bulk Tanks
Use the Product Code Mappings page to set up the Product Codes that will be used to track the bulk tanks under the Classification (Category, Group, and Type) you just established.
Mobile Data Collection: Tank Initialization (Add new bulk tank)
Bulk tanks must first be setup as assets in TrackAbout. They have some special properties and so require a special Add New action to initialize these bulk tank assets.
Once the Asset Type is set to "Is Bulk Tank = Yes", the Add New process on the handheld will automatically ask for the extra info needed for bulk tanks.
This data is collected during the initial setup of a bulk tank in TrackAbout:
- Barcode Number
- Serial Number
- Product Code
- Owner of the Tank
- Customer (Where the tank in installed)
- Max Capacity/Volume
- Install Date
Note: Before doing a Bulk Delivery to a newly added bulk tank:
- The handheld that added the bulk tank must be synced to tell the site that the bulk tank is now at a customer.
- Then the handheld that will do the Bulk Delivery must be synced to pull down the list of bulk tanks.
- For a handheld to pull down the bulk tank info the bulk tank must:
- Have an Asset Type that is set to to "Is Bulk Tank = Yes"
- Have a maximum capacity set
- Be on the balance of a customer
Mobile Data Collection: Bulk Delivery
To be able to perform a Bulk delivery, the tank must be at customer! (Added New/Delivered to customer). Otherwise you will receive the error: "Bulk tank does not exist for this barcode or serial number. Please add the bulk tank using 'Add New' before proceeding with the bulk delivery.
This data is collected during the filling of a bulk tank through the simple Delivery Process:
- Timestamp
- Person logged into handheld
- Tank barcode number or serial number. (This is used to determine the customer number)
- Weight or volume of bulk gas delivered. There are 2 Options for recording the delivered Volume:
- Manual entry (record the exact Volume)
- Calculated Value, using the difference between Collect Initial/End Volume
- Optional checkbox to exclude this fill from normal usage calculations – It was leaking, I didn’t fill it all the way, etc
- Signature
- Signer’s Name
TAMobile 7 Sample Screens
Logic for Bulk Delivery
Our Bulk Delivery Module follows your working environment, attitude and logic.
For example: If the user types in “60” for Volume Delivered and then attempts to proceed by selecting Next, the bulk tank logic recalls the Max Capacity value from the registration process and alerts the user if an error is encountered.
Additional Logic for Bulk Delivery:
1. Once user has selected the Customer and Order #
2. If the user scans a bulk tank that belongs to a different customer, a notification will appear letting them know which customer they had selected and who the bulk tank belongs to actually.
Delivery Forecasting
This feature predicts when bulk tanks will need to be filled based on historical usage patterns. There are 3 important pages:
- Add Bulk Tank Forecast Model
- Bulk Tank Forecasting Report
- List Bulk Tank Forecast Models
Setting up Forecasting Models
Use the Add Bulk Tank Forecast Model page to create your models.
The only forecasting model supported today is a weighted average of the most recent 5 filling cycles. Each customer can be assigned to a different forecasting model.
Forecasting Report
The Bulk Tank Forecasting Report allows users to view bulk tanks with planned delivery dates in the near future.
List Bulk Tank Forecast Models
You can choose in the system, from the List the Bulk Tank Model, which one is the most suitable for your operations and forecasting the upcoming bulk deliveries.
Configuration
Below is an image of the forecasting configurations. These configurations are only viewable and editable by TrackAbout support. Contact TrackAbout Support to view or alter your settings.
Integration
The data collected during deliveries can be integrated back into an existing business system. There are a variety of technical mechanisms available for this integration. Please contact TrackAbout for more information on integration options.
Note to TrackAbout support: Check for setup info here.