Creating Purchase Orders in AltheaSuite
Creating a purchase order (PO) in AltheaSuite is a straightforward yet powerful process that supports both new orders and backorders. Once the PO is ready, it can be sent directly to suppliers via email, enhancing communication and reducing delays.
There are multiple ways to add items to a purchase order:
- Barcode Scanning: Ideal for high-speed entry of known SKUs.
- Typing Partial Model Numbers: Allows users to search and select items quickly.
- Browse Functionality: The ‘Browse’ button opens the Item Manager, where users can search, filter, and add multiple products to the PO.
This flexibility allows businesses to tailor the item selection method to their operational workflow.
Adding Prices, Quantities, and Additional Costs
Once items are added to the PO, AltheaSuite makes it easy to define the commercial and logistical details:
- Unit Prices and Quantities: Clearly specify how many units are being ordered and their cost.
- Lead Times: Include expected delivery dates to help with inventory planning.
- Additional Expenses: Add freight, handling, or import charges to the PO. These costs can be linked to specific financial accounts for accurate expense tracking.
- Cost Visibility Control: Choose to create the PO with both a financial and stock transaction, or just a stock transaction. The latter is especially useful for limiting access to sensitive cost data among certain employees.
AltheaSuite also supports aggregating expenses and updating the effective cost per unit, which ensures accurate landed costs for inventory valuation.
Managing Items During Receipt
When inventory arrives, the system helps reconcile what was ordered versus what was received:
- Scanning and Manual Entry: Items can be received by scanning or manually confirming each line item.
- Quantity Adjustments: Update the PO if fewer items are received than expected.
- Add All Items Feature: Streamlines the receiving process by quickly populating the purchase document with all items from the PO.
- Expense Allocation: Freight and other expenses can be evenly distributed or customized across line items to reflect actual costs.
This ensures inventory data remains accurate and accounting records are aligned with physical stock.
Serial Number Management and Purchase Returns
AltheaSuite includes robust support for tracking serial numbers during the purchasing process:
- Recording Serial Numbers: Users can add or correct serial numbers at any stage, ensuring traceability and compliance for serialized products.
- Purchase Returns: If items need to be returned, the system allows for:
- Restocking fees
- Moving pending amounts to supplier accounts
- Creating supplier credit notes directly from the return process
- Restocking fees
These tools help close the loop on purchasing, ensuring financial and inventory records remain accurate and auditable.
Conclusion: Full-Cycle Purchase Management Made Easy
AltheaSuite’s purchase order system is built to support every stage of procurement—from ordering and receiving to expense management and returns. With built-in flexibility, cost controls, and real-time visibility, businesses can operate more efficiently while maintaining strong supplier relationships and accurate financial reporting.
Whether you’re handling bulk purchases, managing backorders, or tracking serialized inventory, AltheaSuite delivers the tools you need to manage purchasing with precision and confidence.
Ready to optimize your purchasing operations? Contact the AltheaSuite team today for a demo tailored to your business needs.
