Assets include all vending assets such as Vending Machines, Bill Changers, OCS/ORS equipment and Ancillary equipment such as Condiment stands, microwaves etc.
VendSys tracks the location of each Asset by date Each Asset must be located oncan be allocated to an Account by entering the Install information into this form.
The Asset form has information that is present in the main form and a number of tabs with additional information in them. the main form Asset fields are as follows:
Asset Number
The identifying number for the machine. Can be Alphanumeric. Should be letters/numbers so is easily bar-coded.
Serial Number
The manufacturer serial number.
Model
The Model of the machine. Each Model as defined in the system has parameters that:
Refer Asset Models for further details.
Owner
The owner of the machine. Allows for reference to other owners of the Assets eg Coke. Refer Asset Owners for further details.
Changer Par
The standard dollar value of coinage that the Coin Changer is filled to. Is used by the Cash Holding report to list cash held in the field. It is not updated dynamically by the remote monitoring system.
Has Unit Meter, Unit Value
For vending machines that do not have a Cash Meter, but do have a Units Sold meter, such as some coffee machines, check the has Unit meter box. if checked then the value of each unit meter click can be entered eg 1c or 10c or $1 etc.
Current Install Warehouse, Route, Account, Install Date, Region
The Asset can be installed either in a Warehouse or at an Account. If installed at an Account it must be installed on a Route. Once installed there if will be effective from the Install date. The will Region will be the Region of the Warehouse or Account. the information shown in the fields is display only for the current Install. Use the Installation tab to update when machines are moved from place to place. As machines are moved around, a history of from-to-dates is created. There wll never be a gap in these dates once the initial installation is created.
Location
A text field to describe where at the Account the machine is located eg "Floor 6 Break Room". This can be maintained in the this field at any time and will override the current location for the current install. No history is kept of changes to Location on a specific Install, but the last Location on every Install for each Asset is known.
Schedule, Weeks, Calendar
For vending machines that are serviced to a Schedule, you maintain the servicing schedule in these fields. A machine can be serviced on a 1, 2, 3 or 4 week schedule. Use the Weeks field to set this cycle. All machines are keyed to the same cycle start point ie every machine on a 3-week cycle is in the same part of the 3 week cycle at any point in time.
Once the number of weeks is set, the Schedule field can be edited. Use .,C,S to set the action on each day of the week to represent no service, Collect or Service respectively. A Collect is a visit a to the machine to fill with product and collect the cash. A Service is a visit to the machine to fill with product but leave the cash in the cash box.
An alternate to editing the Weeks and Schedule fields is to click on the Calendar button to bring up a calendar form. Click/Click&Drag on the Weeks in Schedule slider bar to set the weeks in the schedule. This will change the available days highlighted in the calendar. Click on a day to change the action. Multiple clicks on a day cell will cycle the day through Collect , Service, No Action. Click on Save to save and exit or Cancel to exit with no changes. the
The following tabs are used in the form:
Products - the product selection in the Asset. Only relevant for Vending Machines.
Installation - to move an Asset from one location to another
Servicing - define controls for how a vending machines is serviced (ie how it is replenished with products to vend)
Product Parameters - define controls for product replenishment abd
Rental - set up asset rental information for charging OCs/ORS Accounts
Notes - Free form text field to make notes in
Cash Reporting - what data is used for sales reporting
Products tab
Product selections
A vending machine asset will have a list of products than it vends. This list can be a list of Product SKUs (Product Items eg Coke 12ox can), or a list of Product Groups (eg Can Soda 12oz) when the vending operation is not concerned with tracking sales and inventory at a SKU/Item level.
In practice, both types of list can be assigned to an Asset, but only one list is active at a time for the purposes of servicing machines - see Servicing tab.
In the Product tab you can view both the Product SKU product list and the Product Group product list. Click on the radio button of the product type you wish to view or maintain.
If viewing SKUs then you can optionally see the product is in Plannogram layout or Grid layout - click the radio button to reset the view as required. You can toggle back and forth at any time.
If Grid view is selected then the grid can display current product list or proposed product list. If plannogram view is displayed then proposed changes are highlighted in blue.
Product SKU data
The following data is held for each possible SKU position in the machine:
Lane - the Lane identifier for each product position eg A1
Product - Product Id
Price - the vending price eg $1.25
Max or Capacity- the maximum quantity of products that fits in that lane.
Par - the lane quantity that the machine is filled to, normally the Max value but can be less.
Min - the minimum value that triggers a service. if set to 0 any lane depletion will trigger a service. Used for remote monitoring only
Enabled - status as to whether the SKU position is in use eg in a Snack chip tray only every second lane motor is enabled.
Product changes
if changes are to be made to any of Product SKU data, the changes can be made but they are stored in "proposed" values. The proposed values will only overwrite the current values when the machine is next serviced ie when the physical changes are made at the machine to change product, change the price etc . then the proposed values are cleared and ready to accept new changes in the future.
Plannogram layout
Click on radio button to enable this view.
Use Trays to define how many trays are in this machine. For a Can/Bottle drink machine there will be one "tray". The plannogram layout will dynamically build a list of trays with a default maximum number of lanes (ie spirals or columns). The maximum number of trays and selections per tray is defined by the Selection Matrix of the Machine Model. Refer Asset Models for further details. Click on enter cell of a tray and use Lanes to set the maximum Lane selection for each Tray.
Note that the upper left corner of each cell will display the Machine keypad selection as used by the machine eg A1. This is also defined by the Selection Matrix for the Model.
Right click on any cell to select and set any Product SKU data values. Any changes made will be loaded into Proposed values.
The Product Description is displayed in the body of the cell. The Par is displayed in the bottom left and the price in the bottom right. Once a cell is clicked the current and proposed values for that cell are displayed in the min, par, max and price fields at the top of the tab. The qty field holds the last know inventory level in that machine lane
Grid Layout
If Current view is selected then Lane, Product, Price, Min, Par, Max, Coil Size, Enabled and Qty are all displayed in view only mode.
If Proposed view is selected then Lanes are displayed. New Product, New Price, New Min, New Par, new Max, New Coil Size and New Enabled are all displayed and can be maintained. Use arrow keys to navigate around the grid. Once saved, these changes will be applied at the next Restock.
Default Plannograms
In order to save time or create standardized plannograms it is possible to create "Default" plannograms. These can be created at any combination of Asset Model, Warehouse and Account Category. Thus it is possible to have a Default plannogram for Dixie 501 drink machines in Schools serviced from the Boston warehouse, or, just for all Dixie 501 drink machines.
Use Default, and Save As buttons within the Plannogram view.
Default allows the selection of an existing default Plannogram. Save As allows the saving of the currently displayed plannogram as a default for future us.
The Copy button allows for the plannogram to be copied from an existing machine to this machine. The Selection Matrixes of the machines must be compatible.
Installation tab
The Installation tab is used to manage Asset moves.
Use the Region, Warehouse or Account to select key Install details. Warehouses and Account will be filtered by the selected Region. An Asset can only be in a Warehouse or at an Account at any one time.
If being Installed in an Account then the it must be assigned to a Route. Assets can still be assigned to a Route while in a Warehouse.
Effective, Use time of day
Enter the date of effect of the Install. If it is in the past and Services have been undertaken with the current install, then any backdating of a new install will update all Services to use the newly added install reference. Use time of day will time stamp the install with the current time rather than at midnight beginning the Effective day selected. This allows for remote monitored machines to be moved from Account to Account in a day and still record sales against the correct install. Note you must have the effective day set as today's date if using this feature.
Schedule, Weeks, Calendar
This is a replication of these fields as referred to above. Changes to the current schedule can be made here or in the same fields at the top of the Asset form.
Cash Meter
This field will display the current Cash Meter value for the vending machine. For a new machine enter the Cash Meter value as read from the vending machine. If an existing value is edited, the next Service of machine is flagged as having a meter reset.
This enables the opening cash meter value to be entered, or, if the control board of the machine is replaced or reset, the new value as at the time of reset or replacement. If an opening value for a new install is entered or a meter reset is entered, the Cash Variance report will not report any variance on the next Collect.
Create opening Service card.
This check box is used to create an initial opening collect service as at the date of effect, with an initial Cash Meter and with inventory levels set to Par value. Subsequent services then have a known point to calculate ongoing inventory levels and cash varainces from.
Proposed Schedule, Weeks, Calendar, Route.
These fields highlight proposed changes to the machine scheduling and are used by the Route Mapping and Route Planning forms.
History Account/Warehouse, Route, Installed on
This grid displays the Install history of this Asset.
Servicing tab
This tab sets all the controls for how the Asset is to be serviced.
Use pre-kitting
Plannogram type, Product SKUs, Product Groups
Remote monitoring
Comms device Number, Device Type, Version
The Comms device number is the unique identifier of the machine used when making connection to the database:
For cellular GSM devices it should be the SIM card number
For cellular CDMA devices it should be the IMEI number of the cell modem
For Zigbee Node machines it should be the Zigbee serial number as printed on the underside of the Zigbee unit
These device numbers must be set prior to remote monitoring being attempted for the machine so that the system can correctly match the incoming communications to the Asset.
The Device Type will be set by the system.
The version is the software version the machine monitoring device is using and will be set by the system.
Connect Time
The "Scheduled" time of day at which the machine is to make a connection and download the most recent sales information.
Allow empty lane sales
Check box to not generate an exception if the machine sells more that what the system thinks there should be in the machine.
Allow setup connection
Allow the acceptance of a reset connection from the Machine.
Monitoring History Grid Date, Type, Status
A view only grid of the most recent connections.
Product Parameters tab
This tab allows the setting of Product specific values for servicing as well as for subsidies. The grid displayed is the unique list of products from the Product tab.
Id, Product, Par
Read only details. note that Par is a sum of all Pars for a product if it is listed more than once in the product listing eg if the product is in more than one lane of a machine.
Package size
This is the picking multiple of the Product. Normally would be 1, but, for example, could be set to 6, or 12 or 24 for drinks when you do not want to break down existing or inner packaging of products.
Min Qty
If non-zero, this is the level at which a service will be trigger on that product. When the balance of this product in the machine is greater than this value then no additional product will be requested by the system. When used in conjunction with the Package Size itallows, for example, a Gum Product to be set at Par=18, Package Size=12, Min Qty=6. In this case, the Gum product will continue to sell done in ones and twos over several services until it reaches 6 or less, and then a Service is triggered for a pack of 12.
Subsidy Vend Value
This the value per vend of a vending Subsidy if it exists. If the agreed value of a product being vended is $1.50, but is being subsidized by the Account by 50c to allow for a vend sell price in a Staff break room of 1.00, then set the price in the Products tab to 1.00 and this Subsidy Vend Value to .50. The Vend Subsidy report can be run for a month and total subsidies to be charged by account reported based on actual sales recorded during the month.
Rental tab
This tabs sets the controls for Assets that are rented to Accounts eg OCS/ORS assets
Weekly rental, Effective date
Enter the rental value and the effective date.
History grid Rate, Effective
Shows the history of rate changes.
Notes tab
This tab just a free form text entry field. Any text can be entered into it.
Cash Reporting tab
The system will record both remote monitoring sales from the machine and the cash counted from machines. It enables the comparison of cash collected to what is reported by the machines. In some instances all cash and sales reporting may need to be exclusively that reported by the machines. Normally it will be what has been counted through the money room.
Click the radio buttons for Use Remote Monitoring or Use Cash Counted to select which method is to be used. Set the Date of Effect to enable the method at a certain point in time. See the history of changes in the right hide grid of Effective, Type
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