Overview of Products

Thank you GS1

A couple years ago when we were mapping out how to describe products in our new version of OTCS we knew what we did not want, which was one record for a product described from the jar, case and pallet. Our current version OTCS is organized this way so that pallets could only be broken down into SKU's with tedious juggling of codes. It is time consuming and impossible to explain to anyone how to make the change from pallets to cases. It turned out to be particulary vexing if a pallet where taken to a warehouse and then cases picked from it for mixed pallet shipments.

UCCNET's solution of first describing the jar, then the inner pack, the SKU and finally the pallet got us to organize our product database in exactly the same manner. We call it the Russian Doll Puzzle, where we start with a small doll, placed inside a slightly bigger one and so on and so on. While it is true that we still have one record for a product described from jar to pallet, that record is constructed from records describing the subassemblies and each one of those records is just as valid for a shipment account. In other words the operator of OTCS has the option of describing the shipment in a sub account as one pallet, 150 cases or even 1800 jars! This feature makes OTCS a powerful inventory control application that will easily adjust to real world LTL, breakage and loss adjustments so that inventories are always dead on.

The first doll, the jar!

Note that the first column describes the jar and that the second column gives its dimensions and weight. Clicking on the GS1 # dot with the blue line to its left brings up an underlying record with all the brands that have that same specification.

Clicking on the first blue certificate files brings up the label on file for that brand and jar.

We believe these few shots show the cataloguing possibilities of OTCS as well as the logic of its product database, but we are only on the first doll!

The second doll, the case!

Note that the first column has a few more fields filled in and that the right side now gives the dimension and weights of the SKU, the case. Again clicking on the blue dot next to the blue line takes you into the case label record.

Clicking on the first blue certificate files brings up the label on file for that SKU, Case.

The third doll, the pallet!

Note that the first column has even more fields filled in and that the right side now gives the dimension and weights of the pallet. Again clicking on the blue dot next to the blue line takes you into the pallet label record.

Clicking on the first blue certificate files brings up the label on file for that Multi SKU, pallet. Also note that the third line for Zatarains has no certificate or Barcode #. This is because Zatarain's pallets have 114 cases per pallet and are in another record.

This method of catalouging ours and our customers products is worth the investment in OTCS alone.

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