Track inventory within multiple stores, warehouses, or service vehicles.
In this article
Getting Started | Video Walkthrough | Features | Enhancements | Sample Reports
Getting Started
The Multiple Location module of EBMS is an optional inventory enhancement feature for EBMS that allows a single inventory item to be purchased, stored, and sold from multiple locations. This inventory feature allows a company to track inventory counts within multiple stores, warehouses, or service vehicles. The module records sales and purchase history for each location and displays stock levels for convenient identification of available inventory. The Multiple Location option includes a convenient way to transfer inventory items from one location to another. Combine this module with the EBMS Profit Center option to create a powerful tool to track and record inventory items and inventory transactions within multiple locations, sales locations, or company divisions.
The multiple locations must operate within the same company in order to use the EBMS Multiple Location module. An alternative Product Catalog Sync tool is recommended to manage inventory catalogs within multiple data sets. Review Inventory Sync Overview for details on multiple location inventory with separate company data sets.
The following types of companies benefit from this feature:
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Retail stores with multiple sales locations.
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Distributors or wholesalers with warehouses in different locations.
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Service companies with multiple service trucks that carry inventory on the vehicle.
A warehouse is often associated with a company department or profit center. This relationship can be set up as one of the following options:
Warehouse corresponds with a single department
Each warehouse is directly related to a single department. This option allows both the warehouse and department to be set within an invoice using a single entry. This method is especially useful if a department identifies a store location or company division.
For example:
Warehouse A is associated with Department 010.
Warehouse B is associated with Department 020.
Warehouse C is associated with Department 030.
The revenue from a sale of an inventory item would be posted to Department 010 if the item were sold from Warehouse A, but it would be posted to Department 020 if the same item was sold from Warehouse B.
Review the Associating each Warehouse with a single Company Division or Department section for setup details.
Department codes based on location and inventory
A warehouse affects the department setting, but multiple departments can exist within a warehouse. For example, a hardware store with multiple store locations contains multiple departments within each location:
Store 1 (Warehouse A)
| Department 110 | Hardware Department |
| Department 120 | Paint Department |
| Department 130 | Electrical Department |
Store 2 (Warehouse B)
| Department 210 | Hardware Department |
| Department 220 | Paint Department |
| Department 230 | Electrical Department |
| Department 240 | Plumbing Supplies Department |
Store 3 (Warehouse C)
| Department 310 | Hardware Department |
| Department 320 | Paint Department |
| Department 340 | Plumbing Supplies Department |
Departments are identified based on a combination of the location of the store or warehouse and the inventory item.
In the examples above, the first digit represents the store location and the second digit represents the inventory type. If the first digit = 1, the location is Store 1. If the second digit = 2, the inventory type is Paint. So, the department code "120" means that the department location is Store 1 / Warehouse A and the inventory is painting supplies, while the department code "230" means that the department location is Store 2 / Warehouse B and the inventory is electrical supplies.
Structured in this way, a user can relate a department code to other departments in the same location using the first digit and to departments carrying similar inventory using the second digit.
Review the Associating Multiple Departments to Each Inventory Item section below for setup details.
Department codes based on inventory
The department is associated with the inventory item or product and is not changed by the warehouse at all. Since the warehouse has no effect on the department, the department is set within the product record Advanced tab for each inventory item. It is recommended to use this option if EBMS is set up with no departments or profit centers.
Location 1 (Warehouse A)
| Department 010 | Hardware Department |
| Department 020 | Paint Department |
| Department 030 | Electrical Department |
Location 2 (Warehouse B)
| Department 010 | Hardware Department |
| Department 020 | Paint Department |
| Department 030 | Electrical Department |
| Department 040 | Plumbing Supplies Department |
Location 3 (Warehouse C)
| Department 010 | Hardware Department |
| Department 020 | Paint Department |
| Department 040 | Plumbing Supplies Department |
Notice that the departments are the same, no matter where the inventory item is located. The first digit for all departments is set to 0, so the location is not differentiated in the code. The second digit still represents the inventory type. This method is the most popular when warehouse settings identify service trucks or other smaller inventory locations. Review the Associating a Single Department to an Inventory Item section for setup details.
Review the Create Warehouses section for instructions on adding warehouses.
Common use cases
Track Inventory in Multiple Locations
This inventory feature allows a company to track inventory counts within multiple stores, warehouses, or service vehicles. The module records sales and purchase history for each location and displays stock levels for convenient identification of available inventory.
Transfer Inventory Between Locations
The Multiple Location option includes a convenient way to transfer inventory items from one location to another. Combining this module with the EBMS Profit Center option creates a powerful tool to manage inventory items within multiple locations, sales locations, or company divisions.
Video Walkthrough
Features
- Inventory can be managed in multiple locations, including service trucks.
- Inventory can be purchased into or sold from multiple locations.
- Sales history and purchase history are maintained for each location.
- Warehouse can be associated with a specific profit center or company division.
- Facilitates inventory transfers from one location to another.
- Bar code technology can be added to expedite inventory transfers from one location to another.
- Manage and purchase inventory for a specific location or simply choose all locations.
- Maintain inventory counts and history for multiple locations such as warehouses, sales locations, or vehicles.
- Allow inventory management, including purchasing tools, to purchase or add stock to individual warehouses.
- Includes tools to efficiently transfer inventory items between locations. A sales order can access stock from multiple locations within the same document.
- Combine the multiple warehouse module with the profit center module to create a powerful set of tools to manage multiple locations with the same data set rather than separate companies.