Step 5: Purchase the required Raw Materials

Now that you have created Production Orders, you must ensure your Manufacturers have enough Raw Materials to produce the goods. Even if you only work with finished goods, you can still use Zedonk to account for the materials required to package your products (bags, boxes, stickers, swing tags).

#Enter your Opening Stock figures for Raw Materials

If you or your Manufacturers already have some of your Raw Materials in stock (perhaps from previous seasons), you must inform Zedonk of the quantities. This will be beneficial financially as you will avoid ordering the Materials you already have in stock.

If stock is leftover from a previous season and you have already entered the Raw Material stock figures, you can use the Move Stock from Another Season tool.

You can skip this step if you do not have any Opening Stock for your Raw Materials (perhaps you are starting a collection with new Raw Materials).

Note: Raw Material Inventory in Zedonk is separated into:

• Main Inventory - this is your Main Inventory (your Studio/Warehouse)
• Manufacturer Inventory - this is your Manufacturers' Inventory. Note that each Manufacturer will have a separate inventory that you can select from the drop-down menu at the top of the Manufacturer Inventory List View. If you manufacture in-house, you will have a separate Manufacturer Inventory dedicated to any products you manufacture in-house.

Now that you understand how the Raw Material Inventory works in Zedonk, enter the Opening Stock figures for both your Main Inventory and your Manufacturers' Inventories, either manually:

• Raw Materials Inventory - Manufacturer Inventory - Set Opening Stock
• Raw Materials Inventory - Manufacturer Inventory - Set Opening Stock

Or in bulk, using the Opening Stock - Data Import Tool template that you can download from Zedonk:

• Raw Material Inventory - Main Inventory - Data Import - Opening Stock
• Raw Material Inventory - Manufacturer Inventory - Data Import - Opening Stock

#Review Raw Materials quantities required for purchasing

Based on the Production Orders you entered into Zedonk and the Opening Stock of your Raw Materials, Zedonk will automatically calculate the Raw Materials required for purchasing.

You can preview the purchasing required figure for each Raw Material within the Raw Materials module:

• Raw Materials - Quantity Required

You can also review the purchasing required figure by going to the Raw Materials Inventory module, finding the Raw Material ID/Our Reference and clicking on the value in the Combined Required column:

• Raw Materials Inventory - Main Inventory - Combined Required

#Create Purchase Orders for Raw Materials

Once you confirm all purchasing you can proceed with creating Purchase Orders.

You have two options when creating Purchase Orders:

• Ship To Main - when you want to ship Raw Materials from your Supplier to your Main Inventory. This is particularly helpful when you want to keep the Raw Materials in-house before distributing them to your Manufacturers using Dispatch Notes from the Production Book Out/In area or the Raw Materials Inventory area.
• Ship to Manufacturer - when you want to ship Raw Materials from your Supplier directly to your Manufacturer. In this instance, a Dispatch Note will be automatically created for you.

As you create Purchase Orders, you will see the Quantity Required that Zedonk automatically calculates. You can auto-fill values from the Quantity Required area or overwrite the value if you must meet the minimum order quantities set by your Supplier or if your Supplier offers discounts when ordering large quantities.

#Print/Email your Purchase Orders

After you create your Purchase Orders you can email the documents to your Supplier directly from Zedonk. Ensure you have the email address for your Supplier contact entered in Zedonk and that you have email templates for Purchase Orders set up in your System Settings before you use the email feature:

1. Suppliers - Add new Supplier (Enter address/contact information)
2. General Settings - Email Templates (Materials Purchase Order)
3. Purchase Orders - Email PO to Supplier

If you prefer to download the Purchase Order document and print it out or email it using your e-mail client, you can export it in a PDF format:

• Purchase Orders - Print

#Mark your Raw Materials as 'Booked In' when you receive them

For your Raw Material inventory to update, you must inform Zedonk of what you have actually received from your Suppliers. All deliveries received must be 'Booked In', whether delivered to your Main Inventory or one of your Manufacturer's Inventories.

• Purchase Orders - Add Book In - With Inventory

If, for any reason, the balance of the Raw Materials pending on a Purchase Order will no longer be sent by your supplier, you can force-close the Purchase Order to inform Zedonk that no further deliveries will be made:

• Purchase Orders - Force Close

#(Optional) Transfer the Raw Material stock between the Manufacturer inventory and your Main inventory

You may choose to have all your raw material inventory delivered from your Supplier to your Main Inventory, and then distribute the stock to your Manufacturers. Once you 'book in' your raw materials to your Main Inventory, create Dispatch Notes to inform Zedonk of what you are transferring:

• Raw Materials Inventory - Dispatch Notes - Main to Manufacturer

You can also create Dispatch Notes to move stock between your Manufacturers or if your Manufacturers decide to return any of the leftover raw materials stock:

• Raw Materials Inventory - Dispatch Notes - Manufacturer to Manufacturer
• Raw Materials Inventory - Dispatch Notes - Manufacturer to Main

Tip: For a training video on Raw Materials Inventory in Zedonk, see:

• How to: Navigate Raw Materials Inventory