Software Goals
Our mission: reliable and immediate profitability.
Fresh Produce demands very accurate control of the inventory as small mistakes are amplified massively by the very high volumes.
Key components to achieving deep implementations.
The software is highly configurable, capable of integration with supply chain systems, and can be used on any device – for desktop, mobile and web.
Inventory centric, activity based costings, consignment accounting.
Prophet keeps incredibly detailed records and a live stock system, detailing all expected and actual financial values down to the most granular level.
Key Features
A traceability backbone to all activity
This offers a full record of what was used to make what through many iterative change of identity processes whether receiving, quality assessing, manufacturing or picking and despatch – and without hindering the need to mix traceability references when working.
Powerful rules generator
A powerful rules generator engine automates the application of data by rules – from the generation of activity based expected costs (for daily accurate profitability analysis based on what actually happened) to setting product characteristics for usage rules – all designed to minimise the need for operators to enter data and control user behaviour and of any automated data update services.
Activity based costings
Fresh Produce needs immediate profitability information – to spot and stop where losses are happening. This means as any activity happens, the software has to be able to work out and attach (and sometimes be told) how much that activity has added to the costs. The Prophet rules engine delivers this – activity based costing – as opposed to a standard costing – and it is vital.
The sophistication of Fresh Produce deal types
Prophet has evolved to provide a designed solution for paying suppliers / growers based on the actual commercial contracts – which includes acting as a consignment agent, agreeing the price once its graded, processed or sold, including the deduction of any costs incurred handling a suppliers product, agreeing minimum price guarantees, agreeing profit shares or providing accurate PO / Lot based account of sales and costs for service provision (open book even) trading models. Often Prophet user companies have to account to customers or growers showing accurate traceabilty – and accurate accountability of sales values and costs. Prophet can do this without hindering the need to operate a unified supply chain operation.
Interact with Supply Chain Partners
Manage supply chain interaction using EDI data exchange for Orders, confirmation of shipments (ASN’s), transportation instructions and confirmations, final invoicing. Offer supply chain partners access through web page applications to see and interact with live data.
Multi user and Tightly Integrated File Structure
The pace of fresh produce demands a great many users and data activities can all act on the database together at the same time – without locking and waiting. In order for Prophet to deliver the tight control it can operate all application features for large multi user enterprises over one integrated multi user database – where even a multi legal entity enterprise really acts as one unified operation.
Purchase order line item profitability
Including all direct costs and including all manufacturing processes and their labour and packaging use.
Sales order line item profitability
Including the attribution of the costs to that sale (transportation for example) so that true delivered sales order profitability is achieved.
Software Applications
Contract Price Management
Manage customer and vendor contracts to provide prices to all orders for goods and services – with rules based matching for date ranges, any database keys including product customer and vendor characteristics.
Procurement (inc. Grower Settlement)
Manage all aspects of purchase orders for goods and services from offer to final settlement - including the production of Account of Sales or self-billing invoices.
Integrated Warehouse Management
Prophet delivers fully featured pallet tracking with location based multi warehouse real time pallet tracking for receiving, movements, picking and despatch and task driven workflows – integrated to bar code, Voice, Rfid and robotic technologies.
Claims Management
Manage customer and vendor claims for all aspects of goods return, supporting documentation and accounting including self-configurable data collection, applying claims policies and claims auditing step by step guides to approval and update to accounting.
Forecasting
Build any level and period of demand or supply forecast with review and revision management and publication to planning.
Integrated Planning and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) Engine
Prophet has evolved a tightly integrated materials requirements and production planning system that has been deployed in Fresh Produce companies and deals with the urgency and rapid re-assessments (a minute or two rather than hours) of the changing circumstances faced by such companies – with full modelling of live and forward period planned activity for sales, purchases and manufacturing to determine availability of inventory and capacity to drive procurement and production/logistics scheduling. This engine allows for the same complex allocation rules for use of product (quality assessment, supplier due diligence qualifications, shelf life assessment etc.) - works from the live data seamless blended with the planned data - and avoids the clumsiness of a rolling stock approach. This drives assisted as well as automated placing of purchase orders where appropriate based on vendor specific rules.
Sales
Manage all aspects of customer offers and sales orders, availability of inventory and route to mark instructions from offer to fulfilment.
Integrated Production Control System
Production Control systems that operate as a seamless system – and in real time – with product used from the WMS as it is consumed (including packaging and ancillaries) – and available as it is produced by pallet – integrated as part of the lot based traceability. Production control includes short interval productivity and efficiency measurement for on production line feedback and planned to actual reporting for resource usage including labour.
Integrated Logistics Management
Manage all aspects of transportation/logistics orders for the movement of goods for loads of all kinds (Truck, Plane, Train, Ship etc).
Technical / Due Diligence Auditing – Quality Management System
Managing technical data and quality in Prophet allows the QC applications to be interacting with the stock management system in real time and the data from that QC system to be used directly by the rest of the Prophet system - which brings the decision making and data form the technical tram into every action by the rest of the company without delay or limitations – an essential characteristic given the volatile nature of the products handled and the extreme demands of the retail customers.
Advanced Production Scheduling
Works order scheduling and production control to pallet level including labour, machinery, short interval productivity / efficiency and packaging management.
Financial and Asset Ledgers and Budgeting
Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Asset Ledger and Budgeting – with multi company, multi division and multi-currency management.
Data Exchange Engine
Extensible electronic data message engine with comprehensive library of messages for all supply chain transactions designed to meet international standards (Edifact, X12 etc) and API’s for integration with equipment of all kinds (sensors, scales, packing machinery, robotics) and OEE software.
Technology
Self-configurable Workspace applications and Workflow development toolkit
Cloud enabled for solution hosting
Automation enabled
Web enabled for use through web browsers
Mobile devices enabled
Integrated Report Writing and Business Intelligence
EDI message enabled
Microsoft Windows Server and SQL Server
Bar code scanning, Voice and Radio Data Terminal enabled
Software Foundations
Real time multi user integrated applications on one coordinated database
Complete configurability of user experience and workflow and its rules
Inventory Centric – all activities built around tight inventory control
Pallet consignment sensitive, live-stock driven materials and requirements planning
Integrated pallet stock level warehouse management and packhouse management
Precise traceability of consignments through handling, packing and processing
Consignment accounting foundation with Grower Returns / Liquidations / Pooling
Able to deliver accurate rapid customer sales profitability reporting
Fully Featured Accounting
Push button period end management and financial accounting
Inventory Centric Accounting
Sales Order Profitability
MAKING TAX DIGITAL
Prophet is ready for Making Tax Digital (UK)
Prophet is recognised by HMRC for submission of digital VAT returns
What is Making Tax Digital?
Making Tax Digital for business (MTDfb) begins for VAT accounting periods that start on or after 1 April 2019. From that date, VAT-registered businesses above the threshold of £85k will have to keep digital records and submit VAT returns using compatible software.
Please see the following link for details
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-and-support-for-making-tax-digital
For more detailed information on implementing MTD for your Prophet based business please login to your customer support page.