Introduction

In the grand opera of replenishment, suppliers are your cast of indispensable virtuosi. Helm’s Suppliers section, nested within each product’s page, lets you curate, rank, and refine vendor relationships so purchasing becomes a disciplined ballet rather than an improvisational farce

Where to Find It

Navigate to Inventory, open your product, and descend to “Suppliers”. There you behold a table of linked vendors with columns that choreograph both selection and calculation: Priority, Supplier Name, Supplier Code, Item Cost, Min Order, Order Multiple, Lead Time, and Actions

Table Columns Explained

Priority

The order in which Helm prefers suppliers when raising purchase orders. Priority 1 is your lead supplier, followed by 2, 3, and so forth. Use this to codify your pecking order: who gets first refusal when stock levels whisper for replenishment

Supplier Name

The vendor’s formal appellation (“ALPHA LIMITED”), as registered in your supplier directory. Keep names canonical to avoid clerical confusion and duplicate entries

Supplier Code

Your internal shorthand for the supplier: an alphanumeric sigil that accelerates search, reporting, and rule‑making. Consistency here turns procurement into a brisk stroll rather than a scavenger hunt

Item Cost

The unit acquisition price for this specific product from the supplier. This figure informs purchase order valuation, margin calculations, and cost of goods sold. Update promptly when price lists change, and resist the siren call of imprecision

Min Order

The minimum quantity or value required to place an order with this supplier for the item. Populate this to prevent the indignity of micro‑orders that violate vendor terms or economics

Order Multiple

The quantity increment in which the item must be ordered (packs of 6, cartons of 24). Helm will round requested quantities to the nearest compliant multiple, sparing your team the arithmetic of regret

Lead Time

The temporal gulf between order placement and arrival, often quoted in days. Set realistic figures to ensure replenishment plans align with reality rather than fantasy

Common Actions

Add Supplier

Link a new vendor to the product, specifying cost, MOQ, multiples, and lead time. Save assiduously and verify entries with recent price lists

If you supplier is not already listed you can add them by going to Purchasing > Suppliers and adding your supplier first before linking them to the stock

Edit

Amend cost or lead time when markets wobble or agreements evolve. Small edits have large consequences, double‑check before saving

Reorder Priority

Drag or adjust the Priority so Helm’s purchase orders favour the right vendor for the season, region, or pricing milieu

Remove

Unlink a supplier when relationships expire. Archive notes in Stock Logs or purchasing records for posterity and audit serenity

How Helm Uses These Settings

Purchase Order Controls

When stock nudges the replenishment threshold, Helm consults the Priority list, applies Min Order and Order Multiple, then proposes quantities that are mathematically compliant and financially sane

Planning and ETAs

Lead Time informs expected delivery dates so Operations can pre‑allocate space and avoid the melodrama of sudden arrivals

Costing and Margin

Item Cost flows into PO totals and margin reporting; accuracy here keeps accountants buoyant and sales pricing appropriately grand

Configuration Workflow

1. Link your lead supplier
   Set Priority to 1, enter Item Cost, Min Order, Order Multiple, and Lead Time. Save and exhale: this becomes your canonical source

2. Add alternates for resilience
   Create Priority 2 and 3 suppliers with verified costs and lead times. Diversification is the antidote to stock‑outs and capricious pricing

3. Validate with a test PO
   Raise a draft purchase order. Confirm Helm selects Priority 1, applies Order Multiple, and respects Min Order. If quantities misbehave, adjust the rules rather than berate the system

4. Review quarterly
   Markets undulate. Re‑sanctify Item Cost and Lead Time every quarter, or upon any rumour of change from your vendor pantheon

Best Practices

Canonical coding

Use a clean Supplier Code pattern across your catalogue: short, unique, memorable. Future you will send gratitude

Economic coherence

Set Min Order and Order Multiple to match packaging reality. Packs of 6 should not be ordered in fives unless you fancy loose units rolling about in existential despair

Seasonal sagacity

Inflate Lead Time ahead of peak seasons or known courier slowness; deflate when the winds of logistics blow favourably

Notes and provenance

Record price‑change dates and contact names in your supplier master data, so negotiations have context rather than conjecture

Interpreting “Priority 1: ALPHA LIMITED”

When your table shows “Priority 1: ALPHA LIMITED” with an Item Cost and Lead Time, Helm will prefer ALPHA for purchase orders of this product, subject to Min Order and Order Multiple

If ALPHA is unavailable or non‑compliant, Helm gracefully cascades to Priority 2, preserving continuity in your supply chain

Troubleshooting

Quantities rounded unexpectedly

Inspect Order Multiple; Helm rounds to the nearest compliant pack size with quiet mathematical dignity

Purchase orders selecting the wrong supplier

Check Priority ordering and confirm Min Order constraints aren’t disqualifying your preferred vendor

Cost looks wrong on PO

Verify Item Cost at the product‑supplier link, not merely in the supplier master; the per‑SKU link governs PO valuation

Conclusion

With suppliers linked judiciously, priorities arranged like a well‑tuned orchestra, and cost, multiples, and lead times recorded with monastic accuracy, Helm transforms purchasing from a chore into a choreography: predictable, elegant, and economically impeccable