First, let’s start with the main components of the system:
Catalog - This is where the finalized item information will reside. Later on in this guide, we will go through how various suppliers affect different costing scenarios and how that is shown in the Catalog
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) - This section will be set up by an Administrator for the Sales teams to communicate with Buyers within Surefront
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) - This section will also be set up by the Admin team for the Product Development teams to interact with Vendors to create products
For Product Setup:
Item # - This is the primary key to indicate the item. This ID will need to be unique and can include characters, numbers, and special characters
Tagging - A quick and simple way to group products together without having a shared value
Categorization - A way to organize the Catalog in a way that creates sub-sections based on a common value (examples could be like Menswear, Bottles, or Games)
Parent/Child item sets are indicated by utilizing Components
If an item has variations (sizes, colors, etc.), you can use components to link all the variations to the Parent Product
OR if an item is comprised of multiple different items, you can “nest” them under the Parent item, which will also impact the Price depending on the Cost of the child items
Within Surefront, there is a Price Calculator that assists in determining Product Margins. The components of the calculator include:
FOB Point (optional text field) - Records where the destination is
Freight Rate - The rate per cubic foot or cubic meter
Freight Description (optional text field) - Can be used to record any pertinent information regarding the freight
Duty Rate - Used to record the Duty and Tariff rates. If there is a Duty and a Tariff, add them together and update the Duty Rate field (for bulk updating Tariffs, please see the Bulk Product Creation section to see how to bulk update products)
Misc Cost - Any cost that is not in the Price Calculator that needs to be accounted for (i.e., Labor Costs)
Supplier - If the supplier is already known and connected in Surefront, you can select them, and the previous information regarding the Product will appear (i.e., the Supplier’s Costs)
Total Quantity - The amount for this Quote/Order
Total Unit Cost - The Cost from the Supplier based on the Quantity
Total Freight Cost - The Cost from the Freight Rate based on the Quantity
Total Duty Cost - The Cost from the Duty Rate based on the Quantity
Total Misc Cost - The Cost from the Misc Cost based on the Quantity
Landed Cost - An automatically calculated field based on the Total fields (Unit Cost + Freight Cost + Duty Cost + Misc Cost)
Margin - An automatically calculated field based on the percentage difference between the Total Unit Price and the Landed Cost
Unit Price (PLM) - The price to purchase the product from the Supplier
List Price - The price to sell the product set internally