Online inventory checks seem "berry" good

Berry Farms’ controller, Steve Day, tells Net Sourcing that the food company has placed four orders online within a month’s time, spending up to $7ꯠ per order. TricorBraun’s affiliate, glass container importer Clinton Packaging, introduced Berry Farms to the online distribution site that enables its customers to reorder rigid packaging components. “It gives me a chance not only to place orders online but to look at the inventories that they have of the various items that we buy from them,” says Day. Day enters the TricorBraun “preferred customer” site with a code and password. There he has the option to place an order, review quotes, check open orders, check inventories, and review accounts payable and payment history. The inventory selection is tailored to items that Berry Farms purchases. “They supply a lot of items that I am not interested in,” says Day. “I just want to look at the items we purchase from them, and that is how it is set up.” To place an order, Day fills in information on the order screen, such as the date needed, the shipping method, the items and quantities needed, and the payment method (for Berry Farms, a P.O. is made). Quantities are ordered by the jar, which Berry Farms must convert, since they normally order by the pallet. An e-mail is sent when the order is being submitted and processed.