• MARS-IW is available as the client version where the primary data is downloaded from the host system onto the Microsoft Access 8 database.
• MARSSQL is a multi user MARS-IW with concurrent record locking.  It has been qualified for Microsoft SQL version 7.0 and Oracle version 8.

MARS Sales History Timeframes

MARS is available to accept either weekly or monthly timeframes of demand history.

WHY DO I NEED A MARS-IW INVENTORY MANAGEMENT WORKSTATION?

If you are a distributor, you already have an inventory system that provides data such as on-hand balances and sales history. It may even provide some reordering information. But you're still missing the critical information you need to survive in a competitive environment. You're missing the information you need to keep inventory down, yet maintain high fill rates.

That's where MARS-IW Inventory Management workstation comes in. MARS-IW is a stand-alone workstation that runs on an Intel compatible PC and "bolts on" to your existing system.

It is a powerful tool that helps you purchase smarter and manage your inventory better. It analyzes existing inventory data ported from your host computer, then identifies which SKU's (stock keeping units) to buy and how much to order. The net result--you achieve better fill rates while carrying less inventory.

WHAT CAN THE MARS-IW WORKSTATION DO FOR MY BUSINESS?

The bottom line results can be striking! Inventory shrinks as you move out slow stock and tailor future purchases to expected needs. Fill rates go up as the computer identifies products to order in more heavily. And you spend far less time determining what to order, since most of the detailed work is automated.

HOW DOES THE MARS-IW SYSTEM WORK?

Building Purchase Orders
The MARS-IW system builds an optimum purchase order quickly and intelligently. It distills large quantities of inventory, sales and vendor data into informed purchasing recommendations--something a product manager simply doesn't have the time for on a day-to-day basis.

MARS-IW starts by forecasting future demand based on sales history. Using a simple yet proven statistical technique, MARS-IW accounts for both seasonality and overall trends (rising or falling demand). It also filters non-representative months out of the forecast.

MARS-IW then merges this sales forecast with vendor lead time, order frequency, and inventory information to generate recommended order quantities. The recommendations are presented in an interactive, easy-to-use screen. Exception concepts are used extensively in both screens and reports. They direct you to areas needing human interaction and away from items where the system needs, and wants, no intervention.

Vendor Level Purchasing
MARS-IW analyzes purchasing decisions at the vendor or product group level. So you can keep inventories down, yet take full advantage of all vendor incentives and price breaks.

For instance, if a truckload is needed, MARS-IW calculates the total size of the order based on units, weight, volume, $ or any other pertinent criteria. Then it recommends how to fill out the load--even adding products that weren't in the original order!

If you must deal in cartons, so will MARS-IW. If lot sizes are desirable, but not mandatory, the system can round to full lots where economically appropriate.

Management Action Reporting
MARS-IW also provides powerful management action reports which identify problems and track progress in solving them. For instance, one exception report warns of potential stockouts for products that lack a minimum number of days supply. Another highlights slow moving stock having too many months supply on hand.

The innovative Inventory Profile Report tracks inventory distribution as a whole. It graphs the "profile" of the inventory showing how much product is tied up in slow moving stock, how many SKU's are stocked out and how much inventory is at an appropriate level. And when special situations arise, you can use MARS-IW to perform "what if" analyses. In minutes, you can answer questions such as:

"How should we order from XKE Company to protect against a possible strike?"

 "Should we buy an extra truckload from ABC Company to take advantage of their 4% off special?"

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MARS-IW SYSTEM, YOU CAN ORDER:

 1)  A professionally produced Videotape that visually describes the features of the system and shows you how the system operates in building an actual replenishment order.  Price: $20.00 (includes shipping and handling)

2)  A "Demo CD" that will take you through the system, show you how a replenishment order is actually built, and lets you "experiment" with the program.  Documentation and tutorial are embedded in the program. Price: $20.00 (includes shipping and handling).  To download this file at no charge, please email thomasp@nbds.com for password authorization.

3)  Charlie Bodenstab's book, "A New Era In Inventory Management", covers the concepts and techniques of the system along with general discussion of non-technical aspects on Inventory Management that you can implement immediately.  The hard cover book has been well received, is endorsed by APICS, and as one reviewer stated, "...is not only technically significant, but a joy to read." Price: $40.00 (includes shipping and handling)