Congratulations on becoming a GelatoConnect customer and taking a big step towards the future. We are excited to go on this journey together with you. This guide contains detailed information to help you get started with GelatoConnect Procurement.

Before you get started

What is GelatoConnect Procurement?

GelatoConnect Procurement is a single platform for print producers to manage purchasing, inventory management, and warehousing.

What are the Benefits?

Purchasing: Manage all your suppliers and inventory from one platform. You can either add your own suppliers or use GelatoConnect's pre-integrated suppliers with preferential rates. This system replaces email/phone ordering, allowing for tracking and insights via mobile and desktop. The purchasing flow is streamlined for a seamless experience, similar to e-commerce.
Inventory Management: Prevent out-of-stock and low-stock situations with an inventory management system tailored for print operations. Replenishment is automated based on forecasts and stock levels, and the system updates inventory when orders are received or consumed in production. All of this is easily managed through a mobile app.
Warehousing: A mobile-first solution that boosts productivity by tracking inventory transfers within warehouse locations. Includes smart automation models for inventory consumption to automatically trigger replenishment and prevent stockouts.

You can activate one, two, or all three of the above. We recommend starting with one, then moving to two and three. The full value is realized when these are used together as a connected system. This setup will provide insights and recommended actions automatically, enabling data-driven decisions. If you’re adopting in 2024, you are part of a trailblazing group of early adopters of GelatoConnect and can influence its rapid development.

Getting started checklist

There are a total of 10 steps to fully activate GelatoConnect Procurement and get the full benefits. This is listed in the recommended sequence in the checklist below. In the next section, each step is explained in detail together with a video demonstration.

	Checklist	Done Y/N
1	Order from GelatoConnect suppliers
2	Add and order from your own suppliers
3	Train your team to track, followup and receive inventory orders
4	Import your inventory SKUs into the system
5	Setup the attributes and current quantity for inventory SKUs
6	Train your team to keep the system updated with all inventory changes
7	Switch to automated inventory replenishment
8	Create your warehouses and inventory locations
9	Assign locations to your inventory SKUs
10	Assign barcodes and train your team to keep the system updated with all inventory location changes

Step-by-step instructions & videos:

Purchasing

1. Order from GelatoConnect suppliers:

GelatoConnect Procurement comes with a pre-loaded catalog of suppliers offering materials at pre-negotiated rates specifically for GelatoConnect customers. Begin by reviewing the list of suppliers across various categories to identify the ones that fit your needs. Your onboarding manager can assist in making recommendations based on your region and product portfolio. Ordering is simple, like shopping on an e-commerce platform, with suppliers already integrated into the system. Depending on the supplier's setup, GelatoConnect will send orders to their preferred system (API/EDI, Supplier app, or email).

2. Add and order from your own suppliers:

Import your supplier details, the products you buy from them, and their pricing into GelatoConnect. Once set up, you can easily place orders with your suppliers through a streamlined process, trackable in both the GelatoConnect mobile app and desktop platform. Orders are sent to your suppliers via email using the contact information you’ve provided.

3. Train your team to track, followup, and receive inventory orders:

For GelatoConnect suppliers, order status updates are automated and can be easily tracked in the order history. Your team just needs to confirm when an order is received to update the inventory system with the correct products and quantities. You can also contact the supplier anytime via the "message supplier" option within the order page.
For suppliers you imported into the system, GelatoConnect uses AI to automatically update order statuses based on supplier email responses, streamlining the process as much as possible. However, you retain full control over order statuses and can change it anytime. You can also contact the supplier directly from the app using the "message supplier" option within the order page.

Inventory management

4. Import your inventory SKUs into the system:

You have the flexibility to choose which items to track in inventory. Once you've imported your suppliers and selected the GelatoConnect suppliers for purchasing, you can easily import the corresponding inventory SKUs into the system.

5. Setup the attributes and current stock quantity for inventory SKUs:

Define the min/max stock levels for each SKU based on your forecasts and desired inventory levels. Assign default supplier and set the initial stock quantity for the SKUs. With these attributes updated, the software features will kick in to drive insights and value for you.

6. Train your team to keep the system updated with all inventory changes:

Ensure your team updates the system when receiving inventory, transferring items from storage to production, and during monthly stock takes to verify quantities with physical counts.

7. Switch to automated inventory replenishment:

Once inventory SKUs, quantities, min/max stock levels, and default suppliers are set up, a banner will appear prompting you to create replenishment orders. With one click, draft orders are generated for review. You can confirm, adjust quantities, or discard the orders as needed.

Explainer: How Automated Inventory Replenishment Works

Inventory Receipt Increases Stock: When a supplier order is marked as "delivered," the inventory quantities from that order are automatically added to the system.
Inventory Consumption Reduces Stock:
- Apparel, Mugs, and Frames: When an order containing a SKU is received in GCW, the inventory is automatically reduced. If the order is cancelled or fails, the stock is returned.
- Other Categories: SKUs are initially assigned to a storage location. When items are transferred to production by your operators and marked as such in the system (indicating they are being used), they are removed from inventory and marked as "consumed."
Auto-Replenishment Prevents Stockouts and Excess Stock: When a SKU’s inventory drops below the minimum stock level, it moves to the top of the inventory list. Auto-replenishment then includes these SKUs when you create automated replenishment orders. Once you place an order for the low-stock SKU, its status changes to "ordered" to highlight existing inventory orders for that SKU.

Warehousing

8. Create your warehouses and inventory locations:

First, create a map of your storage and production locations if you don’t already have one. Assign each location as either "storage" or "production." Storage locations are for holding inventory not immediately needed, while production locations are for areas near or inside machines where inventory is moved for consumption.

9. Assign locations to your inventory SKUs:

By default, when you add a SKU, it is placed in a storage location called "unassigned." You need to transfer the inventory and assign them to the correct locations in the warehouse.

10. Assign barcodes and train your team to keep the system updated with all inventory location changes:

Ensure your team consistently updates location/quantity when receiving inventory and transferring stock between locations. This can be done easily on the mobile app.

Customer Support

If you need any support or would like to share feedback, contact us at [email protected]

What is GelatoConnect Procurement?

Getting started with GelatoConnect Procurement

Purchasing with GelatoConnect Procurement

Inventory Management with GelatoConnect Procurement

Warehousing with GelatoConnect Procurement