Piscataway, NJ - QSSI, a technology leader in providing Distribution, Fulfillment, Warehousing Automation and Supply Chain Software, announced the release of a comprehensive billing module that works in concert with PowerHouse/WMS, QSSI's warehouse management software package. This module provides an enormous advantage to Third Party Logistics providers because it automatically tracks and reports all relevant warehousing transactions so that customer invoices can be prepared accurately and on a timely basis

Consistent with the rules-based, parameter-driven design of PowerHouse/WMS, the billing module allows for user-controlled definition of all billing criteria, from what types of transactions are billable at what rates, to periodic billing cycles based on warehouse usage.

There are two ways billing can occur in the system. One way is as a result of user activity events, e.g. a user picks up a pallet or receives a carton. The other way is through periodic events, such as billing for the maximum cubic space used during the previous month.

A 'Bill Code' tracks all billing events. The system comes pre-loaded with a set of pre-defined Bill Codes. Users can add their own Bill Codes for periodic events, and for user-defined activities. The Bill Code Maintenance appears as follows:

When a user inserts a row into this table, the 'User Defined' flag is checked, which indicates that the row can be changed or deleted by the user. Users cannot delete or change rows where the User Defined check-box is not checked.

The Activity Billing Event table allows the user to define activity billings, and the Periodic Billing Event table allows the user to define periodic billings. When a billing event occurs, whether it is periodic or activity-based, a single record is recorded in the billing transaction table.

When activity-related events occur in the warehouse, such as receiving a pallet, or picking a restock, the Activity Billing Event table will be checked. If a corresponding record is found (matching the activity's Bill Code), a Billing Transaction will be created.

The window for maintenance of Activity Billing Event records is shown below:

There are more fields for this window than can fit on the document at once. The following snapshot shows the remaining fields:

For each type of activity, the user can define (for a warehouse and owner) a variety of criteria that control whether or not a billing transaction record will be generated, and how much the billing amount will be. The system can analyze the product affected by the event, and bill a flat rate for the event, a rate per pallet, case, piece, or a rate that is determined by the value of the product affected. Activity events can also be limited by location type that product is moved from or to, as well as order type or receipt type for events related to picking orders or receiving product. Dates that a particular activity event definition is valid for are also user-enterable, allowing the user to control phase-outs of old billing structures, and phase-ins of new ones. The user also has the ability to define what days of the month a particular activity event are valid (e.g. bill at 50 cents per pallet move from the 1st of the month to the 15th, and 60 cents per pallet move for the 16th to the 31st).

While Activity Events are triggered by the real-time actions of workers in the warehouse, Periodic events are triggered on a timed basis: for example, once a month, once a week, every day, or on a pre-defined day. These events are triggered by a timer process, according to records defined in the Periodic Billing Event Maintenance table:

A timed process in the Calc Server analyzes records in this table. If the Calc Server determines that a Periodic Event needs to occur, it processes the event, generates a billing transaction record, and marks the event as completed for the day, resetting its 'Next Run' date.

Users can control timing of events to occur at a given day of the month, every month, a given day of the week, every week, a given day of the week every other week, or on a single-run at a specified date (e.g. Jan 15, 2001). When an event is triggered, billing charges can be calculated based on warehouse cube usage, weight usage, product valuation, or using a flat-rate charge, regardless of inventory levels.

Periodic events can also be set-up to allow pricing based on the Min, Max, or Average inventory levels in a timing period (e.g. per month). Like activity events, Dates that a periodic event is valid are also user-enterable, allowing the user to control phase-outs of old billing structures, and phase-ins of new ones.

A lookup screen is available to allow searching on billing transactions. Users can also use this screen to add/change/delete billing transaction records prior to actually billing the customer:

A screen to allow summarization of billing transaction records is also available. Billing transaction records can be too detailed and numerous to store long term. This screen allows summarization of detail billing records into daily records, broken down by warehouse, owner, bill code, and date:

A lookup screen is available to allow users to search and review summary records. These records can also be added, changed or deleted using this screen, in order to make adjustments prior to actually billing the customer.

QSSI is a well-established software development corporation specializing in the design and implementation of warehouse automation and inventory control systems. PowerHouse/WMS is QSSI's high powered, flexible, object oriented, web-centric warehouse management system that brings real-time computerized management to the warehouse floor. Quality Software Systems, Inc. is headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey. The phone number is 732-885-1919 and the fax is 732-885-1872.