Add a Supplier
Suppliers are businesses that provide Raw Materials, Ingredients, Packaging, or other essential goods and services necessary for food production and distribution. These Suppliers can include farms, ingredient manufacturers, packaging companies, and logistics providers.
The following modules of the system include the Suppliers as part of Master Data:
- Master Data: Documents, Materials, Services, Customers
- Risk: Food Safety Plan
- Management: Complaints, Corrective Actions, Auditing, Management Review, Nonconformance, Recall/Withdrawal, Quality Management Records
- PRP Control: Calibration, Cleaning, Maintenance, Code of Practice, Contamination Control, Microbiological Control, Glass and Plastic Control, Pest Control, Medical Screening Programme, Traceability, Training
- Supplier Management: Supplier/Material Full Assessment Programme/Record, Supplier Audit
- Monitoring: Monitoring, Receiving, Batching, Receiving and Inspection* (if applicable to your Site)
- Utilities: Alerts, Reports, Discussion
- Settings: Users
What are Suppliers used for?
Creating a Supplier in the system will allow you to:
1. Associate any relevant Records, e.g. Complaints, with a Supplier entity
2. Use the Supply Chain Management module to send Assessments, e.g. Full Assessments, to a Supplier entity. Having Suppliers added to your Master Data is a prerequisite for setting up the Supply Chain Management module.
Below are the steps that must be carried out in order to add a Supplier. Expand each step below for further explanation.
To add a Supplier in Safefood 360°, navigate to Contacts in Master Data using the 'Master Data>Contacts' buttons and click the 'Add Contact>Supplier' button to open a blank Supplier page.
Image: Navigating to Contacts via 'Master Data>Contacts', Clicking 'Add Contact>Supplier' Button
Image: Blank Supplier Page
After opening the Supplier page, there are many different sections to complete. Some sections are mandatory and others are not.
See below the details on the Supplier page sections:
Image: Blank Supplier Details
1. Name: Using the open text field, enter the name of the Supplier. This name will appear throughout the system where this Supplier is selected, e.g. Records, Assessment Programmes, etc. [Mandatory Field]
Note: The Supplier 'Name' field has a maximum character limit of 255. The system will not highlight this limit. If you are above 255 characters you will be unable to save the Supplier. Once you have amended the character limit you will be able to to save the Supplier.
2. Identifier: Using the open text field, enter the internal ID or code for this Supplier. If you do not have an ID or code for your Suppliers, this field can be left blank and the system will automatically assign a number to the Supplier, starting from 1 and moving up depending on the number of Suppliers previously added to your site.
Tip: The Identifier will not be visible or searchable in the Supplier-associated Records. If you would like to view/search for the Identifier, simply add the Identifier to the Supplier name, e.g. ‘S01 :: Smith Bakery’.
3. Folder: Select a folder for your Supplier. It is recommended to maintain a tidy and organised structure within the system for improved efficiency when using the software, e.g. organising folders by Supplier Category, Ingredient, Packaging, etc. If you require to create a new folder, click on the main ‘Suppliers’ folder, and click the 'New Folder' button at the bottom left side of the folder window. You will be prompted to name your new folder by simply typing into the open text field. To save the new folder, click away from the folder.
4. Reference: If the Supplier you are adding has an additional code or reference number, it can be added using the open text field.
5. Phone: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier's phone number.
6. Fax: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier's fax number.
7. Direct Dial: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier's direct dial number.
8. Website: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier's website.
9. Postal Address: The Supplier's Postal Address details can be detailed using the open text fields (Street Address, Town/City, State/Region and Post Code) and dropdown field (Country).
10. Physical Address: If the Supplier's Physical Address details are the same as the Postal Address, simply click ‘Same as Postal Address’ to copy over the details. If the Physical Address is different, you can enter the Physical Address details using the open text fields (Street Address, Town/City, State/Region and Post Code) and dropdown field (Country).
Note: The Supplier's Physical Address drives Google Maps. The Supplier's location will automatically update in Google Maps after you click 'Save' on the Supplier page.
11. Salutation: Using the dropdown, select the Supplier Contact Salutation, Mr, Mrs, Ms, Prof, Dr.
12. First Name: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier Contact First Name.
13. Last Name: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier Contact Last Name.
Note: If adding a Supplier Contact, the First and Last Name are mandatory. If you are not adding a Supplier Contact, it is not mandatory to fill out these fields.
14. Position: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier Contact Position.
15. Email Address: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier Contact Email Address using the correct email format '[email protected]'. You will be provided an error red box if you attempt to enter an email address with the incorrect format.
16. 24 Hour Contact: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier Contact 24 Hour Contact using the international code, starting with a ‘+’ (not ‘00’), followed by the country code. This format is important if you are planning to use the SMS Alert option for your Suppliers.
Note: If an Email Address or 24 Hour Contact have been added to a Supplier Contact and Alerts have been built within your site to include the option of email or SMS, the system will automatically pull the contact details from here, meaning that your Supplier will receive an Alert if an Email Address or 24 Hour Contact are present.
If you do not wish for a Supplier to receive Alerts, ensure to move the Email Address and 24 Hour Contact details into the 'Notes' open text field within the Supplier page. This allows you to keep the details without having the Alerts sent to your Supplier. You may have chosen to complete Assessments on behalf of your Supplier, and not use the Supplier Portal, therefore it is important to set up the Supplier Contacts correctly, to prevent confusing your Suppliers with Alerts they won't understand.
Note: The Primary Contact for the Supplier, responsible for completing Assessments in the Supplier Portal should be located at the top of the contact list, in the first row. The Secondary Contact, if applicable, should be entered in the second row.
Image: Example of Primary and Secondary Contact Details of a Supplier
Note: The Primary Contact for the Supplier, located on the first row, automatically be set as Responsible for Documents collated in Assessment Doclists (regardless of who uploads them).
17. X: Click the 'X' button to remove Contacts.
Note: If a Supplier Contact is a contact associated with a User, you will receive an error message to inform you that the contact cannot be removed as it is linked to a User.
18. Add Line: Additional Contacts can be added by clicking the 'Add Line' button.
Note: In Pre-Assessment and Full Assessment Record workflows, the Supplier can complete the ‘Supplier Details’ stage, where they can add or update the following fields:
- Phone
- Fax
- Direct Dial
- Website
- Contacts (Salutation, First Name, Last Name, Position, Email Address)
- Postal Address (Street Address, Town/City, State/Region, Post Code, Country)
- Physical Address (Street Address, Town/City, State/Region, Post Code, Country)
Any updates made by the Supplier in the ‘Supplier Details’ stage, will automatically be reflected in Master Data, on the Supplier page.
Image: Completed Supplier Details
Image: Blank Supplier Categories
1. Supplier Category: Using the dropdown from Master Data, select a Supplier Category, e.g. Raw Materials, Finished Products, Packaging, etc. See here to access the article on the Supplier Category.
2. Supplier Type: Using the dropdown from Master Data, select a Supplier Type, e.g. Broker, Agent, Manufacturer, etc. See here to access the article on Supplier Type.
3. Other Categories: As only one Category can be selected in the ‘Supplier Category’ field, you can associate additional Categories with the Supplier here.
4. X: Click the 'X' button to remove Categories.
5. Add Line: Additional Categories can be added from Master Data by clicking the 'Add Line' button.
6. Establishment Number: Using the open text field, enter the Supplier Establishment Number(s).
Note: The Establishment Number is only used in the Receiving and Inspection module.
7. X: Click the 'X' button to remove Establishment Numbers.
8. Add Line: Additional Establishment Numbers can be added by clicking the 'Add Line' button.
9. Notes: Using the open field, any notes or comments on the Supplier can be detailed.
Note: As noted in the Supplier Details, you may wish to keep the Supplier Contact Email Address and 24 Hour Contact details within the Notes field, to ensure Alerts are not sent to the Supplier Contact.
Image: Completed Supplier Categories
Image: Blank Supplier Document Settings
1. Folder: The folder in which the Supplier's Documents will be uploaded is noted here. When adding a new Supplier, there will be no folder linked by default. This folder can be selected/changed by navigating through the folders.
Note: You do not need to create a folder for the Supplier manually if Assessments with Doclists will be completed for this Supplier. The system will automatically create a folder for the Supplier, under the 'Supplier Files' folder, when Documents are attached and submitted via the Doclist in the Assessments. The folder name will match the Supplier Name in Master Data.
Image: Automatically created Supplier Folder once Doclists added to Assessment
Note: If creating a folder manually, remember to create the folder under the 'Supplier Files' folder. Select the 'Supplier Files' folder and when highlighted in grey, click the 'New Folder' button. You will be prompted to name your new folder by simply typing into the open text field. To save the new folder, click away from the folder.
Image: Adding a Supplier Folder under the Supplies Files Folder using the 'New Folder' Button
Note: The notification of ‘Warning. Selected folder name does not match the name of the above supplier on this record. Are you sure you want to give access to this folder and all its contents to the above supplier?’ may appear to indicate the Supplier’s Name doesn't match the Document Folder Name.
In relation to this warning, you can:
1. Update the Folder Name: Click ‘Rename’ while the folder is highlighted in grey, you will be prompted to rename your new folder by simply typing into the open text field. To save the new folder, click away from the folder.
2. Proceed with Warning: You can proceed to save the Supplier page despite the system warning, as it will not impact the workflow. However, the system has this confirmation step in place to avoid sharing the Documents with the wrong Supplier.
Image: Example of System Notification when Supplier Name does not match Supplier Folder Name
Approval Workflow: Just like the Documents module, you can assign Users to approve/review Documents when they are uploaded or changed for a Supplier. If you select multiple Users to review/approve the Documents, all of the Users will need to complete the task, not either or one of them.
2. User: Using the Users dropdown, select the User you would like to include in the Supplier Document Approval Workflow.
Image: User Dropdown
3. Review: Click the 'Review' box if you want the User to review each Document added for this Supplier. The Reviewers will have an action to 'Accept' or 'Reject' each Document.
4. Approve: Click the 'Approve' box if you want the User to approve each Document added for this Supplier. The Approvers will have an action to 'Approve' or 'Disapprove' each Document.
5. Notify of Change: Click the 'Notify of Change' box if you want the User to be notified by email each time a Document is uploaded and fully approved.
Remember: Within the Approval Workflow, the Reviewers will be notified first. Once all Reviewers have 'Accepted' the Document, the Approvers will be notified. Once all the Approvers have 'Approved' the Document, the Notify of Change will be notified of the Document Approval. See here to access the article on Document Approval.
6. X: Click the 'X' button to remove Users.
7. Add Line: Additional Users can be added by clicking the 'Add Line' button.
Image: Completed Supplier Document Settings
Image: Blank Relationships
In the Supplier Relationships, you can associate and define any relationships your Supplier has with other Suppliers in your Master Data.
For example:
- The Supplier you are adding manufactures the Materials, but the Materials are supplied to you by another Supplier (Agent or Broker).
- The Supplier you are adding is a Broker of the Material, and you want to define all the Manufacturers associated with the Broker and Material.
- The Supplier you are adding is a Corporate Site, and you want to define all the Locations associated with the Corporate Site.
Tip: Typically:
- An Agent or Broker is considered a 'Parent' while the Manufacturers under them are known as a 'Child'.
- A Corporate Site is considered a 'Parent' while the Locations under it are known as a 'Child'.
1. No.: The Suppliers Identifier from their Master Data Supplier page, will appear here automatically after the Supplier is selected in the ‘Supplier Name’ column. The Identifier is not an editable field within this section. You must access the original Supplier's Master Data page to edit this Identifier.
2. Supplier Name: Using the Master Data dropdown, select the Supplier you wish to define a relationship with.
3. Relationship to the supplier stated above: Define the relationship between the Supplier you have just selected and the one you are adding to the Master Data by choosing ‘Parent’ or ‘Child’ from the default drop-down list.
4. Supplier Category: If the Supplier you have selected has been associated with a particular Supplier Category on their Master Data Supplier page, e.g. Ingredient or Packaging, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Supplier Category’ field will appear blank if there has been no Supplier Category selected for this Supplier.
5. Supplier Type: If the Supplier you have selected has been associated with a particular Supplier Type on their Master Data Supplier page, e.g. Agent or Manufacturer, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Supplier Type’ field will appear blank if there has been no Supplier Type selected for this Supplier.
6. Risk: If the Supplier you have selected has a Supplier Full Assessment Record completed for them with the Risk Assessment workflow stage enabled, the relevant Risk will automatically appear here. The ‘Risk’ field will appear blank if there has been no Risk Assessment conducted for this Supplier.
Note: If the ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’ workflow stage was enabled and completed in the Supplier Full Assessment Record, the Supplier Risk will be pulled from there. If the ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’ is not enabled, but the ‘Risk Assessment - Absence of Control’ is enabled and completed, the Supplier Risk will be pulled from the ‘Risk Assessment - Absence of Control’ workflow stage of that Supplier Full Assessment Record. If both Risk Assessment workflow stages are enabled and completed, the Risk will be pulled from ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’.
7. Status: If the Supplier you have selected has a Supplier Full Assessment Record or Supplier Audit Record completed for them, the Approval Status from that Record will automatically appear here. If no Supplier Full Assessment Record or Supplier Audit Record has been completed this will appear blank.
8. Archived: If relationships were previously defined here and later a Supplier is archived in Master Data, the 'Archived' box will be ticked to indicate the Supplier’s archived status while maintaining a record of the past relationship. If you wish to remove this data from the Supplier page, you can click 'X' to remove the row. However, the archived Supplier will still be searchable in the 'Supplier' tab of the Contacts page.
9. View: You can quickly access the selected Supplier page by clicking the 'View' link. This will open the Suppliers page in Master Data in a separate tab.
10. Add Line: Add as many Supplier relationships as required by clicking 'Add Line'.
11. X: To remove a Supplier relationship, click the ‘X’ button.
When adding a Supplier to Master Data, you can define the Material Relationships by associating the Materials they provide. This association will reflect in both directions and the system will automatically update the corresponding Material page to show the relationship. If the Materials are not uploaded yet in Master Data, you can associate the Supplier to the Material when you are manually adding the Material to Master Data. This will update the association on the Supplier page.
12. No.: The Material's Identifier from their Master Data Material page, will appear here automatically after the Material is selected in the ‘Material Name’ column. The Identifier is not an editable field within this section. You must access the original Material's Master Data page to edit this Identifier.
13. Material Name: Using the Master Data dropdown, select the Material you wish to define a relationship with.
Image: Material Dropdown
14. Supplier Material Code: Using the open text field, you can detail the code or identifier the Supplier uses to identify the Material. When you associate a Material to the Supplier on the Supplier Master Data page and save the changes, the Supplier Relationship section on the Material Master Data page will automatically update.
15. Our Material Code: This is the code or identifier assigned to the Material on the Material's page in Master Data under the field 'Our Material Code'. It will appear here automatically.
16. Relationship to the supplier stated above: Define the relationship between the Material you have just selected and the Supplier you are adding to the Master Data by choosing ‘Manufacturer’ or ‘Supplied By’ from the default drop-down list. Note that an agent or broker can only supply Materials, and their relationship must always be set as ‘Supplied By’.
17. Material Category: If the Material you have selected has been associated with a particular Material Category on their Master Data Material page, e.g. Raw Meat or Primary Packaging, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Material Category’ field will appear blank if there has been no Material Category selected for this Material.
18. Risk: If the Material you have selected has a Material Full Assessment Record completed for this Supplier with the Risk Assessment workflow stage enabled, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Risk’ field will appear blank if there has been no Risk Assessment conducted for this Material.
Note: If the ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’ workflow stage was enabled and completed in the Material Full Assessment Record for this Supplier, the Material Risk will be pulled from there. If the ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’ is not enabled, but the ‘Risk Assessment - Absence of Control’ is enabled and completed, the Material Risk will be pulled from the ‘Risk Assessment - Absence of Control’ workflow stage of that Material Full Assessment Record. If both Risk Assessment workflow stages are enabled and completed, the Risk will be pulled from ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’.
19. Status: If the Material you have selected has a Material Full Assessment Record completed for this Supplier, the Approval Status from that Record will automatically appear here. If no Material Full Assessment Record has been completed for this Supplier, this will appear blank.
20. Archive: If relationships were previously defined here and later a Material is archived in Master Data, the 'Archived' box will be ticked to indicate the Material’s archived status while maintaining a record of the past relationship. If you wish to remove this data from the Supplier's page, you can click 'X' to remove the row. However, the archived Material will still be searchable in the ‘Material’ tab of the Contacts module.
21. View: You can quickly access the selected Material page by clicking the 'View' link. This will open the Material page in Master Data in a separate tab.
22. Add Line: Add as many Material relationships as required by clicking 'Add Line'.
23. X: To remove a Material relationship, click the ‘X’ button.
If you have Customers for who the Supplier you are adding is approved, i.e. approved to supply Materials that will go into making final products for the Customer, you can add them here.
24. No.: The Customer's Identifier from their Master Data Customer page, will appear here automatically after the Customer is selected in the ‘Customer Name’ column. The Identifier is not an editable field within this section. You must access the original Customer's Master Data page to edit this Identifier.
25. Customer Name: Using the Master Data dropdown, select the Customer you wish to add to the 'Customers (Approved For)' list.
Image: Customer Dropdown
26. Customer Category: If the Customer you have selected has been associated with a particular Customer Category on their Master Data Customer page, e.g. Retail, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Customer Category’ field will appear blank if there has been no Customer Category selected for this Customer.
27. Archive: If relationships were previously defined here and later a Customer is archived in Master Data, the 'Archived' box will be ticked to indicate the Customer's archived status while maintaining a record of the past relationship. If you wish to remove this data from the Supplier's page, you can click 'X' to remove the row. However, the archived Customer will still be searchable in the ‘Customer’ tab of the Contacts module.
28. View: You can quickly access the selected Customer page by clicking the 'View' link. This will open the Customer page in Master Data in a separate tab.
29. Add Line: Add as many Customers as required by clicking 'Add Line'.
30. X: To remove a Customer relationship, click the ‘X’ button.
Image: Completed Relationships
Note: When defining Relationships on the Supplier page, once the Supplier page is saved, the system will automatically update the associated Supplier, Material and Customer pages in Master Data to reflect the new Relationships.
For example:
The Supplier ‘SS01 :: Small Town Meats’ from the screenshot above, is now associated with the Supplier ‘SS08 :: Green Hills Farm’.
‘SS08 :: Green Hills Farm’ is its 'Child'.
‘SS08 :: Green Hills Farm’ Relationships details on their Supplier page will then automatically update to show that ‘SS01 :: Small Town Meats’ is a 'Parent' to ‘SS08 :: Green Hills Farm’.
Image: 'Save' Button
1. Save: Click the ‘Save’ button to save the Supplier to your site.
2: Cancel: Click the ‘Cancel’ button to discard the Supplier and return to the main Contacts page.
Note: It's very important to click the 'Save' button, otherwise the Supplier will not be added to your site.
Image: Saved New Supplier
