Suppliers

Managing supplier relationships in Tether

Suppliers

Suppliers are the vendors who provide your products and materials. Tether helps you manage supplier information, capabilities, and costs for effective supply planning.

What is a Supplier?

A supplier is any external party that provides goods to your business:

• Product manufacturers
• Raw material vendors
• Packaging suppliers
• Component providers
• Distributors

The Suppliers Dashboard

Navigate to Inventory → Suppliers (or through the sidebar).

Dashboard Features

Feature	Description
Supplier List	All suppliers with key information
Search	Find suppliers by name
Status Filter	Active, inactive, or all
Create Button	Add new suppliers

Supplier Information

Each supplier shows:

Column	Description
Name	Supplier company name
Code	Short identifier
Contact	Primary contact person
Status	Active or Inactive
SKU Count	Products they supply

Creating a Supplier

1. Navigate to Suppliers

   Go to Inventory → Suppliers

2. Click Create Supplier

   Click the Create Supplier button

3. Enter Basic Information

   Field	Required	Description
   Name	Yes	Company name
   Code	Yes	Short identifier
   Contact Name	No	Primary contact
   Email	No	Contact email
   Phone	No	Contact phone

4. Add Address (Optional)

   Enter supplier location for reference

5. Save

   Click Save to create the supplier

Supplier Detail View

Click on a supplier to see full details:

Overview Section

Basic supplier information:

• Name and code
• Contact details
• Address
• Status
• Notes

Capabilities Section

What products this supplier provides and their terms. This is the critical section for supply planning.

Supplier Capabilities

Capabilities define what a supplier can provide and the terms.

Configuring Capabilities

1. Open Supplier Detail

   Click on a supplier to open their page

2. Go to Capabilities

   Navigate to the capabilities section

3. Add SKU

   Click Add SKU to add a product this supplier provides

4. Configure Terms

   For each SKU, set:

   • Lead time
   • Cost
   • Minimum order quantity
   • Supplier SKU code
5. Save

   Save the capability configuration

Capability Fields

Field	Description
SKU	The product this supplier provides
Supplier SKU Code	Their internal code for this product
Lead Time	Days from order to delivery
Cost per Unit	Purchase price
Minimum Quantity	Minimum order size
Lot Size	Order must be in multiples of this
Priority	Preference ranking among suppliers

Example Capability

SKU: Blue T-Shirt (Medium)
Supplier SKU: BTS-M-BL
Lead Time: 14 days
Cost: $8.50 per unit
Minimum Quantity: 100 units
Lot Size: 50 units
Priority: 1 (Primary supplier)

Lead Times

Lead times are critical for supply planning.

Components of Lead Time

Component	Description
Order Processing	Time for supplier to process order
Manufacturing	Time to produce (if made-to-order)
Shipping	Transit time to your warehouse
Customs	International shipping delays
Receiving	Time to receive and stock

Setting Lead Times

Enter the total lead time that covers all components.

Use realistic lead times. Overly optimistic times lead to stockouts. Add buffer for reliability.

Different Lead Times

Consider variations:

Situation	Adjustment
Standard order	Base lead time
Rush order	Shorter (if supplier offers)
Peak season	Add buffer for delays
New relationship	Add buffer until proven

Cost Configuration

Track costs for purchasing decisions and margin analysis.

Cost Fields

Field	Description
Base Cost	Standard unit price
Currency	Cost currency
Volume Discounts	Price breaks at quantities
Effective Date	When pricing is valid

Volume Pricing

Configure price breaks:

Quantity	Cost per Unit
1-99	$10.00
100-499	$9.00
500-999	$8.50
1000+	$8.00

Multiple Suppliers

Many SKUs have multiple potential suppliers.

Why Multiple Suppliers

• Backup - Alternative if primary can’t deliver
• Capacity - Primary can’t meet full demand
• Geographic - Different suppliers for different regions
• Cost - Price competition

Supplier Priority

Set priority to indicate preference:

Priority	Meaning
1	Primary supplier (first choice)
2	Secondary supplier
3+	Backup suppliers

How Tether Uses Priority

1. Recommendations use highest priority supplier
2. If capacity exceeded, moves to next priority
3. Can manually override for specific orders

Supplier Status

Suppliers can be Active or Inactive:

Status	Behavior
Active	Available for orders and recommendations
Inactive	Not used in planning, data preserved

When to Deactivate

• Relationship ended
• Quality issues
• Temporary suspension

Deactivating doesn’t delete history. Past transactions and costs remain for reporting.

Best Practices

Complete All Capabilities

For supply planning to work well:

• Add all SKUs each supplier provides
• Set accurate lead times
• Include cost information
• Define minimum quantities

Maintain Multiple Suppliers

Reduce risk with backup suppliers:

• Have at least 2 suppliers for critical SKUs
• Verify backup can actually deliver
• Keep relationships active

Regular Updates

Keep information current:

• Review lead times quarterly
• Update costs when pricing changes
• Verify contact information

Document Terms

Use notes to record:

• Payment terms
• Special agreements
• Contact preferences
• Historical issues

Suppliers in Supply Planning

Supplier data powers the supply plan:

Order Recommendations

Tether recommends orders based on:

1. Demand forecast
2. Current inventory
3. Supplier lead times
4. Minimum order quantities

Order Timing

Stockout projected: Day 30
Lead time: 14 days
Order must be placed by: Day 16

Supplier Selection

Recommendations use:

1. Primary supplier (Priority 1)
2. Unless capacity issue → Secondary
3. Unless specified → Manual override

Troubleshooting

Supplier Not Appearing in Recommendations

Possible causes:

• No capabilities configured
• Supplier is inactive
• Priority is lower than alternatives

Solutions:

1. Add capabilities for relevant SKUs
2. Verify supplier is active
3. Check priority settings

Wrong Supplier Recommended

Possible causes:

• Priority misconfigured
• Cost or lead time favors other supplier
• Capacity constraints

Solutions:

1. Review and adjust priorities
2. Manually select preferred supplier when ordering
3. Check capacity settings

Next Steps

Supply Plan

See supplier recommendations in action

Transactions

Create purchase orders

Lead Times

Configure transfer times

Inventory Settings

Configure replenishment rules