The Blytheco Sage MAS 500 eNews for March 2008

Winter is coming to an end, and so are the Blytheco Winter Promotions!

MAS 500 customers can take advantage of the following discounts through March 31.

Save $3,000 off SLP when you buy the Warehouse Automation Bundle. Plus, get an additional $1,000 off when you add five more Handheld user licenses to your order.
Save 20% when you purchase three or more Sage MAS 500 PSG Product Extensions for Accounting, Distribution, or Manufacturing.

Give Blytheco a call today for a price quote or more details about the Winter Promotions!

Server CPU Recommendations for Sage MAS 500

Do you know how to choose the most appropriate hardware platform when sizing your Sage MAS 500 server?

Although Sage MAS 500 operates in 32-bit today, it is important to prepare for 64-bit support in the future by selecting 64-bit CPU's for new hardware purchases. Of the three types of CPU technologies (x32, x64, and i64) that support Microsoft Windows Server and Microsoft SQL Server today, Sage recommends the following:

x64 CPU's (e.g., Intel "Xeon" 64-bit, AMD "Opteron") are recommended as the best option to prepare for future 64-bit support.
i64 CPU's (e.g., Intel "Itanium") are not recommended since i64 technology is dramatically different than x64, and Sage has no current plans to support i64 CPU's.
x32 CPU's are not recommended since they will not support future 64-bit applications.

For a copy of the detailed "Server CPU Recommendations" document, please e-mail Blytheco at solutions@blytheco.com , or call us with any questions!

New StarShip Freight For Sage MAS 500

In today’s global market, transporting goods near and far is part of doing business. For distribution of large orders or large bulky items considered freight, parcel delivery services are not the answer. Sage MAS 500 ERP Version 7.2 includes integration with the new StarShip Freight program, and adds functionality to automate the time-consuming process of freight shipping.

StarShip Freight

The StarShip Freight module handles larger shipments in two categories: Truckload (TL) and Less-than-Truckload (LTL).

LTL is ideal for shipments between 100 and 15,000 pounds and works well for odd-shaped and large-size items. The StarShip Freight module handles everything you need to be able to ship a partial or full truckload—from rate shopping for freight carriers, to document printing and billing—all from a single powerful screen. If you’ve only shipped via small package carriers such as UPS or FedEx Ground, you may find you can save money by using LTL for larger shipments of more than 100 pounds.

User-Friendly Interface

With StarShip Freight, data entry for your shipments takes place within the StarShip user interface, rather than in Sage MAS 500. This provides one central location from which to conduct all your shipping activity.

Handy tabs on the StarShip Freight screen give you quick access to all the functions and to Sage MAS 500. You can display the item detail from the original order and you use a simple drag and drop technique to place items into boxes and onto pallets.

From the Shipment tab you can see several views of the items in the shipment. One view, the Bill Of Lading view, shows you how the information will appear on the printed Bill of Lading form.

Gets The Best Rate

One of the most time-consuming tasks when shipping via truck is calling the various carriers for rate quotes. StarShip has partnered with Freightquote.com® so you can quickly obtain the best possible rate. There are no setup or transaction fees, and as an added benefit you can track the status of your shipments online. Use the Quote tab and the system shops for rates for you from more than 50 of the top national and regional carriers.

Prints Required Documents

StarShip can automatically print all the paperwork required for the shipment using data drawn from Sage MAS 500. It can print both package and pallet labels, and the required Bill of Lading document.

The Bill of Lading is a legal document required when shipping freight by truck, and it is used by freight carriers to track the transit of goods. It contains information such as ship-from, ship-to, and bill-to addresses and item information such as weight and class.

StarShip supports the printing of two types of Bill of Lading formats: the Straight format and the VICS (Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards) format. The VICS Bill of Lading document, commonly required in the retail industry, was created to establish a uniform format and to facilitate EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) transmission of Bill of Lading data.

When you have completed the transaction, StarShip Freight prints the invoice and updates the Sage MAS 500 system.

Flexible Options

For customers who have existing relationships with LTL carriers or third-party logistics companies, you can still use StarShip Freight. StarShip will retrieve the item information from Sage MAS 500 in order to produce the Bill of Lading, print package and pallet labels, and create the invoice. StarShip provides for setup of a third-party logistics company, and will print the associated information on the Bill of Lading as well.

StarShip Freight Highlights

Converts orders using item detail to automate freight rating and Bill of Lading.
Reduces shipping-related expenses by combining multiple orders in a single shipment.
Captures item, box, and pallet detail using a simple drag-and-drop method.
Identifies significant shipping cost savings among multiple carriers by viewing side-by-side rate comparisons.
Immediately adds accurate shipping charges to customer invoices.
Personalizes the Shipping Assistant to your preferred level of detail.
Prints pallet and package labels using laser or thermal printers.

For more information about Starship Freight, contact Blytheco at 800.425.9843, extension 192, or solutions@blytheco.com .