Finally Starship can ship LTL and FTL.  There will be two modules - Starship Parcel is what MAS 90 and MAS 500 users have now.  Then, the new module, Starship Freight, can be added on and allows freight rate shopping and shipping LTL and FTL.    Although Starship Freight is ready, V-Technologies and Sage are still working out the kinks as far as marketing and pricing.  But soon, Starship’s capaiblities will have much more diversity.

Exciting news from V-Tech - version 10 supports Less Than Truck Load (LTL) and Tuck Load (TL).   Other exciting new features are: a new and improved MAS 90/200 interface, pick/pack functionality, rating powered by Freightquote.com,  automated BOL reports, pallet and package lables, and EDI integration with True Commerce.

Sage Software has many FAS systems to choose from - FAS 50, FAS 100, FAS 500, and now Sage Fixed Assets for MAS 90/200. In addition, there are sub-categories, such as Construction in Progress and FAS Inventory. A good fixed asset system is a must have for small and medium sized businesses because it can replace a messy filing cabinet full of torn paperwork. Besides keeping track of depreciation, it keeps track of warranties, vendors, insurance information, and also allows user-defined fields. You can take it to the next level and appy pictures and bar codes to your items. FAS 500 is a SQL product, so if your assets are large in number, or if you have MAS 500, then FAS 500 is a must have. For smaller companies, FAS 50 and FAS 100 will do, as the main difference is the number of assets that you can have. And now, MAS 90/200 users can have a implement a FAS modules that sits right inside MAS 90.

Many clients come to me asking about bar coding, but I often have to explain how it works. So, here goes what I believe is a concise explanation. A bar code is a bunch of lines and spaces. Bar code symbiology is what makes up a bar code. Some common ones are Code 139 and Code 28 and UPC. Each symbiology is common in certain areas (for example, UPC is common in the retail industry). To have a bar coding solution, you first have to ask what you want to do. In a distribution environment, bar coding can be used to receive product, ship product, transfer product, do physical counts, and inventory issues. In a manufacturing environment, you can use bar coding for capturing movement of production jobs from work center to work center, as well as capture labor time. In a retail environment, you can use bar coding to scan sales and receive returns. To have a “bar code solution”, you most likely will need a reader (wireless allows the most flexibility) to scan bar codes a printer to print bar codes. Often, larger companies need multiple readers or printers. Another type of a bar code solution is simply to replace the keyboard strokes by reading a bar code. In this situation, a bar code reader is tethered to a computer, and the user can either use the keyboard or scan a bar code (which of course is usually much faster).

You may not be aware, but AvaTax (from Avalara) is a web based interface that virtually takes care of all of your sales taxes. It is completely integrated with Sage MAS 90, 200, and 500 ERP. You can post only taxable, only non-taxable, or all invoices to the program, and all sales tax rates are handled outside of your accounting software. For a small additional fee, the company will even file sales tax returns. It is completely worth looking at.