Add and organize suppliers in OmniOrders to streamline purchasing. Track lead times, manage contact details, and build reliable supplier relationships.
---
title: Managing Suppliers
description: Add and organize suppliers in OmniOrders to streamline purchasing. Track lead times, manage contact details, and build reliable supplier relationships.
---
Managing suppliers in OmniOrders helps you keep track of your product sources, lead times, and supplier relationships. Whether you work with a few suppliers or hundreds, OmniOrders provides tools to organize supplier information, contacts, and purchasing details in one place.
<SupademoEmbed demoId="cmkh7snft1afr1363cdfnuyp0" />
:::tip[Quick Start]
Start by adding your main suppliers with basic information, then add detailed contact and address information as needed.
:::
## Why Manage Suppliers in OmniOrders?
**Supplier Management keeps all your vendor records in one place — contact details, addresses, lead times, and linked products. Organized supplier data speeds up purchase order creation, helps you plan restock timelines using lead times, and gives your team a single source of truth for every vendor relationship.**
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Centralized Supplier Info" icon="users">
Store all supplier details, contacts, and addresses in one organized location.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Lead Time Tracking" icon="clock">
Track processing time and stock time to plan inventory replenishment effectively.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Organized Groups" icon="folder">
Group suppliers by category, region, or type for better organization and reporting.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Streamlined Purchasing" icon="shopping-cart">
Create purchase orders directly from supplier profiles with pre-filled information.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Adding a New Supplier
Creating a supplier involves three steps: basic supplier information, address details, and contact information.
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<Steps>
1. **Navigate to Suppliers**
Click **Suppliers** in the left sidebar under the Communication section.
2. **Click New Supplier**
In the top-right corner, click the **New Supplier** button. A dialog opens for supplier creation.
3. **Enter Supplier Information**
Fill in the basic details:
- **Name**: Supplier company name (required)
- **Code**: Optional supplier code for internal reference
- **Description**: Brief description of what the supplier provides (required)
- **Processing Time**: Number of days/hours the supplier needs to process orders (required)
- **Stock Time**: Number of days/hours to receive stock after processing (required)
- **Period**: Choose Hours, Days, or Weeks for time calculations
4. **Add Address Details**
After creating the supplier, add their warehouse or business address:
- Complete address fields (Address 1, City, State, Country, Postal Code)
- Set as main address if this is the primary location
5. **Add Contact Information**
Complete the supplier setup by adding a primary contact:
- Contact name, email, and phone number
- Optional: Gender, company role, birthday, fax, and notes
- Link the contact to the supplier's address
6. **Save Supplier**
Click **Create** to save the supplier. The supplier now appears in your suppliers list.
</Steps>
After creating the supplier, you can add contacts and addresses, all associated with that supplier. Navigate to the supplier's detail page to add multiple contacts and addresses as needed.
## Viewing and Editing Suppliers
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<Steps>
1. **Open Supplier Details**
From the Suppliers list, click on any supplier row to view full details.
2. **Review General Information**
View the supplier's name, code, description, processing time, stock time, and period.
3. **Edit Supplier Details**
Click the **Actions** menu button (three bars) and select **Edit** to update supplier information.
4. **Manage Addresses**
Switch to the **Addresses** tab to:
- View all supplier addresses
- Add new addresses with the **New Address** button
- Edit or delete existing addresses using the actions menu
- Customize visible columns with **Change Columns**
5. **Manage Contacts**
Switch to the **Contacts** tab to:
- View all supplier contacts
- Add new contacts with the **New Contact** button
- Edit or delete existing contacts using the actions menu
- Customize visible columns with **Change Columns**
6. **Manage Groups**
Switch to the **Groups** tab to:
- View which groups the supplier belongs to
- Add the supplier to groups using the dropdown and **Add to Group** button
- Remove from groups by clicking the X button on group cards
</Steps>
## Managing Supplier Groups
Organize suppliers into groups for better management and reporting.
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<Steps>
1. **Open Supplier Groups**
From the Suppliers page, click the **Groups** button in the top-right corner.
2. **Create New Group**
Click **New Group** and enter:
- Group name
- Description (optional)
3. **Assign Suppliers to Groups**
Go back to individual supplier pages and use the Groups tab to add suppliers to your created groups.
</Steps>
## Supplier Table Features
The main suppliers table includes several helpful features:
### Table Columns
- **Name**: Supplier company name
- **Code**: Internal supplier code (if set)
- **Description**: What the supplier provides
- **Processing Time**: Order processing duration
- **Stock Time**: Time to receive inventory
- **Period**: Time unit (Hours/Days/Weeks)
### Table Actions
- **Sorting**: Click column headers to sort suppliers
- **Pagination**: Use bottom controls to navigate through pages
- **Refresh**: Click **Refresh** button to reload the latest data
- **Row Click**: Click any row to open detailed supplier view
## Best Practices
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Complete Contact Info" icon="user-check">
Always add at least one contact person and email for each supplier to streamline communication.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Accurate Lead Times" icon="calendar">
Keep processing and stock times up to date to ensure accurate inventory planning and reorder alerts.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Use Supplier Codes" icon="hash">
Assign unique codes to suppliers for easy reference in reports and purchase orders.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Organize with Groups" icon="folder-tree">
Group suppliers by product category, region, or quality tier for faster filtering and analysis.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Multiple Addresses" icon="map-pin">
Add all supplier warehouse locations to select the closest one when creating purchase orders.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Detailed Descriptions" icon="file-text">
Write clear descriptions of what each supplier provides to help team members quickly find the right source.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Common Workflows
### Updating Supplier Lead Times
1. Open the supplier from the Suppliers list
2. Click **Actions** → **Edit**
3. Update **Processing Time** and **Stock Time** fields
4. Click **Update** to save changes
### Adding Multiple Contacts
1. Open the supplier details page
2. Switch to the **Contacts** tab
3. Click **New Contact** for each person (sales rep, account manager, support, etc.)
4. Link contacts to specific addresses for location-based communication
### Creating Purchase Orders
1. Open the supplier from the Suppliers list
2. Click **Actions** → **Create Purchase Order**
3. The purchase order form opens with supplier pre-selected
4. Add products and complete the purchase order
## Troubleshooting
<CardGrid>
<IconCard title="Can't Find a Supplier" icon="search">
**Solution**: Use the table sorting or check if the supplier is on a different page. Click column headers to sort alphabetically.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Missing Contact Information" icon="alert-triangle">
**Problem**: Supplier shows a warning about missing contacts.
**Solution**: Open the supplier, go to the Contacts tab, and add at least one contact with an email address.
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Lead Times Not Calculating" icon="calculator">
**Problem**: Inventory planning doesn't account for supplier lead time.
**Solution**: Ensure both Processing Time and Stock Time are filled in, and Period is set correctly (Hours/Days/Weeks).
</IconCard>
<IconCard title="Can't Delete Supplier" icon="x-circle">
**Problem**: Delete option is grayed out or fails.
**Solution**: Check if the supplier is linked to active products or purchase orders. Unlink products first, then try deleting.
</IconCard>
</CardGrid>
## Field Reference
### Required Fields
- **Name**: Supplier company name
- **Description**: What the supplier provides
- **Processing Time**: Order processing duration (number)
- **Stock Time**: Inventory receipt duration (number)
### Optional Fields
- **Code**: Internal reference code
- **Period**: Time unit (Hours, Days, or Weeks) - defaults to Hours
### Address Fields
- **Address 1**: Street address (required)
- **City**: City or town (required)
- **State**: State or region (required)
- **Country**: Country (required)
- **Postal Code**: ZIP or postal code (required)
- **Address 2, Address 3**: Additional address lines (optional)
- **Main**: Mark as primary address (checkbox)
### Contact Fields
- **First Name**: Contact's first name (required)
- **Last Name**: Contact's last name (required)
- **Email**: Contact email address (required)
- **Phone Number**: Contact phone number (recommended)
- **Company**: Contact's company or division
- **Gender, Birthday, Fax, Notes**: Optional contact details
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**Related Topics:**
- [Creating Purchase Orders](/purchase-orders/creating/) - Create purchase orders from supplier profiles
- [Managing Products](/products/managing/) - Link products to suppliers
- [Managing Customers](/customers/managing/) - Manage customer information similar to suppliers