How to automate purchasing in EBMS ERP

To automate purchasing in EBMS ERP by Koble (formerly Eagle Business Software), keep minimums, maximums, primary vendors and lead times current on every item, then let the Inventory Purchasing page fill order quantities and create one purchase order per vendor. Someone still has to run that page and check its suggestions, and stock levels only update as demand changes if you add the optional Advanced Inventory Management module.

What does EBMS automate in purchasing on its own?

EBMS already automates the arithmetic of reordering: it compares stock against the levels you set and suggests order quantities. The rest depends on how well those levels and vendor settings are maintained.

The building blocks are all in EBMS, but each one has to be set up and run by a person.

Task	EBMS tool	Where
Set when to reorder and how much	Minimum, Maximum and Reorder Increment	Product record, Count tab
Calculate min/max from history	Calculate Stock Level Settings utility	Inventory > Utilities
Forecast sales (optional module)	Average, Linear, Seasonal or Best Fit predictions, optionally limited to a range of months	Advanced Inventory Management module
Suggest order quantities	Default Orders button	Inventory > Purchasing
Create POs by vendor	Create > Order, using item primary vendors	Inventory > Purchasing
Rebuy what sold, one for one	Replenishment purchase method	Product record, Count tab
Estimate arrival dates	ETA Date from item Lead Days or vendor Lead Time	Purchase order ETA tab

EBMS compares Net Ordered (Count plus Purchase Orders minus Sales Orders) with each item's Minimum. When Net Ordered falls below the Minimum, the purchasing page suggests an order in multiples of the Reorder Increment. Our guide to the EBMS purchasing page explains each column, and how to set reorder points in EBMS covers the stock level settings.

What still takes a buyer every week?

Someone still has to open the purchasing page, run Find, press Default Orders, check every suggestion and create the orders. Koble's documentation describes this as a step a person starts from the purchasing page.

The judgment calls are where the time goes:

Stale stock levels. Min/max values calculated last year do not follow a product that took off or slowed down. The stock level utility has to be rerun.
Lead time. The suggestion works from Minimum and Maximum. If those do not cover demand while an order is in transit, you run short. See how vendor lead times work in EBMS.
Forecasting. Sales projections live in the separate Advanced Inventory Management module. Without it, levels come from plain averages. See inventory forecasting in EBMS.
Bad counts. Net Ordered starts from Count, so a wrong count means a wrong order. See cycle counts and purchasing.
Overstock. Nothing on the purchasing page tells you what you already have too much of. See how to find overstock in EBMS.

How do you set up EBMS so purchasing runs with fewer clicks?

Clean data first, then automation. Each step below uses standard EBMS screens from Koble's current documentation.

Fix counts and receive outstanding purchase orders so Count and Purchase Orders are true.
Set a Primary Vendor on each item's Purchasing tab, and a Lead Time on each vendor's Terms tab.
Pick the right purchase method per item: stocked, replenishment, special order or drop ship. See which purchase method each item should use and special orders and drop ships.
Run Inventory > Utilities > Calculate Stock Level Settings with a months-of-supply value that covers lead time plus a buffer, or turn on Best Fit predictions if you have Advanced Inventory Management.
Each week, open Inventory > Purchasing, filter by vendor, click Find (F5), click Default Orders, review, then Create > Order with "Use item primary vendors". See how to create purchase orders by vendor.
Write the routine down so anyone can run it. Our weekly reorder checklist for EBMS is a starting point.

Two habits make the suggestions better over time: recording lost sales (right-click any Product ID) so you can see the demand you missed when you review stock levels, and rerunning the stock level utility every quarter.

What are the options for automating beyond the built-in tools?

There are three routes: build your own flows on the EBMS API, use Koble's open-source AI connector, or use a ready-made purchasing agent. They suit different teams.

API Gateway and Power Automate. Koble's API Gateway gives read and write access to EBMS data. With premium Power Automate you can build flows such as a text alert when an A-level item runs low.
koble-mcp. Koble publishes an open-source connector that lets AI assistants such as Claude work with EBMS, including an MRP planning tool and a tool that drafts one purchase order per vendor from an approved worksheet.
A purchasing agent. ReorderOwl is one. It works out the whole reorder, drafts the purchase orders for your team to confirm, and saves them in EBMS once confirmed.

Our guide to EBMS AI and API options compares them fairly.

How does ReorderOwl automate EBMS purchasing?

ReorderOwl is a purchasing agent for EBMS ERP. It reads your sales history, stock and open purchase orders, decides what each item needs, drafts the purchase orders for your team to confirm, then saves them in EBMS.

It forecasts each item from three years of monthly sales and orders enough to cover the vendor lead time plus your safety-stock days, plus the EBMS Minimum if you turn Minimums on, rounded up to the order increment.
Every run comes with an Excel workbook that explains each line, and the summary shows inventory value and overstock value.
Buyers ask in Slack or ChatGPT. In Slack, employees can set up a weekly reorder that posts to the channel, and scheduled runs can save POs in EBMS if you set them up to.
POs are saved in EBMS after confirmation. Nothing goes to a vendor until someone on your team sends it.

It reads your EBMS settings and does not change your minimums, maximums or item records. ReorderOwl runs in production for EBMS companies today. See ReorderOwl for EBMS for details.

Frequently asked questions

Can EBMS create purchase orders automatically?

EBMS fills order quantities from your stock levels when you click Default Orders on the purchasing page, and creates one PO per primary vendor when you choose Create > Order. A person starts both steps.

Does EBMS forecast demand for purchasing?

Yes, with the separate Advanced Inventory Management module, which offers Average, Linear, Seasonal and Best Fit predictions and can limit the calculation to a range of months. Without it, the standard utility sets min/max from average past sales or purchases.

Is EBMS the same as the EBMS health insurance company?

No. This guide covers EBMS ERP, business software from Koble, formerly called Eagle Business Software.

Can AI work with EBMS?

Yes. Koble publishes an open-source connector for AI assistants such as Claude, the API Gateway works with Power Automate, and ready-made agents such as ReorderOwl work from Slack and ChatGPT.

How often should I recalculate EBMS stock levels?

A common rhythm is quarterly, and whenever a product line or vendor lead time changes noticeably. Stale levels are the most common reason suggestions go wrong.

Sources

Purchasing and Special Orders Overview, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Inventory Purchasing Page, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Creating Purchasing Parameters, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Stock Level Settings, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Inventory Forecasting Management, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Create Purchase Orders from the Purchasing Page, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Replenish Stock Based on Sales, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) Date, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Lost Sales, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
Power Automate Interface, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
koble-mcp, Koble Systems on GitHub, accessed 2026-10-01