Create and maintain your inventory items records.
The system support the ‘superceding’ of one inventory part by another existing inventory part record. See the Inventory Other Tab for details on using the feature.
Inventory items can range from a 1" Check Valve to an Acme Industrial Boiler.
Expedites invoicing, purchase orders. The Inventory Item viewer is also used to create a bill of materials for assembled items.
Referenced in Records: Client Site Equipment, Shop Order, Client Order, Purchase Order, Work Order, Equipment Master, and Service Parts List.
Referenced in Journals: Inventory Management, Job, Accounts Payable, and Inventory/PO Receipts.
Registry Inventory Item (sys-viewer-vinvntryitm) .
Service Invoicing: The system sets the work order inventory description using the Price Code (if the description is completed) and the Inventory Price Exceptions tables (shown on the Inventory Item Pricing tab). See Registry Report Service Invoice (sys-report-serviceinvoice) for details.
The tabs in the upper section of this screen organize the primary inventory item information. These fields are listed below; click on a button to jump to topic.
Main Pricing/Costing Purchasing Regulatory Manufacturing Performance PO Description Other
The tabs on the lower section of this screen display the inventory item 'child' tables. Click on the following buttons to see additional information:
Note: If you are using a customized system, the fields displayed on your screen may not exactly match the order or status of the fields described in this Topic.
Inventory Item Id: (30 character, only . and - special characters)
A unique Id for this item. This field is required. It will be printed on PO's, COP Order Acknowledgements, and COP Quotes.
Vendor Part Number and Name: See the Vendors tab for information on maintaining these fields for use on PO's.
Inventory Item Name: (40 character)
A brief description of this item. It will used on the Service Invoice (if the appropriate format is selected), COP reports, the standard Quote and PO's.
Extended Inventory Item Description: (40 characters x 3)
The first line of this field is displayed on COP Order Acknowledgements and COP Quotes following the Inventory Item Name. It will not be printed on Purchase Orders or Service Invoices.
Bar Code:
This field may be used to specify a unique barcode value for this inventory item. It will be used with TechAnywhere for easier lookup/entry of the Inventory record via barcode scanning.
Inactive?
If this box is checked, this item will be considered Inactive. Inactive items cannot be entered on a Purchase Order. Click Active/Inactive Record Criteria for details.
Obsolete?
If the Inactive flag is checked, this item may not be entered on Purchase Orders, but may be entered on Work Orders and Client Orders (to use up existing stock). If the Obsolete flag is also checked, you may not enter this record on anything – Work Orders, Purchase Orders, Client Orders, Job Journal, etc.
This field effectively produces a 2-tier system for managing inventory. Inactive Items would be ones that you didn't want to purchase, but were still in stock. Once the item was depleted, it could be flagged as Obsolete so it could not be entered on anything.
The system will automatically set the Inactive flag when the user sets the Obsolete flag, but not the other way around. Clearing the Obsolete flag does not clear the Inactive flag. Contact support if you would like to have a script run to set the Obsolete flag if the Inactive flag is set.
Serialized?
If this item is serialized, flag this field by double-clicking on it or by pressing the Spacebar when the focus is on it. An "x" will appear in the field when it is flagged. Serialized items must be recorded when an item is received or transferred. Note that an item cannot be flagged as both serialized and lot controlled.
Lot Controlled?
If this item is Lot Controlled (items must be assigned a lot number), flag this field by double-clicking on it or by pressing the Spacebar when the focus is on it. An "x" will appear in the field when it is flagged. Lot control items must be recorded when an item is received or transferred. Note that an item cannot be flagged as both serialized and lot controlled.
Items that are not Quality Controlled are assigned the Status of Accepted when they are received in the PO/Inventory Receipts journal. If they were bought to stock, they will appear as On Hand in their receiving Location. Items bought to Job are also assigned the status of Accepted.
Taxable?
This field only impacts Client Orders (COP). Flag this field if this item can be taxed on Client Orders. If this box is not flagged, sales tax will not be applied to this item in Client Order invoices. Sites not marked as Tax Exempt will adhere to rules of the item marked TAXABLE or NONTAXABLE, unless there is a default cost category associated to the Inventory Group. In this case, tax rules will follow the cost category rules for the tax authority (Tax Material, Tax Other, No Tax Sub, No Tax Labor) for Client Orders. Note that a tax exempt site is TAX EXEMPT for COP processing regardless of item marked as Taxable or Non-taxable.
Stocked?
If this item is stocked, flag this field by double-clicking on it or by pressing the Spacebar when the focus is on it. An "x" will appear in the field when it is flagged.
Returnable?
Reserved for future use.
Manufactured?
If this item is manufactured by your company, flag this field by double-clicking on it or by pressing the Spacebar when the focus is on it. An "x" will appear in the field when it is flagged. An item must be flagged as Manufactured in order to create a Shop Order for it.
Purchase Complete?
If an Item is flagged as Purchase Complete, it means that it is completed by an outside firm (using the parts/subassemblies listed on its BOM tab) and then returned to you as stock. When such an item is included on a Purchase Order, the parts listed on the BOM tab will automatically be set to "Pick" to indicate that they will be relieved from inventory.
When the completed item is received by your firm in the Inventory Receipts Journal, the items' parts and subassemblies (on the BOM tab) are relieved from the On Hand inventory, and the Pick quantity is accordingly reduced. The On Hand quantity of the purchase complete item is increased. In addition, the Last Cost on the purchase complete item is updated to reflect the price paid to the outside firm (on the purchase order) as well as the costs of the parts/subassemblies listed on the purchase complete item's BOM tab.
Miscellaneous?
Flag this field if this is a miscellaneous item by double-clicking on it. Because of the way they are handled in Purchase Orders, these items are typically used for a custom part or generic item which does not require it's own unique part number for reorders. For example, a Wiring Harness part could be created for use with a variety of one off custom items. Miscellaneous parts are handled differently from parts without the Miscellaneous box checked in the following scenarios:
Purchase Order:
If the Inventory Item’s Miscellaneous box is not checked:
PO unit costs come from inventory/Vendor record.
The PO line Description is set from inventory name
When Miscellaneous box is checked:
PO Unit Costs are not set/changed: the user must enter the price for this item.
The PO line Description is not set.
Inventory Item Purchases Tab: Checking this box will limit purchase history to only Open purchases (items on order.).
Report Stock Status skips Miscellaneous items.
QC Required?
Flag this field (by double-clicking on it or by pressing the Spacebar when the focus is on it) if Quality Control testing is required when receiving this item. When QC items are received, they are initially marked as In Testing instead of On Hand. The testing specified in the Test Method Id fields must be applied, and the results recorded in the Lot Master.
Core?
Flag this field if this is a core component by double-clicking on it. This field may be used to filter the inventory list and the Stock Status Report.
Unit of Measure: (10 character)
The unit of measure for this item (e.g., foot, each, etc.). This field is optional.
Equipment Size: Equipment U-M:
If this inventory item is being created for installable equipment, these fields may be completed. If you specify this inventory item in the Client Site Equipment record, the Equipment Size and Unit of Measure (in the Equipment record) will default from these fields.
Drawing Number: Revision #:
The drawing (blueprint) and revision numbers for this item. These optional fields are used for discrete manufacturing engineering information.
Inventory Group Id:
This required field enables you to group your parts for accounting, inventory management, and listings purposes. Double-click on this field (or press Alt+F7) to select from a list of Inventory Group Id's. The Inventory Group Name field will be displayed when a valid Id has been entered.
Test Method Id:
If Quality Control is required upon receipt of this item, enter the appropriate Test Method Id or double-click on this field to select from a list.
Equipment Type Id:
If this inventory item is being created for installable equipment, this field may be completed. It enables you to group inventory items for reporting purposes.
User Id:
The User Id of the buyer responsible for this item.
Unit Price (1-9):
The dollar amount that you will charge a customer for this item. The price charged will be determined by the price level specified in the client site record. This field is required if you have implemented unit pricing and the Use Price Levels field is flagged. Note that these prices will be overridden if price code exception information has been entered in the Pricing tab and the customer ordering this part has the corresponding Price Code field entered in his Client Site record.
Foreign Currency Note:
If you are not using price codes: Up to 9 unit prices may be specified per item. Your firm may choose to reserve one or more of these levels to use with foreign currency (e.g., levels 1-3 for local currency, 4-6 for foreign currency A, 7-9 for foreign currency B). If so, the price should be entered in terms of the foreign currency, as it should appear on the foreign customer’s invoice.
If you sometimes use price codes: since price codes only support 5 levels, your firm should limit the pricing structure to 5 levels. In this case, your firm may choose to reserve one or more of these levels to use of foreign currency (e.g., levels 1-3 your local currency, 4 for foreign currency A, 5 for foreign currency B). If so, the price should be entered in terms of the foreign currency, as it should appear on the foreign customer’s invoice.
Important: Be sure to correctly specify the Material Price Level in the Job and the Client Site records. These fields provide the default price levels for Job and COP invoices.
Use Price Levels?
If unit pricing by Price Levels or Price Codes is specified for this item, flag this field by double-clicking on it or by pressing the Spacebar when the focus is on it. An "x" will appear in the field when it is flagged.
Price Effective Date:
The date the prices are in effect; this field is for informational purposes only.
Repack Table Id:
This field is used in Client Order Processing to determine the repack charges (if any) to be assessed. Repack charges will default on Client Orders if the quantity ordered falls below the Standard Container quantity in the inventory item record and the Order is not a Sample Order. Enter a valid Id or double-click to select from a list.
Only that the repack charge will only default if the Charge Repack field in the Client record is checked. Note the Client record is referenced on the Site record’s COP tab.
Expected Gross Margin
Enter the gross margin that you intend to make on this item. During Client Order Processing, you will be warned if the gross margin calculated on the order falls below the Expected Gross Margin in the Inventory Item record.
Standard Container (6 numeric)
The number of units of this item in a standard container. This field is referenced during Client Order Processing to determine if repack charges (applicable only if the Standard Container value exceeds the quantity ordered) will be assigned.
Minimum COP Qty:
The minimum quantity for a COP Order (sample orders not included).
Last Date Sold:
The last date this item was sold. This display-only field is maintained by the system based on Client Order Processing.
Cost Method:
Select which of the costs (Last, Standard, Average) to associate with this item to determine profitability. To do so, double-click on the circular radio button next to the desired cost (keyboard users should Tab to the desired button and then press the Spacebar to select it). If you have selected Last Cost or Average Cost, and historical (system) values for these fields do not yet exist, the system will use the Standard Cost to compute them.
Registry Entry to Calculate Markup from Standard Inventory Cost Field
If you want to calculate the revenue amount for inventory items by marking up the Standard Cost field in the Inventory Item record while charging real costs to the job based on the Average or Last cost (depending upon which is selected in the Inventory Item record), a registry entry will let you do so. It would be implemented if, for example, your firm did not wish to base customer prices on past discounts. For details, click Registry Entry to specify Inventory Markup .
Standard Cost:
This field enables you to initialize and maintain the standard cost associated with this item. Since this value will be used if a Last or Average Cost is not available, it is highly recommended that this field be completed.
Unit Cost-Last Unit Cost-Average
The Last Cost and Average Cost fields are maintained by the system as purchased items are received and shop orders are completed. Entries from the 'Purchase' source journal are now included when computing average cost.
See Inventory Item Unit Cost Calculation for a more detailed description of how unit costs are determined.
Purchase Orders: Default Costing Example
When a purchase order is created, the system will use the existing costing information for that item and vendor to default in a cost. The user may adjust this cost manually.
Items Cost Method is marked: standard
Items 'standard cost' = 12.00 – last and average costs default from this.
1st time PO for this item, any vendor = pulls 12.00 as default cost
if Last cost from vendor A = 13.00, all new PO's for vendor A = 13.00 cost
if Last cost from vendor B = 14.00, all new PO's for vendor B = 14.00 cost
if NEW vendor id used, pulls last cost from all vendors.
Last Cost Date:
The last date this item was purchased/manufactured. This display-only field is maintained by the system.
Click this button to display the calculations used to derive the Average Cost overall for this item.
Burden Rate %
If this field is completed, it will be will be used to calculate the Unit Burden Cost in Job History when an Inventory Adjustment Journal entry is created which involves a Job / WO transfer. If a Burden Rate % is specified in both the Inventory Item and Location Record, the cumulative Burden Rate total will be applied. A registry entry specifies the income account to be credited.
Inventory Class:
This optional field may be filled if your company uses ABC inventory analysis. To do so, enter an A, B or C based on the value of this item as defined by your firm.
Vendor Id:
May be used to identify the primary vendor of this item. Double-click on this optional field (or press Alt+F7) to select from a list of Vendor Id's. The Vendor Id may not be set if the Vendor is flagged as "No Inventory".
The function Start Generate Purchase Orders will automatically create PO's for the primary vendor.
Tariff Code Id: Duty %:
If duty is paid by the Vendor when this item is purchased, enter the appropriate Id or double-click to select from a list. The Duty Percent field is display-only, and defaults from the Tariff Code. The Duty % will appear on PO details lines if the Pay Duty box is flagged in the Vendor record.
Recommended Order Quantity
This optional field is informational in nature for Client Order Processing.
Estimated Unit Freight Cost:
The normal cost to ship this item in from a vendor. This field is used as a default value for the unit freight charge when creating a PO. When entering a PO line, this field is copied to the PO line's Freight Cost field if the vendor's Add Freight field is checked.
Manufacturer: Manufacturer Model:
The Manufacturer and Manufacturer's Model number may be filled in for internal use by your firm. These optional fields may be completed for pre-made items stocked by your firm. They will default to the Client Site Equipment record when the Inventory Item is filled in.
Vendor Purchasing Description:
This optional field may be used to record vendor purchasing details useful to your purchasing department.
Health: Flammability: Reactivity: Protection: (3 char each)
Enter the HMIS information (if applicable) for this item. These fields are required by the system for Drum Label printing.
Shipping Class Id:
If your firm ships hazardous/regulated materials, enter the Id of the appropriate Shipping Class or double-click to select from a list. Note that the Shipping Class record contains both DOT and IATA information.
Label Warning Id:
If a warning label is required for shipment of this item, enter its Id or double-click on this field to select from a list.
MSDS Date:
The most recent revision of the Manufacturers Safety Data Sheet for this item (included on the MSDS tab). This field should be updated when revising the information on the MSDS tab. The system uses this date when determining whether to print a MSDS sheet: the Sales Journal and the Last Time Bought File are consulted to determine the last time this item was sold to this client. If the MSDS Date is more recent than the last time this item was sold to this client, then the MSDS documentation for this item will be printed.
CAS Number: (12 character)
The Chemical Abstracts Service number (if applicable). This information is included in the MSDS tab, but is listed here for easy reference.
CI Number:
The CI number defines this item’s color and is used especially for exports to countries outside the USA.
TSCA Registered:
Check this box if this item is registered with the Toxic Substances Control Act, and you have created a registry entry to enable TSCA Validation checking.
If this registry entry is enabled when you are entering a Client Order, the system checks to see if the inventory item is flagged as registered. If it is checked, processing continues; if not a warning message appears. In addition, if TSCA validation checking is enabled, MSDS sheets will be sent with every order if an item is not registered; click Registry Entry for TSCA Registration for details.
Regulatory Comments:
This field is 3 lines of 40 characters each. It may be used for informational and reporting purposes.
Total BOM Cost:
This display only field is maintained by the system.
Yield (numeric 0000.0000)
For process manufacture items only. The yield amount created by the "recipe" on the Bill of Materials for this item. If this field is not completed, the system assumes a yield of 1.
Shop Order Description (8 x 80 character)
This information defaults to the Shop Order Extended Description field.
Turns: Sales Lead Time:
These fields are set by the Start Compute Corporate Metrics function. See Start Compute Corporate Metrics for details.
Purchase Order Description:
An optional 8-line description that will print on the purchase order.
Note that the PO Viewer's Inventory tab includes an 'Extended Description' field (note: you must click the Magnify button to view this field). When the PO is saved, Purchase Order Description is written to this tab. For some customers this is an undesirable behavior. See Registry Entry Purchase Order for a registry entry to override this default behavior.
Date Created: Date Changed:
The date this record was created/changed. These fields are used in conjunction with the MSDS Date to determine if Material Safety Data Sheets should be sent or resent with a Client Order.
Inventory Item User1-5
These user-defined fields may be used to record information for reporting purposes.
The User 2 field is reserved for use by the Start Inventory Item Cost Update; this field will be updated by the function with the Date and Time of the last update, and the user's Id.
Superceded By:
This field should only be completed if the current Inventory Item record you are in has been superceded by the item you specify in this field. Superceded parts CANNOT be flagged as Obsolete. By default, superceded parts are not automatically flagged as Inactive, but a registry may be enabled to do so: Registry Inventory Item (sys-viewer-vinvntryitm).
Note: The user is allowed to clear the Superceded By field. However, clearing the field does not clear the Inactive flag which may have been set manually or via registry.
Superceding allows users to designate existing inventory part records as being “superseded” by another existing inventory part record. When a superseded part number is entered into the Inventory Item Id field of Work Order Inventory lines, Work Order Required Resources lines, Purchase Order Inventory lines, COP Order Entry lines or Quote Master Inventory lines the system will alert the user that
Item A has been superceded by Item B. Use New Item?
It the user clicks Yes, the new part (B) will be returned to the field. If the user clicks No, part A (which has been superceded) will remain in the field.
Note that a string of superseded parts can be created that will result in the latest part number being returned to the data entry screen. For example, Part A could be superseded by Part B which could be superseded by Part C. If the user were to type in Part A, Part C would be returned if he elected to use the new item.
Manufacturing Lead Time: (3 numeric characters)
The lead time in days to obtain this item from the time the need is identified to the time it is ready for shipment to a customer. This optional field is used for reporting and customer service information.