The Inventory module of Almyta Control System lets you easily adjust and track all stored items whether they are assets or inventory items. It also lets you perform tasks online that have traditionally been done on paper such as inventory adjustments (cycle counts), recording locations information, inventory issue, aging, FIFO–LIFO, setting predetermined locations, lot/serial number tracking, and maintaining multiple virtual warehouses in one physical warehouse. Additionally, using the Inventory module, you can measure inventory use through inventory adjustments, items issued, and work orders.

 

The following functions are available within the Inventory module:

 

·         Add a new inventory item

·         Edit an existing inventory item

·         Discontinue or permanently delete an existing inventory item

·         Rest

·         View item history or a discontinued item

·         Browse an inventory item

·         Receive an existing inventory item

·         Locate and move existing inventory items

·         Issue an inventory item

·         Use repair orders

·         View item history

5.1    Inventory Lists

Before you can begin using the Inventory module, it is necessary to create lists of information such as adjustment codes, categories of inventory, and inventory locations. Please refer to section 3.2 for information on setting up your inventory lists.  The “Unit of Measure” list is detailed later in this chapter.

5.2    The Inventory Items Master List Screen

The “Inventory Items Master List” screen is where you will store all of the individual details of each item in your inventory such as category, price, cost, monthly demand, and much more. Entering correct data here is extremely important, as this data will be used throughout the entire Almyta Control System. The “Inventory Items Master List” screen, like most main system screens, is divided into five tabs to store your information. To access Almyta Control System's “Inventory Items Master List” screen, go to the main menu bar, select “Inventory,” and then select “Item Master List.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.3    Add a New Inventory Item ID

Follow these steps to add a new inventory item ID to the master list. You will use this procedure any time you need to add a new item ID to Almyta Control System. All item components, intermediate items, and finished items will have to be entered into the Item Master List as inventory items. For example, if you have an item that is being assembled, all parts that you wish to appear on the bill of materials must be inventory items.

 

1.      From the main menu bar select “Inventory” and then select “Item Master List.”

2.      Click on the “Add New” button next to the “Item ID” field.  Depending on your system settings, the system will either ask you to enter a new ID number or will assign one automatically.  (See section 5.1 for information on numbering).  The item ID is an alphanumeric “part number” that will be recognizable to you and your users.

3.      Most information about the inventory item itself is located on the “Item Header” tab.  See Figure 5.1 for an explanation of the fields on this screen.

4.      Check the appropriate boxes on the “Stocking Properties” tab. See Figure 5.2 for information on this tab.

5.      Under the “More Details” tab, add any other information about the item.

6.      Under the “Picture” tab, you can add a picture of the item into Almyta Control System. The instructions for how to add a picture appear on the screen.  Essentially, you copy and paste the bitmapped image (.bmp file) to Almyta Control System.  You can later edit the picture by double clicking it.  Keep in mind pictures will increase the size of the database quickly.  If space is limited, you might not want to add pictures.

7.      If you have added any custom fields to the Item Master List, enter the appropriate information on this tab. See section 16.2 for information about unhiding hidden custom fields on this screen.

8.      When you have finished entering information about the item, save the new record.

9.      To add another item, click the “Add New” button and repeat this procedure.

 

There may also be times when item IDs are very similar. They may have all the same characteristics with a different ID and description for example.  You can use the “Copy To New” feature to add similar items.  This prevents you from having to select and populate all the needed fields. To use “Copy To New” follow the steps below.

 

1.      On the “Item Master List” find the item you wish to copy.

2.      At the bottom left corner of the screen, in the “Select Operation” box, select “Copy To New.”

3.      The system will prompt you to enter the new item ID.

4.      The new item will display and you can make the necessary changes to the details of the item (like category, price, cost, etc.).

5.4    Edit an Existing Inventory Item

From time to time you will surely have to edit an item in your Item Master List. This is simple to do; however, edit with care. Before any record is saved you can undo a current field edit by pressing the <Esc> key. Second <Esc> will undo a current record. This is true for all screens. To make adjustments to an existing inventory item, follow these steps:

1.      From the main menu bar select “Inventory” and then select “Item Master List.”

2.      Type the item ID of the item you want to edit into the “Item ID” field. If you aren't sure of the item ID, click the down arrow button next to the “Item ID” field. This displays a dropdown box listing all items. If you need to narrow the list, try one of the following procedures:

§         Move the cursor to the field you wish to edit. Don't forget that right clicking in a field will allow you to sort the items and select only those items that you wish to see. For example, if you want to find all parts with a lead time of 20 days, left click in the “Lead Days” field so that the cursor displays in the field. Then, right click. A pop up box displays. Select “Find,” type in “20,” and hit “Enter.”  Click “Find Next” or use the arrows to view the results of your search item by item.

§         Select the correct filter by clicking on the down arrow next to the “Filter” field. Then select the correct value by clicking on the down arrow next to the “Value” field. For example, if you have multiple suppliers and only want to look at parts from that supplier, select “Supplier” as your filter and then select the actual supplier from which you want to find items in the “Value” field. If the “Filter” field is set to “None” you will see all items in the database.

3.      Type in your changes or choose from a list box. If it is a field that has a list box, you can double click the pencil icon to update the list and then refresh it. The changes will then become available to use on the “Inventory Items Master List.”

4.        Save your edits.

5.5    Discontinue or Permanently Delete an Existing Inventory Item

There are three ways to remove an item from active status. You can permanently delete it, but if you have stock on hand, Almyta Control System will not allow the item to be deleted until the stock is zero. We do not recommend deleting an item.  Once an item is deleted, it cannot be restored and you will lose the history of the item.  Deleting items will also affect other modules such as shipping orders. If an item you deleted is on an archived shipping order, your archived orders will be lost as well. For example, if you no longer need an item ID because the item is being replaced, you would want to remove it from active status but you may need to keep it in your database so you can see its past usage or track where it went.

Another way to remove an item ID from active status is to discontinue it. Once the stock for an item has depleted to zero, you can discontinue it. The history will remain intact and you can view the item by changing the filter to “Discontinued” on the master list or use the “Fast Browse” screen.  It will not appear on reports as an active stock item but it will remain in your database so it can be restored if needed.

The last way would be to discontinue an item with stock on hand.  In order to do this, you must enable the “Discontinued Items in Stock” option on the “System” tab of “Options” under “System” on the main menu bar. This will come in handy if you have an item you plan to stop selling. You can discontinue it with stock on hand and in the event you decide to sell it later, you can reactivate the item and sell the remaining stock.  When an item is discontinued with items in stock, this stock does appear on in stock reports. However, you cannot delete an item with stock on hand even if it is discontinued. Almyta Control System will only delete an item ID if there is no stock on hand.

You can deactivate an existing inventory item by following these steps.

1.      From the main menu bar select “Inventory” and then select “Item Master List.”

2.      Click the X button located next to the “Item ID” field.

3.      Choose whether you wish to delete or discontinue an item and click the “OK” button.  Almyta does not recommend deleting an inventory item because you will be unable to recover its history or reactivate it later.

§         If you choose to delete the item while it is physically located in a warehouse, the system will display the message “Delete Failed.” However, it is possible to discontinue an item while it is in the warehouse.

§         If you really do want to delete the item, use the “Direct Issue” function described below to make the quantity equal to zero, then use this function to delete the item.

§         Be sure to check if the item has a customer order, work order, or purchase order. These must be deleted also.

§         To locate or view a discontinued item in Almyta Control System, use “Inventory/Fast Browse.”

5.6    Restore a Discontinued Item

To restore a discontinued item:

 

1.      From the main menu bar select “Inventory” and then select “Item Master List.”

2.      In the “Filter” field, use the dropdown box to select “Discontinued in Stock" or “Discontinued not in Stock.” (Using a value is optional.)

3.      Using the dropdown box, find the item ID in the “Item ID” field.

4.      Once the item you wish to restore is on the screen, click the "X" in the “Item ID” field.

5.      A box displays for you to make a choice:

§         “Discontinue” (which will be grayed out because the item is already discontinued.)

§         “Permanently Delete.”

§         “Restore” (undo discontinue.)

6.      Select the “Restore” button and click “OK.”

 

Another method of locating a discontinued item that you would like to restore is to use the “Fast Browse” function (see below).

5.7    Fast Browse an Inventory Item

The “Fast Browse” function can be used in the Inventory module to do the following:

 

·         Display a list of all discontinued items.

·         Display a list of all active items.

·         Update inventory items.

·         Print an Items Cost Summary Report.

·         Browse in stock, on hold, on order, and committed quantities.

 

To fast browse your inventory, select “Inventory” from the main menu and then select “Fast Browse.”  Use the “Active” and “Discontinued” buttons at the bottom of the window to choose which list you would like to view.  See section 2.9 for more information on sorting and filtering using the “Fast Browse” function.

5.8    Alternate Parts

Alternate parts can be stored in the item list for each item.  The “Alternate Parts” screen is for reference purposes only; employees can use it to find items that can be substituted for another item.  To view, add, delete, or modify alternate parts for an item, follow the instructions below.

 

1.      Go to your Inventory Items Master List.

2.      Search to find the item to which you are adding an alternate part and make sure it is on the screen.

3.      Go to the “Operations” box at the bottom of the screen. Using the dropdown arrow, select “Alternate Parts.”

4.      On the “Alternate Parts” screen, you can do three things:

§         Add an alternate part by clicking “New.”  Type in the alternate part item ID or select it from the dropdown list box.

§         To delete an alternate item, select the item and then click the “Delete” button.

§         To see the full information of the alternate part on the “Item Master List” screen, select the part and click “Detail.”

5.9    Cost of an Inventory Item

In Almyta Control System, “Cost” is what you pay for an item.

 

The cost of an item must be assigned to each unit when the units are received. The method in which you receive the units into stock can change the cost that is associated with the item. There are two ways to receive a unit into stock—directly and against a purchase order.

If an item is received using a purchase order, when you enter the item ID the cost will automatically be assigned based on the cost listed on the purchase order. You can change this value on the purchase order by typing over it. If you change the cost on the purchase order, it will not change the cost on the Item Master List.  When the unit is received against the purchase order, the cost on the purchase order for that item ID will be considered the unit cost for the life of the unit. The unit cost is attached to each item received. This unit cost does not necessarily reflect the cost on the Item Master List.

 

When you directly receive units into inventory, the cost is always pulled from the Item Master List for the item ID. Directly receiving an item is not considered a purchase in Almyta Control System; therefore, the “Cost” field does not appear on the “Direct Receive” screen.  The unit cost for a unit when it is directly received is always the cost listed on the Item Master List.

 

To view or modify a unit cost, follow the steps below.

 

1.      From the Item Master List, click on the “In Stock” magnifying glass to view all units in stock for that item.

2.      Select the unit you want to see the unit cost for by clicking anywhere in the line (a black arrowhead appears to the left of the unit).

3.      Click the “Unit Detail” button at the bottom of the screen.

4.      The unit cost will be on the lower left side of the screen. Type over it and save the changes.

 

If a unit has already been shipped, used in a work order, or direct issued, follow the steps below to determine the unit cost of the unit.

 

1.      From the main menu, click “Inventory” and then select “Archived Units.”

2.      Type the item ID of the unit into the “Item ID” field and put into the other fields any other applicable information that will help you to locate this archived unit.

3.      Select the unit once you have located it and click the “Unit Detail” button to view the unit cost.

 

Note: Certain reports will show the unit cost, not the Item Master List cost.

5.10  Price of an Inventory Item

The price of an item in Almyta Control System is the amount you charge when selling the product.  If you sell a product in Almyta Control System, you will typically use a shipping order.  The price line on the shipping order will default to the price on the Item Master List when you type in the item on the shipping order.  This price can be changed directly on the shipping order but doing so will not change the price on the Item Master List. This will archive with the unit as the price the item was sold at. If an item is removed from inventory through a direct issue, no price options will be available.

5.11  Search for an Inventory Item

The “Search” screen in Almyta Control System helps the user to find any item in order to receive or issue it. To get to the “Search” screen click on “Inventory” from the main menu and then select “Search.”  This screen allows you to search for an item in up to eight different ways.

 

*Item ID	*Item Description
*Manufacturer	*Engineering P/N
Category	Center Code
Package	Main Supplier

 

A helpful tool when searching is the wild card (*). The wild card allows you to enter partial information when searching for an item. For example, if you know that the description starts with the word “green” but you are not sure of how the rest of the description was entered for the item, a wild card will come in handy. In the “Description” field, you would type “green*”. This tells Almyta Control System that the description starts with “green.” If you know that it ends in “green,” you can type “*green” and the system will return anything ending with “green” in the description field. If you know only that “green” is somewhere in the description, then type “*green*”. The system will look for anything with “green” in it. This works with all search options.

 

In the case of categories with a *, the user will be required to select a value from a dropdown box rather than entering information. Once a value is selected, Almyta Control System will display all items that match exactly the information in these fields.

 

Other functions of this search screen can be found in section 5.16 and Chapter 8—Shipping.

5.12  Direct Receive

Direct receive is used when an item needs to be received but there is no purchase order or appointment against which to receive it. If you are not using the Purchasing module or Appointments module in Almyta Control System, all of your items will be direct received.  To receive inventory against a purchase order, see section 6.6.  To direct receive an item, follow the steps below.

1.      From the main menu bar select “Inventory” and then select “Receive.”

2.      Type the item ID into the “Item ID” field or click the down arrow button and select the correct item from the dropdown box.

3.      Tab to the “Units” field and type in the quantity received.

4.      Choose an adjustment code from the dropdown box marked “Adj. Code.” The adjustment code should indicate the reason the item entered the warehouse for. Click the down arrow next to the “Adjustment Code” field located at the top of the screen and then select the correct code.

5.      The remaining fields on the screen are optional.

§         Enter a location if you are already sure of one; otherwise, the item will be placed in the default location on the “Stocking Properties” tab of the “Inventory Item Master List.”

§         The “Remark” field is a text entry field in which you can enter any information that needs to be recorded about the unit you are receiving.

§         The system will automatically assign a code in the “Reference” field to allow you to search for the record of the receive later; however, you can replace this code with any code of your own that you would like to use to refer to the receive.

§         Click the pencil icon to the left of the item ID if you need to look at the item on the “Item Master List.”  Press the “Exit” button to return to the “Positive Inventory Adjustment” screen.

§         Click on the “Labels” button to print internal labels for the item.

§         Click on the “Stowlist” button to view and print an internal packing slip to locate the item(s). This list contains the locations and quantity of all current inventory of the item you are receiving.

§         If you are receiving an item that is on back order and wish to immediately ship the item instead of locating it, click the “Ship” button.

§         Click the “Receive” button located at the bottom of the screen to mark the items on the screen as received.

§         Before clicking the “Receive” button, you may go directly to the next line to receive multiple line items.

5.13  Direct Issue

Use this function to remove items from your inventory. Typically items are issued from Almyta Control System when orders are shipped through order processing or when a work order is completed. However, procedures vary and there are other reasons to do a direct issue—for example, if an item cannot be found in your warehouse even though it exists in your system.  In that case you would want to remove it from your system so that you do not sell an item that doesn’t exist. Or, you could just be transferring items to another warehouse down the street and could need to issue an item that was erroneously received. These and other reasons for issuing are your negative adjustment codes. Using these codes (predefined reasons) when you issue items allows you to track the life cycle of each inventory item.   (See section 3.2 to set up your negative adjustment codes.)

1.      From the main menu bar select “Inventory” and then select “Issue.”

2.      Tab to the “Adj. Code” field and click on the down arrow. Select the appropriate adjustment code. If the correct adjustment code does not display in the list, click the Pencil button and the “Negative Inventory Adjustment Codes” screen displays for you to add a new choice to the list. If you have added a new one, you may need to right click and refresh your field so the new code will appear in the list.

3.      Type the item ID or use the down arrow to select an item from the list.

4.      Tab to the “Units” column and type in the correct number.

§         Note: If you need more information about the item, click the “View Item” button at the bottom of the screen to display the “Inventory Item Master List” screen.

5.      Tab to the “Warehouse (Wrhe) Location” field. Double click in the field or click on the button to the left of the field. The “Available Units” screen displays. Select the physical location of the item you are removing and double click. The location will appear in the field. If there is an associated lot number, it will display in the lot/serial number field.

§         Note:  At the bottom of the “Issue” scr