|
What's covered? Hide |
Replenishing truck stock is often one of the most common issues users struggle with in managing their businesses. The software provides several options to help you facilitate these transactions. Many companies lack the staffing to operate true "stock shop" capabilities, yet still want to replenish materials to their technician's trucks. The software provides solutions for replenishing both stock and non-stock items with or without the use of the mobile application.
There are two methods for replenishing inventory on a vehicle. Regardless of the method you choose, managing inventory takes work. Everyone needs to do everything right and when they don't, the effects are time consuming and frustrating to uncover. First, a reminder of the basics. You need to know the part, where it comes from and where it went. The part is identified with a unique part number, where it comes from is the warehouse ID used on the line removing it from inventory, where it went is the order or job it was posted to.
For both restocking options, make sure that your employees and warehouses are set up correctly.
If your company is using non-stock items, with unique ID's for each, and you want to track them for truck replenishment; you must look at everything that has been placed on orders by your technicians. The software allows you to place a warehouse ID on the detail lines of orders for non-stock items. This allows you to "identify" where the part came from.
If using this approach, you can use the "Inventory Audit Report by Warehouse", located under your Inventory Report Group. Choose to include Non-Stock items by deselecting the option "Stock and Assembly Items Only". Also, you must include a WH ID for all Non-Stock items as well as Stock items. The report will list all materials that have been "Invoiced" over the date range provided. This report will only show items that have been "posted" or invoiced.
When using Non-Stock items there are no tools to auto populate your Purchase Request to replenish your materials. You would use the Inventory Audit Report to provide a "pull ticket" for restocking your trucks giving them back everything that they used. You will need to have controls in place to manage which items are replenished and which items are not. If your company uses a combination of Non-Stocks and Stocks you will then need to take a second action and run a Stock Transfer to repopulate Stock items from the Main warehouse back to the vehicle.
ServMan provides another solution to this re-stocking issue by allowing you to create two different types of stock items, a traditional stock item that is posted to an inventory account when purchased, then posted to cost of goods sold when used, and a stock item that is expensed when purchased, bypassing inventory, but still tracked in terms of quantities. (In other words - treated like a Non-Stock item from an accounting standpoint, but a stock item from a warehouse management perspective.) If all of the items that you intend to stock to vehicles are treated as one of these two types, restocks and tracking just got a lot easier.
First, items of these types allow you to create minimum/maximum stocking levels and require warehouse id's on detail lines. Second, they are both managed using the same process, and third, because we have stocking levels, auto purchasing can be used for replenishing inventory.
When your system is configured using this method, you can simply run the "Stock Transfer" procedure directly from the Inventory Navigator. This will bring up the transfer form, displayed below, allowing you to choose the From and To warehouses you will be moving the materials between. Selecting the Menu button provides the option to choose to automatically populate the form based on either the items min/max settings located in the item file, or based on both the items min/max quantities AND factoring items that are on orders that have not yet been posted. Note that the two Restock options only appear on the menu after you have entered your From and To Warehouse information.
NOTE: If you invoice daily, always posting materials in a timely fashion, you can rely on min/max levels. If you have organization delays, as most do, choose to include reserved quantities.
Select “Stock Transfer" procedure from Modules -> Inventory or from the Inventory Navigator.
On the transfer page, choose the From and To warehouses you will be moving the materials between.
Enter a comment to identify why you made this transfer.
Press the Menu button to choose to automatically populate the form based on either the items min/max settings or based on the items min/max quantities AND factoring items that are on orders that have not yet been posted (reserved) as shown above.
If you invoice daily (always posting materials in a timely fashion) you can rely on min/max levels alone.
If you choose to include reserved for stock items; ServMan will take into consideration the quantity on open work orders and non-updated invoices quantities.
Press Yes on the Notice if you want to skip items that do not need to be replenished (Press No to replenish everything regardless of the quantity already on the truck)
When the screen populates, enter a comment so you remember why you made this transfer.
If there is not enough stock in your "From" warehouse, this error log will be displayed - and can be printed if required.
Verify all quantities are what you want, make adjustments as needed.
Press "Print Out" at the bottom of the page to print your Stock Transfer Printout and sign, if desired.
Press "Update" to update your database with the changes you just made.
If you do not press update, you will receive the Non-Update confirmation message shown below before you lose your work.
· You must look at everything that has been placed on orders by your technicians.
· You must place a warehouse ID on the detail lines for orders for the non-stock items to see where the part is coming from
· Use the "Inventory Audit Report by Warehouse". (Located under your Inventory Report Group). When running this report you can choose to include Non-Stock items by deselecting the option "Stock and Assembly Items Only". The report will list only materials that have been “posted” or "Invoiced" over the date range provided.
· You will need to have controls in place to manage which items are replenished and which items are not.
· If your company uses a combination of Non-Stocks and Stocks you will then need to take a second action and run a Stock Transfer to repopulate Stock items from the Main warehouse back to the vehicle.