Hello
I have 2 areas where my old brain isn’t quite getting it - please bear with me.
I have entered my raw materials into Inventory along with the manufactured goods. I have created 2 productions orders using the raw materials. There is one common raw material in both Production Orders - is there some way to summarise the raw materials required for both Production Orders?
Why does the Production Order automatically update the inventory on hand numbers when it is created. Production may run across several days (indeed up to a week) and during that time frame the Inventory on hand is incorrect. Would it not better to have the ability to mark them completed and then adjust inventory.
If I understand your issue, this is done already. Raw material inventory item A can be used to produce as many different finished goods as you like. Or, it can also be sold on its own. Inventory items are defined independently of how they are purchased, sold, or consumed in production.
Your suggestion would probably cause more problems than it would solve. Suppose you have 100 units of item A on hand. You create a production order to build 75 units of finished good B, which includes 1 unit of A. The next day you want to create another production order for 50 units of B. Currently, the program would show you only have 25 units of A available. So you would know you need to purchase more before you can finish the second production order. If the units were left unobligated in inventory for the several-day production process, you would think you could complete the second production order without knowing you needed to buy more of item A.
The only time the current system might cause a problem is if you wanted to make a physical stock count while a production order was still being worked on. However, knowing that you have some production orders that take several days, you need to incorporate a process in your physical inventory verification process to adjust for work in progress. This is quite common. A custom field for production orders could help you keep track of their status.
Thanks Tut
I don’t think I explained myself properly but that’s OK - I was after a report to show how much raw materials are required to complete the productions orders to check that I have enough of them. But I think I have figured out a way. I have created a location called Production where the production orders are located and another location for the raw materials on hand so I can compare them. I have a separate business (in Manager) just for Inventory so am not concerned with the ledger side of things.
Fear not. You explained yourself very clearly. The fact is, Manager is not as sophisticated as you would like at tracking work in progress. The program is an accounting system, not a complete enterprise resource planning system. Accounting is about recording what has happened, not managing what is underway.