changing to bins

[wwwedward]

Does anyone have any advice in moving macola inventory management from stocked, controlled, at the location level toooo stocked, controlled, mutli-bin, soft-allocation?


no serial/lots, we use p/o,o/e,i/m w advanced distribution.


7.6.200.5 sql 2000

thanks

 

[kscheeler]

I wrote up the following information when turning on bins at a couple of my clients. I hope it helps.

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Before turning on multi bins, you want to make sure nothing is ‘in process’ That includes:

* Orders that have been selected for billing but not posted.
* Unposted physical count tags.
* Items in Receiving Inspection or MRB locations.

Also, you do not want people doing any processing that will affect the quantity on hand for any item in the system while you are turning on bin control.

Item Control table – IMCTLFIL_SQL

You need to check the box on the 3rd page of IM setup to allow for multi bins. If you have to do it through Access/Query Analyzer, the field is use_mult_bin_fg

Location table – IMLOCFIL_SQL

You need to check the box for multi bins for each location that you want to allow for it. The field in the table is called mult_bin_fg

Item Location table – IMINVLOC_SQL

The field mult_bin_fg needs to be set from ‘N’ to ‘Y’ for all items that you want to use bin control on. If there is quantity on hand or allocated for an item, this will have to be done through a program like Access/Query Analyzer.

Bin Master table – IMINVBIN_SQL

Either one or multiple records for each item that has a quantity on hand needs to be created in this table so the total quantity on hand for all bins for a certain item matches the quantity in the item location table. The best way to do this is in a test company, set 1 item to multi bins and then receive something in. Macola will create a bin record for you. Then review the data in the table and duplicate that for your real items that you want to convert. If SQL, and appending to the table, remember not to append to the a4glidentity field. This field will be populated automatically.

Item Serial/Lot Master table – IMLSMST_SQL

This table only needs to be looked at if you have items that are serial/lot controlled and you also want them to be bin controlled. You need to enter the bin number on any item serial/lot record that is flagged as bin controlled.

OE Order Line table – OEORDLIN_SQL

The field bin_fg needs to be updated from ‘N’ to ‘Y’ for all items that you flagged as bin controlled in the Item Location table earlier. This will have to be done through a program like Access/Query Analyzer.

OE RMA Detail table - OERDTFIL_SQL

This table only needs to be looked at if you have open RMA’s at the time you turn bins on in the system. The field oe_bin_fg needs to be updated from ‘N’ to ‘Y’ for all items that you flagged as bin controlled in the Item Location table earlier. This will have to be done through a program like Access/Query Analyzer.

Shop Floor Order table – SFORDFIL_SQL

This table only needs to be looked at if you have open shop orders at the time you turn bins on in the system. The field bin_fg needs to be updated from ‘N’ to ‘Y’ for all items that you flagged as bin controlled in the Item Location table earlier. This will have to be done through a program like Access/Query Analyzer.

Kevin Scheeler

 

[dgillz]

Have you considered using picking sequence instead of bins?

Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Exact Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports

 

[wwwedward]

We use pick seq now.. We need more detailed tracking of pallets. we hope to use soft allocation and some bar coding technology to ease the overhead of picking bins in billing etc...


Thanks kevin, I think.. We are wanting to take our entire inventory to multi-bin. Perhaps zeroing out inventory on hand and doing a count and posting might be better.. I think that would leave us with re-keying all the orders or re-importing them and setting all flags in orders detail to multi-bin. Does this flag just force u to pick bins at billing? Purchase orders would be the only other issue? Or does it matter with those detail items??

Anyway, thanks for the good information. Looks like a lot planning is called for...

 

[kscheeler]

It shouldn't be that hard to update some of those tables. You only use the PO, OE and IM modules that affect inventory.

The POORDLIN table doesn't hold a flag for a bin record. Most of the other tables in IM have to be manually done anyway like the bin flag in the IM control file, turning on bins in the IM location table. Behind the scenes you would activate the bin flag in the Item Location table and then manually do bin adjustments through inventory transaction processing for the items you have a qty on hand for.

In OE, I would make sure there aren't any orders that are selected for billing but unposted and then turn on the flag there behind the scene. Obviously, if you only have 5 orders in the system, you could delete them and reenter after bins were turned on in IM but that's probably not the case.

It will take a little planning to pick the right time to do it but with the modules you are using and also not using serial/lot, that will make it easier.

Kevin Scheeler

 

[wwwedward]

We would like to move to multi-bin soft allocation through a physical inventory process. Is it possible to use the count tags to create the bin records if they have not exsisted?? We would use blank tags and fill those out with the item number, bin number, qty counted.. this would be after zeroing out qunaitity on hand at location level?