Raw materials, packaging and finished goods items

Every material you use and every product you make must exist as an Item. Good item setup makes recipes, work orders and stock counts correct. Do this before you write your first BOM.

Before you start

• Read Items, item groups and units of measure for the basic item form.
• Agree item names with the store and production teams. Use the name people say on the floor.

Three kinds of items

Steps

Create a raw material or packaging item

1. Go to Stock > Item and click + Add Item.
2. Enter the Item Code and Item Name, for example "Corn grits".
3. Choose the Item Group, for example "Raw Material".
4. Set the Default Unit of Measure, for example Kg. This is the unit you count and cost in.
5. Make sure Maintain Stock is ticked.
6. Click Save.
7. In Units of Measure, add the unit you buy in, for example UOM = Bag, Conversion Factor = 50.
8. In Item Defaults, set the Default Warehouse, for example "Raw Materials - EF".
9. If you track lots, tick Has Batch No and Has Expiry Date, and enter Shelf Life In Days.
10. Click Save.

Create a finished good item

1. Create the item as above, for example "Corn snack 50 g, cheese", Item Group "Products".
2. Set the Default Unit of Measure to Pack. Add UOM = Carton, Conversion Factor = 48.
3. Set the Default Warehouse to "Finished Goods - EF".
4. Tick Has Batch No and Has Expiry Date. Enter Shelf Life In Days, for example 180.
5. To get batch numbers automatically, tick Automatically Create New Batch and enter a Batch Number Series, for example CHS-.#####.
6. Click Save.

Good to know

• Make one item per flavour and pack size. "Corn snack 50 g, cheese" and "Corn snack 50 g, chilli" are two items with two BOMs.
• Choose the stock unit with care. A recipe in Kg needs the raw material in Kg (or a conversion). Changing the unit after stock exists is hard.
• Decide Has Batch No before the first stock arrives. It cannot easily be changed later.
• Include Item In Manufacturing must stay ticked for raw materials and packaging, or they will not be picked up from the BOM.
• After your first BOM exists, the item shows it as Default BOM in the Manufacturing section.

Related

• Items, item groups and units of measure
• Batches and expiry dates
• Recipes: bill of materials (BOM)