Modules:Inventory Status

This feature is available starting from 3.0PR17Q3.

Integrations

The Inventory Status functionality is fully integrated with both Advanced Warehouse Operations and Advanced Warehouse operations for Manufacturing.

Group of Inventory- and Supply Chain Management functionalities

The complete set of functionalities that form the Supply Chain Suite are:

• Enhancements in the Supply Chain concerning PLANNING & EXECUTION of INCOMING INVENTORY:
  • (17Q3) Distribution Orders. Integration aspects (configuration & operation) with Advanced Warehouse Operations are covered in this Wiki.
  • FairShare and Push-Planning

• Enhancements in the Supply Chain concerning MANAGEMENT of IN-HOUSE INVENTORY:
  • (16Q4) Advanced Warehouse Operations for Manufacturing
  • (17Q1) Unit of Measure Conversions. Integration aspects (configuration & operation) with Advanced Warehouse Operations are covered in this Wiki.
  • (17Q3) Inventory Status. Integration aspects (configuration & operation) with Advanced Warehouse Operations are covered in this Wiki.
  • (17Q4) Advanced Warehouse Operations, including mobile inventory procedures.
  • (18Q2) Referenced Inventory. Integration aspects (configuration & operation) with Advanced Warehouse Operations are covered in this Wiki.
  • (18Q2) Controlled Attribute Change.

• Enhancements in the Supply Chain concerning PLANNING & EXECUTION of OUTGOING INVENTORY:
  • (17Q3) Distribution Orders. Integration aspects (configuration & operation) with Advanced Warehouse Operations are covered in this Wiki.
  • Vehicle and Transport management

Configuration

Once the Openbravo instance has been updated to any release starting from 3.0PR17Q3, Inventory Status will be available and configured.

By default, all the Bins will be in and undefined Inventory Status. There are two possibilities:

• Undefined. Available and Nettable, but not possible to go to Over Issue.
• Undefined OverIssue. Available and Nettable and possible to go to Over Issue.

The initial status of the Bins will depend on the previous configuration of the Client. For those clients which were configured to Allow Negative Stock, the Undefined OverIssue Inventory Status will be set. For the rest, it will be the Undefined Inventory Status. More information about the Allow Negative Stock can be found here

Functionality

Definition: The Inventory Status concept enhances the inventory management of Openbravo by adding the dimensions for Available, Nettable, and OverIssue to the storage bin and all stock in this bin has the same Inventory Status. The semantics of the Inventory Status refers to the condition of a specific inventory and can be configured. See here a few examples.

The master data for inventory status is maintained on system-level and the most typical values come predefined with the Openbravo dataset. It is possible to add new and/or translate existing inventory status.

The various Inventory Status values that are supplied with the installation of the software.

The inventory status allows or disallows certain business processes.

• Ability to create/modify/delete Inventory Status with the following attributes:
  • Available: Inventory that is available for reservations and picking.
  • Nettable: Inventory that is available for planning of future supply (MRP).
  • OverIssue: Inventory that is allowed to go negative during the Issue of stock (not during the picking).
    • Note: It is not possible to go to negative if there are reservations against a particular stock. The reservation is always respected, regardless of the inventory status.
• Add a Inventory Status value to each location or bin record.
• Add the possibility to manually update the Inventory Status of a Storage Detail by moving it to a virtual, AdHoc created, bin with that status in the Advanced Warehouse Operations module.
• A new process that identifies affected reservations when a change of the inventory status reduces/increases the quantity available. (Once identified, the relevant users could receive an alert about the consequence of the change in availability).

Inventory Status Change

It is possible to check the Inventory Status of a Storage Bin and also to modify it. This can be done through the Warehouse and Storage Bins Window.

By selecting a Storage Bin in this Window, it is possible to check it's current Inventory Status

Current Inventory Status of a Storage Bin

Also, by selecting a Storage Bin, a new button named Change Status appears. By clicking on it, it is possible to select a different Inventory Status for the selected Storage Bin

There are some restrictions though:

• If there are existing Reservations against the Stock of the Storage Bin, this Storage Bin can not be changed to an Inventory Status that does not have the Available flag checked
• If there is negative stock in the Storage Bin, it is not possible to change the Inventory Status to one that does not have the Over Issue flag checked

Change Inventory Status of selected Storage Bin

Use Cases

Available

1. I have stock in my receiving area/bin that just arrived from a supplier.
2. This stock needs to be counted and visually checked before I put it to storage. So I don't want this stock to be available for reservations nor for picking until after my visual check.
3. I assign the Inventory Status "Receipts" that has the flag Available=false.
4. The flag Availble=false will prevent this stock from reservations and picking.

Nettable

1. The same stock that I have in the Receiving area is normally correct. Let's say that less than 1% I find the wrong quantity or quality.
2. So for planning / MRP purposes this stock is valid and should be taken into account when calculating.
3. Therefore, the Inventory Status "Receipts" has flag Nettable=true.

OverIssue

The traditional use case is in Manufacturing:

1. To complete my operation I need 10kg of cleaned carrots.
2. I have exactly 10kg in stock and I generate an AWO-task for them.
3. While doing the operation my machine blocks and I have to waste 1,5kg of cleaned carrots.
4. While fixing the machine, a colleague brought me another 10kg of cleaned carrots but did not yet inform the system about it.
5. To finish my operation I still need 10kg of cleaned carrots so I finally will consume 11,5kg.
6. I put 11,5kg instead of 10kg in the consumption of carrots.
7. If the Inventory Status (of the picked bin!) allows OverIssue, I will consume with the ISS-WE transaction 11,5kg and leave the stock at -1,5kg.
8. In the meanwhile my colleague informed the system about the other 10kg. The stock is now at 8,5kg of cleaned carrots.
9. If the Inventory Status does not allow it, I will get an error message telling me that I can only issue 10kg.
10. Later I have to do a stock adjustment.

A use case in Retail:

1. A client comes to the check-out with 11,5kg of cleaned carrots.
2. But according to my system there is only 10kg in the Internal Routing Area assigned to the WebPOS.
3. Still, the client is here in front of me and the scale says clearly 11,5kg! The system obviously is wrong...
4. I put 11,5kg in the WebPOS and it generates a task.
5. Note that the WebPOS does not do Picking: The customer already did the picking! The WebPOS does an Issue for sales (subtype?) because it consumes rather than picks.
6. If the Inventory Status allows OverIssue in the bin of the cleaned carrots, I sell 11,5kg and my stock will show -1,5kg.
7. If it is not allowed, I will see an error message telling me that I can sell 10kg maximum.

Examples

Examples of inventory status values, without the intention to be complete:

• Available (YYN -> Available, Nettable, Not OverIssue, Owned/Not-Owned) can be set for all inventory that is free to be picked, for sales, production or any other purpose.
• In Transit (NYN) is not free to be sold or shipped but is expected within a limited time and for that, we will take it into account for planning.
• Quarantine or Blocked (NNN) is not available nor nettable since we expect a larger duration of this status.
• Inspect (NYN) is also not available but is expected to be freed in a limited time and for that reason visible for planning/MRP.
• BackFlush (YYY) will allow going negative due to unexpected waste in manufacturing environments.
• Public (YYY) will allow going negative due to unexpected stock in public picking areas.

Note: the inventory status in no sense has an effect on the inventory value.