Is there a way in Vantage to have MRP automatically pick an approved
substitute part? Specifically, we have some internal specs we call out
for materials. We will never purchase the part with said spec part
number. We'd like MRP to automatically pick from the approved
substitutes (actually the materials dictated by the spec) based on
stock, price, etc.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I second the question - I have recently encountered that exact issue. The present version of the BOM lists a military specification sheet, followed immediately by the commercial part number we actually purchase as a 'substitute part', and requires a quantity of X of each part. A human inspecting it can quickly see what's going on, but MRP doesn't, and Vantage doesn't allow a zero quantity per parent in the engineering of a part. So I wind up with twice as many transformers as I actually use. I'll spare the details, but I think I'm not going to be allowed to not show all the relevant part numbers on the BOM [future tense because I'm still implementing]. The first cut was to put a single unit of one part into inventory and consume it at a rate of .000001 unit per parent unit, which will outlast the number of these things that we build, but it's not an elegant solution.
Lynn Thomas
Senior Engineer
SAIC
317-357-4041 X255
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> I second the question - I have recently encountered that exact issue. The
> present version of the BOM lists a military specification sheet, followed
> immediately by the commercial part number we actually purchase as a
> 'substitute part', and requires a quantity of X of each part. A human
> inspecting it can quickly see what's going on, but MRP doesn't, and
> Vantage doesn't allow a zero quantity per parent in the engineering of a
> part. So I wind up with twice as many transformers as I actually use. I'll
> spare the details, but I think I'm not going to be allowed to not show all
> the relevant part numbers on the BOM [future tense because I'm still
> implementing]. The first cut was to put a single unit of one part into
> inventory and consume it at a rate of .000001 unit per parent unit, which
> will outlast the number of these things that we build, but it's not an
> elegant solution.
This might be a case where you could use a Phantom part/bill. If you check
the Phantom box on your Specification Part then add the actual part
underneath it (Pull as Assembly I think), MRP will only see the part being
ordered. Note that the job will only show the parts and not the spec part,
so you may want to note the spec part in the part description.
Vic's request is tougher if one has to pick from among several substitute
parts. I think that's asking a bit too much from MRP. You could make these
spec parts purchase direct and then the purchasing agent would have to
fulfill the requirements. For some government work, this may even be
desirable if all of the material should get charged to a single job.
I had it set up as a phantom, but for other, related reasons I won't
be permitted to do that, either. I uncheked the 'Process MRP' box on
the part master records, and made them all non-stock and non-quantity
bearing, but that doesn't seem to have an effect.
It's a government contract, and the engineers want to see certain
things. Trying to change their minds on some points is a waste of
oxygen. [Please note, I say this w/o hostility; I _was_ a government
type once. The requirements can sometimes be really strange.]
Now back to figuring out if splitting purchase orders will work for
another quirk of government work.
Thanks!
Lynn
--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, "Mark Wonsil" <mark_wonsil@...> wrote:
>
> > I second the question - I have recently encountered that exact
issue. The present version of the BOM lists a military specification
sheet, followed immediately by the commercial part number we actually
purchase as a 'substitute part', and requires a quantity of X of each
part. A human inspecting it can quickly see what's going on, but MRP
doesn't, and Vantage doesn't allow a zero quantity per parent in the
engineering of a part. So I wind up with twice as many transformers as
I actually use. I'll spare the details, but I think I'm not going to
be allowed to not show all the relevant part numbers on the BOM
[future tense because I'm still implementing]. The first cut was to
put a single unit of one part into inventory and consume it at a rate
of .000001 unit per parent unit, which will outlast the number of
these things that we build, but it's not an elegant solution.
>
> This might be a case where you could use a Phantom part/bill. If you
check the Phantom box on your Specification Part then add the actual
part underneath it (Pull as Assembly I think), MRP will only see the
part being ordered. Note that the job will only show the parts and not
the spec part, so you may want to note the spec part in the part
description.
>
> Vic's request is tougher if one has to pick from among several
substitute parts. I think that's asking a bit too much from MRP. You
could make these spec parts purchase direct and then the purchasing
agent would have to fulfill the requirements. For some government
work, this may even be desirable if all of the material should get
charged to a single job.
>
> Mark W.
>