We sell farm supplies, one of which is shade material. It’s purchased in multiples of 300’ (full rolls) from our supplier, and we stock it in feet (aka, purchase 6000’ of partnum CC3102). What’s the best way to create a substitute part number to sell a full 300’ of shade?
Currently it’s on the sales rep to remember to use a multiple of 300’, and apply the discount pricing, but it’d be a lot easier if they could enter one “Shade30-6Roll”, have the discounted full roll pricing applied, maintain 300’ multiples. Having a dedicated part num would make it easier to sell on the website as well, since it’s one part number.
Phantom Parts?
Sales kits?
Mfg job’s with one operation (aka shipping)?
A feature I don’t know about (very likely!)?
Sales Kit or Part Specific UOMs. Price Lists can be done by UOM with price breaks. Name the UOMs in a way that reflects it’s actual dimensions. Inventory transactions can be done in any of those UOMs and the transaction will auto convert to your IUM. What is nice with this is everyone only has to know one Part Number, and the Selling UOM will default, but Sales can click on the UOM drop down to see other UOM options.
BTW - This is how Product codes (UPC) work. There is a UPC code for each Part/UOM combination. When you buy Milk, the part number is ‘MILK’ with different UPC codes for each UOM, Gallon, Pint, Half Gallon, etc.
Part Specific UOM for sure. The Sales Kit can work too, but it requires a new part. The UOM route would allow the user to say “1 Roll” and the system does the math for you.
@Jason_Woods - I’d like to try that. This specific part is in Length UOM class, assigned ‘FT’. Part Specific UOM is greyed out on both Part Entry UOM tab and UOM Class Maintenance.
Do I enter a new UOM of ‘ROLL300’ in the length class (as well as any other length rolls that may be used?) and mark it part specific there?
If this doesn’t work as we like, Sales Kits would be the next option I’ll test.
Hmmm… It may require the Advanced Material Management license. Or it could be that the checkbox would have to have been set at setup. Honestly, I don’t know.
in a similar situation, we tried all three. Phantom was trouble, Sales Kit is ok but means you can’t capture any labor you might want to later, and adding a single operation is way less trouble than you’d think.
We do this to enable having a warehouse stock modular sub-units and sell units that could use various combinations.
Steve, do you mind explaining that? I didn’t follow what a warehouse stock modular sub-unit is. Thanks!
@Jason_Woods - We do have AMM. I’ll call into EpiCare and ask. It’ll be refreshing for a change not dealing with an intermittent bug that’s impossible to reproduce in their education database!
I found this KB article. Any risk in following the steps to allow part specific UOM? I remember that UOM changes in the past were very finicky… (but hoping that a part specific UOM would allow an alternate to be chosen - FT or ROLL).
UOM Part Specific Box Dimmed Unavailable KB0032735
Issue
Part setup has a conversion factor, and the UOM is wrong. Customer needs to change the conversion factor when the option is not available.
Resolution
Click on Inventory Management
Click on Setup
Double Click on Part Maintenance to open it
Go to Tools and select Personalization and click Yes to the Clear this form ? Note:A separate Control Properties box will open
Click back to the Part Maintenance screen
Select the UOMs tab
Click on the List tab
Click anywhere in the Part UOMs area/field
Go over to the Control Properties pop up screen and select the (Collection) drop down menu
De-Select to unhide the override check box
Click on the header of the Control Properties main window and then click on OK
Go back to the Part Maintenance screen and bring up the part that you want to change
Navigate to the UOMs tab and then the List tab
Highlight the part specific row you want to modify
Replying to myself… The sales department likes the idea of a new part number, so we’re trying the sales kit option, but I’m getting a UOM error in shipping.
The sales kit component we purchase is ‘CC3102C’ in feet. The sales kit parent ‘SHADE3010’ consists of 300’ of ‘CC3102’. I made parent part, assigned BOM to the revision, created a quote, pushed to order, released for picking, picked, and now trying to ship, but we’re getting the error of Unit of measure not found for Class:LENGTH UOM:EA.
I’m thinking I should NOT enter a UOM of EA in Class Length… Or do I need to? Should this be part-specific? Thanks guys!
At our local (virtual) Comtec EUG yesterday, Mary Cronin suggested I try using a UOM Class of ‘OTHER’ for the sales kit parent. It worked!
I created the UOM Class 'OTHER, and added UOM conversion’s of EA (Each, default), FT (Foot), and RL (Roll).
I was able sell, fulfill, and ship a sales kit where the parent UOM was OTHER:ROLL and kit component was LENGTH:FT (300 units of feet for the raw shade material).
Since UOM’s are so unforgiving after a transaction is made, does this setup make sense? One last check before I set this up in LIVE, and DMT 40 new parts.
@ckrusen - Your how-to post showed using the ‘OTHER’ class to make conversions. I tried deleting the “FT” in OTHER, but Epicor thinks there is inventory (the only part in the OTHER class is my sales kit parent, which has no inventory, and is a UOM of “ROLL”). I’m in our test environment, so no biggie. I’ll set them up with 1:1 conversions too, and make it part specific if needed later.
UOM problems are a real pain the ass. Considering all the issues caused by rigidity, I wonder why they dont use revs on UOMs, then all transactions can note what rev of UOM conversion was - seems like it would solve some issues (but obviously involves a lot of work on Epicor’s part)
