Correct, we follow the process pretty closely to how Epicor sets it out for full physicals. I think cycle counts are currently done manually (individual qty adjustments), but our materials guys are planning on fully implementing the cycle count process in Epicor this year.
We stop all material transactions in Epicor and then generate and print our count sheets the morning of the count after any catch-up transactions have been entered. Then we don’t allow any transactions until all of our counts are posted back to inventory. We tried generating tags the day before, but got burned by the same issue @Mark_Wonsil pointed out, where parts moved into new bins and didn’t have tags with correct frozen inventory, so our counts ended up inflated.
We have count teams of two people count pre-defined sections of our warehouses and then reconcile in Excel spreadsheets. These are then sent to me and a couple other data-entry users who use the dashboard to upload our counts into Epicor. The trickiest part of this is making sure the tag ID numbers match up with the part/bin combinations during the upload; sometimes our counters like to sort their spreadsheets and don’t always keep the tag ID in the right spot.
Edit to expand on the blank tag problem:
If you generate tags before the count starts and before you tell everyone to stop transacting, say Tag 1 is for 10 pieces Part A in Bin B. After generating the tag but before freezing inventory, you move all of part A to bin C. Now you freeze inventory and Tag 1 saves 0 as the frozen inventory qty. The quantity in bin C doesn’t have a tag so it isn’t saving that 10 pieces on hand. During entry, you create a blank tag for the parts in bin C and enter 10. Blank tags have a “starting” quantity of zero, so when you go to post, Epicor sees:
Tag 1: 0 pieces frozen, 0 pieces counted => 0 adjustment
Tag 2 (blank): 0 pieces frozen, 10 pieces counted => +10 adjustment
Now you have your on hand quantity after you post your counts being the 10 on hand you had, plus the 10 from the quantity adjustment, so now Epicor thinks you have 20 pieces of Part A in inventory, when you really only have 10 (and you only counted 10).
Because of the audits to our cycle count system, we don’t do a wall-to-wall physical. When we count, I dump the tags to a web app that we do the counts on (Android tablets) and then paste the counts directly into the Count Tag program.
However, this would be an ideal place to have a mobile app that uses REST to update the counts in the system. It’s on our list but not high enough to replace the current system.
You can do paste insert directly in Count tag entry also. That is what we do. One issue we have with Tag entry in Epicor is that it does not accept the same part and lot number combination in a bin more than once. For example we enter a tag with PartA,Bin1,LotA,qty 10 and then try to enter a tag with PartA,Bin1,LotA, qty 20. We get an error message saying the part lot number combination already exists in Bin1. This makes it unusable for us since our bins are designed to hold more than one pallet and each we have more than one pallet of the same part and lot in the same bin. So we have to do all the summarizing outside in access and excel and then paste the data from excel directly in the list view of Count Tag entry.
Another pain with Tag’s is the tag number is a string, not a number. And it has leading zeros. So if you’re using an Excel file to temporarily hold the tag counts and then want to Copy & Paste into Count Entry, make sure the column in the Excel file has for the Tag Num, is formatted as “Text”, else the leading zeros get stripped off.
That’s good to know Vinay. Fortunately, we have unique lots in bins (at present), so we shouldn’t encounter that specific problem, but it is definitely helpful to be aware of this.
Quick question, folks… we want to (live) test this process before fully ‘jumping in’. We have a manual cycle count coming up in 3 weeks and want to run it side-by-side with the Epicor process. For this limited test, I don’t believe I have to “Initialize Last Cycle Count Dates”, as I will manually select the parts to count.
The question: Can I run the “Initialize last cycle count dates” more than once? The documentation says I should not, once we start cycle counting. This makes sense to maintain the cycles and dates, but if I want to start over, can I consider this program my “Start over button”? Is there anything else I need to consider once we start “for real”?
I ask because the documentation is rather emphatic about not re-running that program.
Hello,
We went Live in Feb and are about to do a full physical.
I find the instructions confusing but would be very interested to see your “solid instructions”.
I need to get my head around it as you say
Thanks in advance
Welcome @AGW!
Look above as there are a few documents posed by myself and others that you can download and adapt to your process. Also, do some searching on the site - as I’ve seen some other docs floating around and even recently a post on cycle counting where one of us created a whole new menu structure to put all the cycle counting menu items in one place (and since full physicals are just a subtype of cycle counting…)
Attached is a file giving the steps for physical inventory. I got it from somewhere on this or another group. It is for E9 but the basic process remains the same.
How do you find an un posted Cycle Count Group? We have a part that the system will not allow us to Cycle because it is assigned to another open group.
There was a lot of good feedback on Phyical and Cycle count in this thread - I can only add my one tip.
Make a separate menu structure for the cycle/physical setup.
Every client that I train on Cycle counting - I setup the menu to help cleanup how one goes through the counting process.
@Mark_Wonsil Just taking quick look at the help it mentions that after the first time you generate your tags you can go back in and the Blank Tags Only checkbox becomes active, you can then generate subsequent blank tags to pickup parts that have SOH. But are you saying if you skipped parts in the Initialize Physical because you unchecked the include 0 QOH checkbox, and you then found product you needed to print a blank tag for add the qty to it then during posting it increase by the counted amount in increases qty by the current SOH + the counted amount… I guess it’s a moot point if the current inventory is 0…and it should work as designed???
Maybe the question is what are the scenarios you wouldn’t get a tag record when the QOH is > 0?
