Is there a quick way to select an alternate part during Order entry?
If the original P/N is inactive, you get the option to use the default alternate:
Selecting Yes will enter the alternate P/N into the form. And life is good.
But if the old P/N is just set to run out, but not yet inactive, you get:
Selecting OK loads the old P/N. Not good. Any way to quickly replace that old P/N with its alternate?
Preferably something the user can just do, as opposed to creating a BPM.
I haven’t tested this yet, so correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t run out check if there is any in stock, and if not, switch out the part number?
Edit: and that’s how I think it works in job entry. I haven’t messed with order entry much, so it may be different there.
But my main goal is to stop creating demand for the part that is being phased out.
We’re in the process of transitioning to a new P/N format, and the “alternate” we’ve setup up for the old P/N’s is actually an exact equivalent. We can’t make the old P/N inactive until there is no demand. But if it keeps getting added to orders, it could linger forever.
As soon as the old part has no demand, we move the QOH to the new P/N and make the old one inactive (manual process at the moment).
EDIT:
Some of our customers get real nit picky if the packer or invoice don’t match the original order. So changing the P/N on existing orders is not allowed.
If you do this, then the runout can help you stop making demand. You will end up with negative inventory on the existing orders, you would have to transfer back the amount needed. (a pain)
Since you have a problem with when the actual switch gets thrown, and the runout box isn’t smart enough to handle existing allocations, I think that a BPM to prevent new lines with the part numbers might be the best way around this. Assuming this is a one time event of changing part numbers.
It is a one time event. And we’re down to under 50 “old” parts.
I made a pretty neat BAQ to show the old parts, with their QOH, # of bins, where demand exists, if the new part’s Cost is diff, etc… [ pats self on the back ]
But as you can see by the 2nd row, there was usage just the other day (probably from a job that was created a few weeks ago) 
One thing on letting the old P/N go negative and then cleaning that up, is that Accounting is adamant about there being no net change to inventory value. This requires doing cost adjusts if the costs differ, before doing any inventory transactions.
This alone will cause a net change in inventory. When you adjust cost, it minuses all of the inventory at the old cost, then plusses it up at the new cost. You will have a net change…
I’m managing it by making sure the inventory value of the Old plus the new, remains constant
Ex: Moving inventory of XYZPDQ -> RM-0001
XYZPDQ has a QOH of 75, with an average cost of 1.00 each
RM-0001 has a QOH of 100, with an average cost of 1.50 each
Total val of inventory before move is (75 x $1.00 + 100 x $1.50) = $225
since the total QOH is 175, this makes a unit cost of $1.2857.
After decrementing the old to zero, and incrementing the new by that amount, I do a CST-ADJ on the new P/N from $1.50 each to $1.2857
I make sure to use the same reason code for the Qty Adj’s and Cost Adj, so the same variance account is used. After all is said and done, the credits and debits to inventory net to zero. Same goes for the Variance account.
Yikes, that sounds like a pain. But, yeah, that works.
I see 2 options.
BPM to stop new demand. You can probably also make it change it automatically if you get fancy.
set all of the old inventory to 0 and rely on the runout checkbox and to the cost adjustments. You could make a dashboard that looks at those parts and when it see no more demand, you could do it once, but you would have to live with inventory being spread over 2 parts numbers until you have no demand.
That’s all I got…
This is what we’re currently doing, with the end goal of making the “old” P/N’s inactive.
The real topic of this thread was finding an easy way for order entry people to select the alternate part, after being warned that it is on run out.
Over 2 part numbers with the old number going negative is the difference between what I am suggesting and what you are currently doing. If you get the old part number quantity to 0, the runout box ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ should do what you want.
Understood. But new orders can be entered for the old P/N while QOH exists.
Since we must ship and invoice based on the pn on the order, we’d need to fulfill that part as such. Which means we’d need to purchase more. Even if we purchase the exact amount of the old to fulfill the existing orders, new orders could still be entered, creating new demand.
I think a BPM that throws an exception is in order.
It seems that the easiest solution is to have the user click OK in the “Warning” dialog (which will load the old p/n as you said) and then click the substitute part button immediately adjacent to the rev field to display a list of substitute alternate parts for the old p/n. That method fits your preference for “something the user can just do”, it’s immediate, and it’s EASY (except for the diva user who will complain… "You mean I need to click another button?!? Can’t you just program something for me?!?). Is there some reason why that can’t work?
I didn’t know that was there! That will be helpful.
Not that i didn’t think it would work, but more so because I didn’t know it existed !
Thanks
How can this be done in Kinetic? I don’t see the button for Alternate part on the screen or in the overflow menu?
** Moved to New Topic below **
