How Traceability Simplifies Item Management
Many wholesale distributors carry like products with only slight variations in size, style, or other attributes. These small variants result in hundreds or thousands of combinations of unique items. Managing extensive product portfolios of like items is tricky. It is difficult to tell products apart during order entry, picking, or other activities. It is equally challenging to manage costs, pricing, and other details with so many similar products. In this guide, we discuss how traceability simplifies item management.
Acumatica matrix items simplify item creation using combinations of attributes and values. They also streamline the sales and purchasing processes for product families with flexible options for order entry. Acumatica Distribution Edition includes kitting, lot and serial control, flexible units of measure, and expiration dates for additional management of complex and variable items.
MATRIX ITEMS
Manage Items Using Attributes
Acumatica matrix items automate and streamline item creation, sales, and purchasing processes for product families using item attributes and values. Matrix items start with a master SKU or template. Each attribute has options that define the characteristics of the unique inventory item. Following are common attributes and options:
- Size or Dimension
- Material or Grade
- Product Composition
- Color or Style
- Manufacturer or Model Year
- Packaging
Templates expedite item creation by providing default values for order fulfillment, purchasing, stocking, and general ledger settings. You can mask part numbers using attribute values, a fixed number of characters for each item segment, and separators such as dashes. This process creates “smart part numbers” that are unique, meaningful, and easy to find. You can remove unavailable combinations before item creation. For example, a distributor may only carry extra-small shirts in black and extra-large in blue and red. Use matrix and table views of related products for purchasing and sales order entry.
KITTING & DISASSEMBLY
Create Kits with Advanced Disassembly Features
Wholesale distributors in most industries manage kits of components assembled, stocked, and sold together. Distributors often preassemble kits to stock for order fulfillment. In other cases, they sell the kit and pick the components during the fulfillment process. Distributors often include non-stock items in kits to accommodate labor, instructions, or manuals.
Many distributors break kits down into their base components. For example, an electronics distributor may buy computers. They break the computers down into their components and sell them individually. The disassembly process may result in the loss or damage of kit components. For example, a part may be clipped to another part in the kit. Removing the part may damage the clip resulting in the loss of the second part.
Drop us a line on 011 792 9521, so we can guide you further on how manufacturing traceability simplifies item management.