Part Serialization & Using Serialized Parts on Purchase Orders or Counter Sales
This article will go into detail on how to serialize parts and the logic that's applied when using these parts on purchase orders or counter sales.
Setting up parts to be serialized
Creating the Part
The first thing we'll need to do is go to Parts > Part Master > New Part (If you want to serialize an already existing part you can skip to step "Initializing Serial Numbers")
The only fields we need to have entered are Part #, Description, Stocking UOM, Product Group, Cost, & Costing Method. We've gone and created the part BRAKE30. After you've created the part we'll need to update the on-hand to serialize it. This can be done in one of a few ways, The most common method would be ordering and receiving the part (This can be seen below or on the article here The amount received will be the number of unique serial numbers for that part.
On the Part Master screen you can also select the part and on the screen where you'd select "More Info" you can press "Update" to manually increase or decrease the on-hand.
If you do not currently have the part in stock, you can also order and receive it through the parts > order parts option. For more information on how to order and receive parts, please refer to the article available here.
Initializing Serial Numbers
Now that the part has an on-hand above zero we can initialize the serialization, We'll want to open the part and press "More Info" then on the "Settings" tab we want to press "Initialize Serial Numbers",
To add serial numbers to these parts we select "Add" and we'll see a screen where we add a serial number and a cost.
Please remember that each serialized part will have its own unique serial number and cost, which may still be influenced by parts contracts. The unit cost reflects the cost of each individual part instance and is subject to contract terms independently.
Additionally, it is crucial to note that in order to serialize parts, there must be a positive on-hand quantity at the specific warehouse where you are setting up serialization. If a warehouse has a zero on-hand quantity, you will not be able to serialize the part.
Once we've added serial numbers for each part we can press Initialize to finalize the setup process.
If we go back to the settings screen for
BRAKE30 we'll then see "View Serial Numbers On Hand" rather than "Initialize Serial Numbers". Opening this screen you'll see each unique instance of the part and there individual serial numbers/costs. You can also select a serial number from this screen to change it's serial number or cost.
Ordering & Receiving Serialized Parts
Ordering Serialized Parts
The first screen we'll want to go is Parts > Order Parts > Order from Vendor. Then we'll need to select the warehouse and vendor. As mentioned in the setup section each serialized part will be attached to a specific warehouse, rather than being available across the board.
After we select the warehouse we'll see the purchase order screen, From here we want to search for our part BRAKE30. At this point the part works like most other parts when ordering, you don't need to add the unique serial number until receiving. The main differential is the term "[Serialized]" under the part #. You can press order once you've added all parts you need to,
Receiving Serialized Parts
Then we'll want to go to Parts> Receive Parts and find the purchase order we just made. Once we find this purchase order we can open it and press "Receive Parts". This then brings up the Inventory Receiving screen, this then brings up the most important part of ordering serialized parts, adding the serial number. We'll see it as it's own field on the part line, with every instance of the part being ordered having it's own line. Much like the initial serialization we'll also need to enter a unique cost associated to this instance of the part.
For this example we'll also add a part through the receiving, increasing the number of BRAKE30 being purchased to 2. The part on the second line was added through the receiving.
Once we've filled in the mandatory fields (Serial Number + Unit Cost) we can then receive these parts. If we go back to Parts > Part Master > BRAKE30 > Settings and open up the "View Serial Numbers On Hand" screen we'll see the new parts we've just received with there respective serial numbers and unit cost.
Counter Sales with Serialized Parts
Now that we have added serial numbers to this part we can use it as we would any other part, first we'll look at counter sales.
Going to Parts > Counter Sale Manager > Add New Counter Sale. We'll then need to choose our location and customer.
On the counter sale we can add the part we created above BRAKE30, The main difference will be an additional popup screen to select the specific instance of the part.
The screen that comes up asks if you'd like to "Issue Out" the part or "Return" it. First let's look at issuing out the part. This screen shows you the serial number and the date the part was received into the system, we'll select the ones we want to sell by checking off the checkbox on the right side and pressing "Issue Selected"
Once the part has been issued you'll see the cost has changed, this will be based off of the customers part contract or your companies default part contract. Unless you need to add any further parts to this counter sale you can now invoice it. You can also expand a part on the counter sale by selecting the small arrow on the right side, This shows the serial number and on-hand for this part,
Now we can go through the process of returning a part on a counter sale. Going through the same process of Parts > Counter Sale Manager > Add New Counter Sale we'll want to create a similar setup as seen above. The main difference being we will select "Return" on the "Select Serial Numbers" screen. From here we need to add a serial number, unit cost and we are also given an optional notes field.
Once you've added each part you'd like to return you can press "Return Serial Numbers", Then unless you need to add other parts to this counter sale you can invoice it.
