Items and stock

The item record provides the shared identity for products, component lines and production materials. Item code and name identify the record; item type distinguishes materials, components and finished goods. Unit and standard cost give planning context, while Active indicates whether the item remains in current use. A BOM product and a BOM component both reference this same item model.

Each inventory balance separates item, location and lot number from on-hand quantity and reserved quantity. Production Planner can inspect the recorded stock position before releasing work, and Production Operator can match a material issue to the intended item and lot. The issue workflow validates and posts the issue. Agree stock maintenance with the person responsible for the balance source.

• Stable item identity. Resolve imported item codes to the intended item record before creating BOM revisions or component lines. Similar names should prompt an identity check so the structure and the stock position refer to the same component.
• Location and lot. Keep location and lot number visible beside the item. Stock in a different location or lot needs an operating decision before it becomes the material an operator identifies on material issues.
• Separate quantities. Read on-hand quantity and reserved quantity as separate recorded values. Agree who maintains these values and how the team reconciles them with its chosen stock source.

Choose the owner of inventory balances and the cutover date for the initial load. If an external warehouse system owns stock, define the item and location mapping and a reconciliation routine before synchronizing it. The stock owner must be able to explain which source produced each balance; check the balance against the actual issue and receipt evidence.

Agree item units across component lines, purchasing and material issues. Use the same agreed unit basis in the item and component records. Standard cost is an item reference value, while the unit cost on a supplier order line describes a supplier line. Decide how each value is maintained and what source supports it before comparing costs.

Load an example component with stock in a stores location and a separate line for the same item in a production location. Give each its own lot number and compare on-hand quantity with reserved quantity. Ask Production Planner which recorded lot should supply the run and ask Production Operator to identify that lot when preparing the material issue.

Post an eligible material issue using a positive quantity. Then inspect inventory balances with the stock owner and reconcile the issue against the balance source. If the stock connection updates the balance, reconcile the returned source result. If the team maintains the balance manually, rehearse the responsible person’s correction routine and preserve the issue as separate evidence. Also try the wrong item reference during data preparation and confirm it is corrected before the production team relies on the structure.

• Item stock balances — Positive on-hand balances with reserved quantities, location and lot.
• Draft component structure — The component identity used by the assembly.
• Draft material issues — The item and lot about to be posted against work.

Review order and supply preparation, then production to quality release. Define any external balance source in integrations.