Stock Control Management

Introduction | Warehouses | Locations
Stock Balance Messages | Serial Numbers | Allocation | Delivery

Introduction

The Stock Control Management module allows the website's administrator(s) to:

• Manage 'Warehouses' - These are distinct buildings or 'branches' where stock is kept.
• Manage 'Locations' - These are individual locations where stock items are kept.
• Manage 'Location Types' - These define the sorts of locations that are available, i.e. their size, capacity, access requirements etc.
• Manage 'Stock' - Within the Locations manager, you can add, delete, move and serialise your stock (i.e. allocate serial numbers to individual items).
• Define sets of 'Stock Balance Messages' - You can define any number of sets of messages to show at different stock levels.
• Allocate Stock to Orders - within the Orders manager, you can easily allocate which location to allocate stock from.
• Generate a Picking List - You can get to a picking list for an order from within the Orders manager. Click on the 'Pick List' link in the Order Lines table heading.
• Manage Stock Transactions - You can view, edit and delete stock transactions (i.e. stock movements to and from locations). Stock transaction logging can be disabled in the Settings.

Warehouses

Warehouses are distinct buildings or 'branches' where stock is kept. O3 can track stock in any number of warehouses, but it can only allocate stock to orders from the designated 'Web Warehouse' as defined in the settings. This is the way most businesses work, but if it's a problem it can be modified.

You manage your warehouses in the Warehouses Manager. It's pretty self explanatory. Note that most of the fields are there for your information - they are not used by O3. The only field that's actually required by O3 is the warehouse name.

Locations

Locations are where your stock is kept. You can define every location individually if you want to make full use of the SCM functionality, or you can define a single location where everything is kept. It's up to you.

Location Types allow you to define the dimensions, load and access requirements (i.e. ladder) for locations. You allocate types to locations in the Locations manager.

The Locations Manager allows you to add, edit, and delete your locations. It also list all the stock in the currently selected location, and allows you to edit it directly. You can add, update and delete stock easily, and all stock changes are automatically recorded and visible in the Stock Transactions Manager.

As usual, there are extensive filtering options so you can find the stock or locations that you want easily. Just click the 'Filter' button to make them visible.

Stock Balance Messages

In the Stock Messages Manager you can define any number of sets of messages to show at different stock levels.

You can define a default set for the website as a whole in the Settings, and then this can be overidden for individual products by setting the name in the 'Stock Messages' field.

For example. You might set up a default set of messages like this:

The stock level and stock message for each product is displayed in the Products Manager - in the Details section.

Serial Numbers

Some stock needs to be individually tracked by serial number. To enable this for a product, check the 'Serialed' checkbox in the 'More Options' section of the product's details.

Typically, serial numbers will be allocated to orders when they are picked - because you don't usually know which one's at the top until you open the box. In any event, serial numbers can be easily allocated to stock by typing in a comma-separated list of serial numbers in the 'Serial' box for the Stock.

As many serials as you type in are allocated to the stock, and when you click 'Update Stock' you'll see the stock becomes separated out so serialled products are shown on their own.

Allocation

Stock can be easily allocated to orders from the Orders Manager.

The Order Line table has an 'Allocation' switch. If this is clicked, then all locations containing appropriate free stock is displayed below each order line. You allocate which location to allocate stock from by ticking which ones to use, then clicking 'Change Allocation'.

You can change the allocation as much as you want prior to delivery.

When stock is allocated is it no longer considered to be 'free' stock so the amount of stock available to other orders drops.

The order details show what percentage of the order is allocated at any time. For example:
Invoice: 217038a (In Progress) 100 % Allocated

Delivery

When the 'Deliver Order' button is clicked in the Orders Manager, the following things happen:

• If the order is not fully allocated, an error is displayed and nothing else happens.
• The order status is set to 'Delivered'
• The stock is deleted from it's locations