Inventory - Year End Physical Count

Yahoo Archive
1
Yeah, you have to enter in all the counts. We did it through a copy and paste update. Took forever. We did a second count a month later and just adjusted the partbin table this time around. Not the preferred method, but boy did it count down on time! A weekend process for entering in tagged inventory was reduced by more than half

1st Count
We went through the screens
--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, "Kowalski, Ed J." <ekowalski@...> wrote:
>
> We are on 9.04.506c (and loving every minute of it!) and will take the physical on 1/17/11 due to quite a few non-Epicor operational issues. We are just planning to do the physical counts on that date, updating those counts with a 1/17 date, which means posting to the January G/L, but also posting to December with a 1/1/11 reversal. We'll also make sure we have a clean trail via the material transaction reports going from 1/1 through 1/16. We have previously done physicals in early December when we were on 6.1 in previous years. We are assuming that the number of errors with part transactions in January will be immaterial, since the corrections will be posted to December rather than January.
>
> So, maybe I am missing something. If I am, please let me know.
>
> What I am not happy about is that we cannot create a count file with blank tags. The check box is grayed out. I created a case and Epicor said that I have to create a count file with part numbers first, and then I can create blank tags. But, the tags that have parts MUST be populated with counts. We have thousands of parts! When I heard this, I couldn't believe it. We have hundreds of parts with no bin location and use pre-printed blank tags. Counters are assigned sections and record part numbers and counts. Can I assume the count file can be sorted by part number such that our blank tags can be filled in and the data entry person can just look up the part, and then enter the count information and pre-printed tag number? I also understand you cannot delete the physical until you enter counts for all parts/tags created? You also cannot run the physical count variance report until all counts are entered? I am getting claustrophobic just thing about it! Can anyone on Epicor 9 enlighten me?
>
> Ed Kowalski
> Treasurer
> Morton Manufacturing Co.
> 700 Liberty Drive
> Libertyville, IL 60048
> 847-362-5400 x104
> 847-362-5434 fax
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
2
We have two sister companies that are on Vantage 8.03.407. We have a new Production Manager in our smaller company - and for some reason, unbeknownst to either the Accounting Manager or IT - he made the executive decision to do their year-end physical count AFTER December 31.

We're now spending our time trying to convince him that this is a really bad idea - but if we fail, what are the ramifications? I'm just guessing, but I assume that we'd process a "dummy" inventory, basically accepting whatever the Stock Status would show as on-hand. But what about after December 31? Do we do a physical count and journal one large adjustment back to our unclosed year? Or do we tell them to skip the physical count altogether in January 2011 - and take the "dummy" as "real" for 2010 and let it ride through to December 2011 - hoping that they'll cycle count, etc. and get their act together for 2011? What are we failing to consider???

Vantage is the first system that I've worked with where we haven't been able to leave a module open with wiggle-room for closing dates. I suppose that Vantage instills good discipline this way, but it's pretty inflexible.

Anyway - let me know your thoughts - and if you also have a strategy for dealing with Production Managers, let me know! :-)

Laraine
3
We are on 9.04.506c (and loving every minute of it!) and will take the physical on 1/17/11 due to quite a few non-Epicor operational issues. We are just planning to do the physical counts on that date, updating those counts with a 1/17 date, which means posting to the January G/L, but also posting to December with a 1/1/11 reversal. We'll also make sure we have a clean trail via the material transaction reports going from 1/1 through 1/16. We have previously done physicals in early December when we were on 6.1 in previous years. We are assuming that the number of errors with part transactions in January will be immaterial, since the corrections will be posted to December rather than January.

So, maybe I am missing something. If I am, please let me know.

What I am not happy about is that we cannot create a count file with blank tags. The check box is grayed out. I created a case and Epicor said that I have to create a count file with part numbers first, and then I can create blank tags. But, the tags that have parts MUST be populated with counts. We have thousands of parts! When I heard this, I couldn't believe it. We have hundreds of parts with no bin location and use pre-printed blank tags. Counters are assigned sections and record part numbers and counts. Can I assume the count file can be sorted by part number such that our blank tags can be filled in and the data entry person can just look up the part, and then enter the count information and pre-printed tag number? I also understand you cannot delete the physical until you enter counts for all parts/tags created? You also cannot run the physical count variance report until all counts are entered? I am getting claustrophobic just thing about it! Can anyone on Epicor 9 enlighten me?

Ed Kowalski
Treasurer
Morton Manufacturing Co.
700 Liberty Drive
Libertyville, IL 60048
847-362-5400 x104
847-362-5434 fax



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
4
Hi Ed,

You're the second source that's suggested the accrual/reversal solution - great minds think alike?

I'm not an accountant, so I'll forward this along to them. Thanks again, and I hope that you're able to resolve your tag issue...

L.


--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, "Kowalski, Ed J." <ekowalski@...> wrote:
>
> We are on 9.04.506c (and loving every minute of it!) and will take the physical on 1/17/11 due to quite a few non-Epicor operational issues. We are just planning to do the physical counts on that date, updating those counts with a 1/17 date, which means posting to the January G/L, but also posting to December with a 1/1/11 reversal. We'll also make sure we have a clean trail via the material transaction reports going from 1/1 through 1/16. We have previously done physicals in early December when we were on 6.1 in previous years. We are assuming that the number of errors with part transactions in January will be immaterial, since the corrections will be posted to December rather than January.
>
> So, maybe I am missing something. If I am, please let me know.
>
> What I am not happy about is that we cannot create a count file with blank tags. The check box is grayed out. I created a case and Epicor said that I have to create a count file with part numbers first, and then I can create blank tags. But, the tags that have parts MUST be populated with counts. We have thousands of parts! When I heard this, I couldn't believe it. We have hundreds of parts with no bin location and use pre-printed blank tags. Counters are assigned sections and record part numbers and counts. Can I assume the count file can be sorted by part number such that our blank tags can be filled in and the data entry person can just look up the part, and then enter the count information and pre-printed tag number? I also understand you cannot delete the physical until you enter counts for all parts/tags created? You also cannot run the physical count variance report until all counts are entered? I am getting claustrophobic just thing about it! Can anyone on Epicor 9 enlighten me?
>
> Ed Kowalski
> Treasurer
> Morton Manufacturing Co.
> 700 Liberty Drive
> Libertyville, IL 60048
> 847-362-5400 x104
> 847-362-5434 fax
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
5
Hi Ed,



If you have pre-printed tags then why do you want Vantage to create blank tags? I may be wrong, but I think Vantage only creates blank tags when you use the Generate Tags process. Do you not have extra pre-printed tags? Whenever I have had pre-printed tags I just skipped the Generate Tags and Print Tags process.



Regards,

Linda







From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kowalski, Ed J.
Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2010 11:53 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: [Vantage] Re: Inventory - Year End Physical Count





We are on 9.04.506c (and loving every minute of it!) and will take the physical on 1/17/11 due to quite a few non-Epicor operational issues. We are just planning to do the physical counts on that date, updating those counts with a 1/17 date, which means posting to the January G/L, but also posting to December with a 1/1/11 reversal. We'll also make sure we have a clean trail via the material transaction reports going from 1/1 through 1/16. We have previously done physicals in early December when we were on 6.1 in previous years. We are assuming that the number of errors with part transactions in January will be immaterial, since the corrections will be posted to December rather than January.

So, maybe I am missing something. If I am, please let me know.

What I am not happy about is that we cannot create a count file with blank tags. The check box is grayed out. I created a case and Epicor said that I have to create a count file with part numbers first, and then I can create blank tags. But, the tags that have parts MUST be populated with counts. We have thousands of parts! When I heard this, I couldn't believe it. We have hundreds of parts with no bin location and use pre-printed blank tags. Counters are assigned sections and record part numbers and counts. Can I assume the count file can be sorted by part number such that our blank tags can be filled in and the data entry person can just look up the part, and then enter the count information and pre-printed tag number? I also understand you cannot delete the physical until you enter counts for all parts/tags created? You also cannot run the physical count variance report until all counts are entered? I am getting claustrophobic just thing about it! Can anyone on Epicor 9 en lighten me?

Ed Kowalski
Treasurer
Morton Manufacturing Co.
700 Liberty Drive
Libertyville, IL 60048
847-362-5400 x104
847-362-5434 fax

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
6
On 12/23/2010 11:53 AM, Kowalski, Ed J. wrote:
> We are on 9.04.506c (and loving every minute of it!) and will take the physical on 1/17/11 due to quite a few non-Epicor operational issues.

Except the blank tags issue ;)

Problem I ran into back at <= 6 was they didn't include a unit of
measure on the tags! Made for some bad counts and wild variances.
Thankfully have not had to deal with it in years. Did they ever fix the
UOM issue?

-Wayne
7
I'm probably coming in a little late on this...so sorry if I am
repeating this.



I've noticed that whatever day I generate the tags, the day I post it
the system uses that date to post on. So if I generate tags on December
31st, and I actually post on January 7th, it will hit on December 31st,
as long as that period is open (which you could always go back and open
later anyway).



I would play with it in a test database since you have a few days before
the end of the year...I am on version 8.0 so it could be different in
your version, but I highly doubt it.



In dealing with people who have no clue about what the system does, I
always put the fear in the owners about the havoc it creates with the
numbers (accounting) and then (most of the time) they side with me. I
also tell the new person not to mess with peoples pay checks (then they
sometimes try to actually listen). Of course you have to go through the
whole scenario of if the numbers are messed up how do the owners know
what kind of bonus or raise you get?!



Hey it is the truth, but people never consider it!



Good luck!









Manasa

630.806.2000 x1515





________________________________

From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
Of laraines422
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 5:51 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Inventory - Year End Physical Count





We have two sister companies that are on Vantage 8.03.407. We have a new
Production Manager in our smaller company - and for some reason,
unbeknownst to either the Accounting Manager or IT - he made the
executive decision to do their year-end physical count AFTER December
31.

We're now spending our time trying to convince him that this is a really
bad idea - but if we fail, what are the ramifications? I'm just
guessing, but I assume that we'd process a "dummy" inventory, basically
accepting whatever the Stock Status would show as on-hand. But what
about after December 31? Do we do a physical count and journal one large
adjustment back to our unclosed year? Or do we tell them to skip the
physical count altogether in January 2011 - and take the "dummy" as
"real" for 2010 and let it ride through to December 2011 - hoping that
they'll cycle count, etc. and get their act together for 2011? What are
we failing to consider???

Vantage is the first system that I've worked with where we haven't been
able to leave a module open with wiggle-room for closing dates. I
suppose that Vantage instills good discipline this way, but it's pretty
inflexible.

Anyway - let me know your thoughts - and if you also have a strategy for
dealing with Production Managers, let me know! :-)

Laraine





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
8
Linda,

When I say blank tags, I mean blank tags in the physical count file as opposed to tag numbers that have part numbers associated with them in the physical count file. You cannot just create blank tags.

I still have to play around with these modules in our test database, but, once again, it looks like Rube Goldberg's grandson is an Epicor programmer.

Ed

--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, "Linda Lowney" <llowney@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Ed,
>
>
>
> If you have pre-printed tags then why do you want Vantage to create blank tags? I may be wrong, but I think Vantage only creates blank tags when you use the Generate Tags process. Do you not have extra pre-printed tags? Whenever I have had pre-printed tags I just skipped the Generate Tags and Print Tags process.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Linda
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kowalski, Ed J.
> Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2010 11:53 AM
> To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
> Subject: [Vantage] Re: Inventory - Year End Physical Count
>
>
>
>
>
> We are on 9.04.506c (and loving every minute of it!) and will take the physical on 1/17/11 due to quite a few non-Epicor operational issues. We are just planning to do the physical counts on that date, updating those counts with a 1/17 date, which means posting to the January G/L, but also posting to December with a 1/1/11 reversal. We'll also make sure we have a clean trail via the material transaction reports going from 1/1 through 1/16. We have previously done physicals in early December when we were on 6.1 in previous years. We are assuming that the number of errors with part transactions in January will be immaterial, since the corrections will be posted to December rather than January.
>
> So, maybe I am missing something. If I am, please let me know.
>
> What I am not happy about is that we cannot create a count file with blank tags. The check box is grayed out. I created a case and Epicor said that I have to create a count file with part numbers first, and then I can create blank tags. But, the tags that have parts MUST be populated with counts. We have thousands of parts! When I heard this, I couldn't believe it. We have hundreds of parts with no bin location and use pre-printed blank tags. Counters are assigned sections and record part numbers and counts. Can I assume the count file can be sorted by part number such that our blank tags can be filled in and the data entry person can just look up the part, and then enter the count information and pre-printed tag number? I also understand you cannot delete the physical until you enter counts for all parts/tags created? You also cannot run the physical count variance report until all counts are entered? I am getting claustrophobic just thing about it! Can anyone on Epicor 9 en lighten me?
>
> Ed Kowalski
> Treasurer
> Morton Manufacturing Co.
> 700 Liberty Drive
> Libertyville, IL 60048
> 847-362-5400 x104
> 847-362-5434 fax
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
9
I did have a conversation with Epicor on that subject. The date counted date is actually the day that you start the count, which is stupid, it should be the date that the count is entered. You could print out the tags and not count them for a week for one reason or another if you are doing a cyclical count.

Gary Wojtowicz
AJR Industries, Inc.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]