Material Usage process

We are trying to figure out at which point during production entry does raw material assigned to an operation get deducted from inventory.

Our actual material usage is different than what Epicor reports. This is making it difficult to keep an accurate count of raw material inventory. We analyzed the usage of one specific raw material for a period of three days. There are three different parts that use this raw material. We verified that the QTY/Parent is correct for each part. My assumption is that each time production/scrap is entered using the Start Production/End Activity procedure in the Handheld application’s Work Queue, raw materials needed for that operation are deducted from inventory. We found that there were three instances where production was entered for these parts, but there were five instances in Parttran where inventory of this raw material was reduced. It is making me rethink my assumptions. Can anyone clear this up for me?

If the material is a backflush material and is attached to an operation, Material will get transferred to WIP (and reduce inventory) when the production quantity for that op is entered. If the material requires lot tracking, you cannot
backflush that item. Which brings me to the next method, Material Issue. The material transfer from Inventory to WIP occurs when that transaction is created.

If you are using a handheld, the activity will occur when you end activity and report a quantity. If the op is a time only entry, the material will be transferred when the next op quantity is reported. I am not a fan of time only when a
material is tied to the op but it can be done.

Charlie Smith

CRS Consulting Services

860-919-1708

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