Stock and inventory

The Inventory page, under Financial in the sidebar, shows what purchase orders brought in, what it actually cost, and what the crews took out of it.

Stock is kept for materials only, the consumables in your materials catalog. Equipment and price codes are never counted as stock. Each branch has its own stock and its own reorder points.

Newest price first

Every time stock comes in, it arrives as its own batch at the price it cost. When a work order uses stock, it takes the newest batch first, so the job is costed at the most recent price you paid. That's why each item shows a Next out price: it's what the next unit used will cost the job.

Stock comes in from four places:

• A purchase order with no job. When a supplier's delivery is received on the order, its material lines go into that branch's stock at the price actually delivered. A delivery on a job's purchase order goes to the job instead, not into stock. See Purchase orders and requests for price.
• An expense. A card or own-money purchase can go on the shelf with Put into stock on the expense line. It's added when the expense is approved, at the line's before-tax cost per unit. See Expenses.
• A count that finds more than the books say.
• A return of leftovers from a work order, or a move from another branch.

The Inventory page

Pick a branch to see every material in the catalog at that branch. One that's never been stocked there says "Not stocked here". With all branches showing, only items stocked somewhere are listed.

The page opens on what needs you: items that are out, short, or at the reorder point you set. Show all lists everything. Search, the category filter and the sort (by name, lowest on hand first, most on hand first) sit above the cards.

Each item's card shows:

• How many are on hand, or a badge saying it's out, short, or low against its reorder point.
• Each batch on the shelf, newest first, with its quantity, cost, date and where it came from: the purchase order that brought it in, or Counted in, From an expense, Returned from a job, or Moved from another branch. The newest is marked Next out. A batch delivered at a different price from the order says so.
• On hand at cost: what the stock on the shelf cost you.
• Bills at: the sell price from the materials catalog, when one is set.
• Reorder at: the reorder point, which you can change right on the card.

An item with nothing on hand offers Raise a purchase order for this. It opens a purchase order with no job for that branch, with the item already on it at catalog cost.

Below the cards, Used on work orders lists what crews took: the work order, the job, the item, how many, the cost to the job, the sell price, and which delivery it came out of. A line whose cost someone typed says so, as does a line that used stock that wasn't there.

The sidebar shows how many items need you, using the same rule as the page. A reorder point is a reminder only. Nothing is ordered or sent to anyone.

Work orders taking stock

A material line on a work order starts at the next-out price at the job's branch. You can type over it, and a typed cost stays as typed even when the stock price changes later.

Stock is taken when the work order is marked complete, not before. If the branch doesn't have enough, the work order still completes. The units it was short are costed at the catalog price, the stock goes below zero, and the card shows Short by that many. The next stock to arrive at that branch covers the shortfall at its own price, and the jobs that used those units are re-costed to it. A line with a typed cost keeps its cost.

Sending a completed work order back, or cancelling it, puts back everything it took. See Work orders.

Returning leftovers

Leftovers go back with Return to stock, on the work order's material line or on the row in Used on work orders. Enter how many came back and, if you like, a note. They go back on the shelf at the cost they left at, and that cost comes off the job. You can't return more than the line took from stock.

Counting stock

Count sets what's actually on the shelf. Enter the number you counted, and the sheet shows the difference from the books. A reason is required, and it's kept with the change.

When the count goes up, enter the cost per unit of what you're adding. It starts at the next-out price. When the count goes down, the units come off the newest batches first.

Moving stock between branches

Move sends units to another branch. It's offered when you have more than one branch and there's stock on the shelf. Pick the branch, how many, and a reason. The newest units leave first, and each keeps the cost it came in at. If the other branch was short, the moved units cover that first.

When the vendor's bill comes in

The bill's price wins over the delivered price. When the bill for a no-job purchase order is authorized, the stock it brought in is re-priced to the billed price, along with every job that already used that stock. Lines with a typed cost keep it, and costs already on a client invoice are left alone. The purchase order's history records what was re-priced. See Payables.