Inventory & Material Management

The Inventory section includes the AIMS/ERP Quality Management functions. 

AIMS/ERP includes 32 different inventory movement transactions that cover every movement scenario normally encountered in an inventory management environment.  Since AIMS/ERP was built from scratch to accommodate off-site material movement, there are transactions for these activities as well. 

Also built into the system is a complete Cycle Counting & Physical Inventory subsystem, that also provides for physical count and confirmation processes for inventory at vendor locations.  This module prints tags, including for off-site inventory counts.  In the first use of this module at Alesis corporation, a team of auditors were sent to Taiwan, where the company had a number of production partners, to count and reconcile inventory at these locations.  This work - fortunately - went as expected.

Key features of the AIMS/ERP inventory functions include:

• Quality control integration - movements/transactions to reflect the various states of discrepant material, to/from any location or inventory status.

• Return/Repair Order integration - transactions for spare parts used to repair returned products.

• Sale Order Shipping - integration with picking/staging/shipping functions.

• Mixed Mode Production - concurrent support for traditional work order pick list transactions, with repetitive production backflushing ("post deduct").

• Part Number changes - support for redesignating any quantity of material from one part number to another.  This function is also integrated into Multiple Products Work Orders so a product can start production in a generic mode under one part number, with completion transactions identifying the final Part Number / product configuration - all without losing visibility or production scheduling control.  This function is unique to AIMS/ERP in our knowledge.

• Warehouse to Warehouse transfer orders - includes pick/ship list to prepare a shipment, then item by item receiving.

• Detailed history - every inventory movement is recorded in all detail in the inventory transaction history table, including before and after on hand balance effect, creating in effect, a running balance register.  This function can, as a result, also provide system integrity validation and audit as any discontinuous change in on-hand balance is immediately apparent.

Quality Management - the AIMS/ERP quality management subsystem provides an extensive, tightly integrated set of functions, to identify, track, control, disposition and report on all forms of discrepant material.  The diagram below provides an overview of the AIMS/ERP DMR subsystem:

The AIMS/ERP DMR subsytem includes detailed functions in these areas:

• Receiving Inspection Rejections - incoming purchased material inspection rejections - transfers to DMR subsystem.

• Work Order - Production Rejections - either produced items or components that are identified on a work order as being discrepant - transfers to DMR subsystem.  This includes items - either produced items or components - found discrepant at a vendor's facility.

• Inventory (warehouse stock) - can be transferred to DMB subsystem from regular stock.

• Rework cycle management - includes all dispositions, use as-is, repaired, scrapped, return to DMR/MRB for reinspection, etc. 

• Material Review Board (MRB) - full process tracking and identification with quantity reconciliation - to make sure all discrepant quantities are accounted for via one disposition transaction or another.

• Detailed Disposition Transactions - AIMS/ERP provides discrepant material disposition transactions for every possible situation, beyond the accounting-only capabilities of many ERP systems.  These transactions are designed to mirror the physical actions taken to dispositions so the on-hand balances in every material status reflects reality.

• Tag generation & printing - discrepant identification requires positive identification; AIMS/ERP DMR process includes the printing - at any system-accessible location - of tags with a unique DMR number, so it can be positively tracked & controlled.

• Discrepant Material Reporting - AIMS/ERP includes a family of reports to age, track and provide historical reporting & metrics on rejected material from all sources and all dispositions.

Documents - These documents define all AIMS/ERP inventory functions, except reports, with the procedures providing training and on-going reference for how warehouse staff are to perform each transaction, and under what circumstances.

Inventory Management Specifications - design and overall use guide at THIS Link.

Inventory Management Procedures - detailed inventory procedures for each situation & its associated transaction; step by step guide for actions performed, before, during and after actual transaction entry in AIMS/ERP; at THIS Link.

Quality Management Specifications - design and overall functional use guide for the AIMS/ERP Quality Management functions, at THIS Link.