In ERP systems such as NetSuite or Acumatica, work orders for item assembly or product manufacturing can be created, generated, and managed based on demand.

A work order specifies how many assembly items (build-to-stock inventory items) for a product should be manufactured (or “built”), and which component items will be used (or, “consumed”) to manufacture them. Component items are typically inventory items, but could be other assembly items in a multi-level bill of material (BOM). For instance, a work order could specify building 100 units of assembly item A. Each assembly item A is built using two units of inventory item B and two units of inventory item C. When 100 assemblies of A are built, 200 units of B, and 200 units of C, will be consumed. So, a build transaction (or build) is a single transaction that creates an assembly item, consuming its component items. Typically, a work order specifies a build, although a build but does not necessarily require work order if the WMS knows the BOM. (Conversely, an unbuild transaction disassembles an assembly item back into its component items.)

Now, the ShipHawk WMS integrated with NetSuite or Acumatica supports managing work orders for building (and unbuilding) assembly items. If the ShipHawk WMS is managing the work orders, then the build (or unbuild) transaction is always done in the ShipHawk WMS (rather than the ERP).

The following describes processing work orders in the ShipHawk WMS:

Processing Work Orders

You can create Work Orders from main menu, from Workflows > Work Order Creation.

To process work orders, from the main menu, first choose Adjust/Transfer/Build. Next, picking a work order is the same as picking other orders. For the work order, on the Inventory Adjustment/Transfer screen, for Action to be Taken, click Build, and for Reason, select Manufacturing:

Open

Click Continue.

Next, on the Inventory Build screen, set Build Action to Assemble (the default) and enter the Item ID. The Item ID field will auto-populate (if the item ID is valid).

Open

Click Continue.

Next, on the Inventory Build screen, enter where and how much to build. Only valid work orders that are for this item ID will display in the Work Order no drop-down:

Next, on the Inventory Build screen, complete the following fields:

• Quantity to Assemble

• Consume Components from Bin

• Assemble Finished Goods at Bin ID

• Container ID (Optional)

Click Save Build.

The work order is complete:

The quantity built and consumed will now be displayed on the Administration screen for the work order.

Work Order WIP (Issue/Completion)

Process manufacturing requires a distinction between component issue and finished good completion for a Work In Progress (WIP) work order.

The ShipHawk WMS supports process manufacturing workflows in your ERP system (such as NetSuite) by providing a way to declare separately the consumption of raw materials and then the creation of finished goods for a work order in the ShipHawk WMS.

While a Build is a single transaction that creates the Assembly Item and consumes the Component Items, in contrast, the Work Order WIP (Issue/Completion) approach includes two transactions:

1. An Issue transaction against the Work Order.

2. A Completion transaction against the Work Order once the manufacturing process has been completed.

An Issue transaction reduces component inventory during a manufacturing process and moves it to an in-process status.

A Completion transaction declares the new inventory has just been created by the manufacturing process.

Processing Work Order WIP (Issue/Completion)

From the ShipHawk WMS main menu, select Workflow, and then Issue Raw Materials.

First, enter the LP/Container ID:

Click Continue.

Next, enter the Work Order Number and a Quantity to Issue:

Click Continue.

In NetSuite, the item, line, and quantity will be pre-filled to the total remaining component quantity required to consume the Work Order.