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Settings

Adding a New Material

A material is an item that is used when performing maintenance work, such as screws or bearings. Materials are usually parts or consumable items. Materials are entered as resources in the APM resource catalog.
You can add new material resources to APM at any time.

To Add a New Material

1.
Select the site’s Resource Management view. This view shows the resources available on the site, grouped in a variety of ways.
2.
Select the Materials tab.
3.
In the New list, select either Stocked Material or Non-Stocked Material. The Resource window appears, open to the Properties view, General tab. If you are adding a material that is stocked in inventory, the window includes the Inventory tab and Inventory view.
4.
Enter the following information:
Setting Name
Description
Number
The name or number of this resource. You can enter up to 20 characters. APM automatically enters the next number in the sequence, but you can change that to another number or to a name. For a trade, you will usually delete the number and enter the trade name. For other resources, you can keep, change, prefix, or suffix the number as required.
If this box is left blank or if the ID is not unique, an error message appears when you try to save the resource.
Name
You can enter up to 100 characters for a short description of the item.
Category
The resource category for this resource. Resource categories are used to derive GL account numbers for transactions, to group resources for searching, sorting, and cost summarization, and to set MSDS options for resources.
Click the browse icon to search for the appropriate category. You can only select a category that is valid for the type of resource you are creating. For example, material resources can only be added to categories valid for materials. If this box is left blank, an error message appears when you try to save the resource.
Unit of Measure
The stocking unit of measure used for this item. It is possible to stock, purchase, and issue the item in different units of measure. All inventory balances are expressed in the stocking unit of measure.
You can select one of many different units of measure, such as centimeters, inches, each, or case.
Abbreviation
Enter an abbreviation for the unit of measure, for example, enter “ea” for each.
5.
Select the Details tab and enter the following information:
Setting Name
Description
Keywords
The keywords for this resource. These are key words or phrases that describe the characteristics of the resource. You can use them to search for a resource. You can enter up to 250 characters.
Alias
The alias for this resource. An alias is provided to allow the identification of resources as they were known in legacy systems (including a manual system). You can enter an alias so users can locate an item using the name with which they are most familiar. You can enter up to 50 characters.
Add to the asset’s parts list when issued
Select this option if you want to add this resource to the standard list of parts for an asset whenever the resource is issued to an asset, or purchased and charged to an asset. You can view an asset’s list of parts from the asset’s Properties view.
Note: Only assets with the Add resources to this parts list option selected will have automatically-created parts lists.
Stocked in inventory
This box shows whether or not this resource is kept in inventory. When this option is selected, warehouse items can be created for this resource.
Note that it is possible for a resource to be a stocked item but not available from a warehouse if there is no warehouse item for it or if the item is not currently on hand.
6.
Select the Parts List tab. You can create a parts list for this resource. For more information, see Creating a Parts List for a Resource.
7.
Select the Documents tab. If there are procedures or documents for this resource, click Browse to select them.
8.
If the resource is part of a category that uses material safety data sheets, the MSDS tab is available. To link the resource to an MSDS, select the tab and click Browse. Select an MSDS and click OK.
Note: Selecting an MSDS might be mandatory, depending on the settings on the resource category. If a resource’s MSDS is expired, you might not be able to issue or purchase the resource, depending on the procedure type settings for the MSDS.
9.
Select the Manufacturers tab. On this tab, you can enter the manufacturers of this resource and select which one is the normal manufacturer. For detailed instructions, see Linking Manufacturers to a Resource.
10.
Select the Alternates tab. You can select alternate resources that can be used when this one is not available. Click Browse. In the Resource Selector dialog, select an alternate resource and click OK.
11.
Select the Description tab. On this tab, you can enter a longer description of the resource.
12.
Select the Costing tab. On this tab, you can select the cost types for the resource when expensed or capital costs are charged. Typically, a resource’s cost type is determined by the cost types set on the resource category. However, if necessary you can override these cost types.
13.
If you are adding a material that is stocked in inventory, select the Inventory tab and complete the following information:
Setting Name
Description
Inventory Criticality
The inventory criticality level for this resource. Select the appropriate level from the list.
ABC Classification
The ABC classification for this resource.
The ABC classification identifies how often the item should be physically counted. “A” items have a high annual usage cost and need to be counted the most frequently. “C” items have a low annual usage cost and need to be counted the least frequently. Note that the classification levels do not have to be named A, B, and C.
There are generally accepted formulas to determine the ranking of an item, but it is usually a combination of the number of inventory turns and the item’s value. For example, either an item that has low annual usage but a high dollar value or an item with high annual usage and a low dollar value could be an “A” classification. Because the annualized usage cost in both situations is high, the item is of highest importance when performing physical counts. Monitoring these items more closely can result in significant cost savings.
Can Be Reserved
Whether or not the resource can be reserved and the resource demand quantities update the warehouse item’s reserved balance.
When a resource is reserveable, the system uses the reserved quantity when determining when a warehouse item should be replenished.
Default pick method
The default pick method associated with this resource. This pick method will be set on each warehouse item created for the resource, but it can be changed if necessary.
Default count group
The default count group associated with this resource. Count groups are used to filter and sort warehouse items on count sheets. This count group will be set on each warehouse item created for the resource but it can be changed if necessary.
Override the inventory account
Select this option to override the GL account number or segment used for the offset account in inventory transactions for this resource. You can then select the appropriate account or segment by clicking Browse.
This option is only available if resource account overrides are enabled in your enterprise accounting settings. If you choose not to override the account, the inventory offset account is derived based on the regular inventory offset account derivation rules (set at the enterprise).
14.
If your organization is set up to track serialized inventory, you can activate serialized unit support for this resource. For more information, see Activating Serialized Inventory Support for Resources.
15.
Select the Procurement tab. If you are using APM’s purchasing system for this resource, enter the following:
Setting Name
Description
Buyer
The name of the employee who is usually responsible for purchasing this resource. Select the appropriate person from the list. Only employees who have buyer as one of their roles appear in the list.
16.
You can select the Image tab and browse to include an image file for the resource, and include a description.
17.
If necessary, you can override the site’s supplier selection rules, RFQ rules, or invoice price tolerance rules for this resource. For more information, see:
•
Overriding the Supplier Selection Rules on a Resource or Trade
•
Overriding RFQ Policies on a Resource or Trade
•
Overriding the Invoice Price Tolerance Rules on a Resource or Trade
18.
When you are finished entering information about the new resource, you can add the resource to a warehouse or create supplier resources. For more information, see:
•
Adding an Item to a Warehouse
•
Creating a Supplier Resource