HI guys,
So I'm pondering picking up an inventory/MRP system to help get a handle on things.
(I'm looking hard at Fishbowl, but if anybody has any suggestions for a similar system that can integrate with Quickbooks, and knows from manufacturing, I'm all ears.)
Anyway, no matter what system we go with, I'm going to have to come up with a system of part numbers for all our parts.
Currently, we've got a pair of mutually incompatible systems that just sort of happened as we grew, and neither one of them is particularly well designed for future growth. So they're both going to get either replaced, or heavily modified going forward.
I've built 2 inventory systems before, for prior companies, but both of those had other needs and criteria than we'd need for a manufacturing shop, so the experience is useful, but not absolutely the same as this one.
As far as part numbers go, there are two patterns that I've seen:
A)"A number's a number". So you start out with a few general prefixes, like "100.xxx" are screws, "200.xxx" are buy-ins, 300.xxx are manufactured parts, etc. Then parts within those categories just add in sequentially over time, regardless of what they are, or what they're a sub-assembly of.
B) "The numbers mean something" So there's some sort of logic to the numbers, to aid people figuring out what items relate to which other items, and to at least be able to make a stab at figuring out what an item's PN *should* be. (Aids in DB sorting too.)
For example: product 125.005 has sub-assemblies, so they'd number out as 125.005-100, 125.005-200, 125.005-203X, or whatever.
Or screws: 1/4-20x7/8 flathead = "250-20-875FHSS" and so on. So if you remember the suffixes for the heads, you can pretty well figure out what the number should be, without looking it up.
The problem with a system where the numbers mean something, is future proofing it.
Sure, I can put all my current parts in, but what if I come up with a new product? Or rev an old one? That kind of thing.
I've done variations on this kind of thing before, and I always leave space between the numbers, but that's the best trick I've been able to come up with so far.
Anybody got any better ideas? Things that really worked? (Or didn't?) Boobytraps hiding in the weeds?
Any ideas gratefully received.
Regards
Brian
So I'm pondering picking up an inventory/MRP system to help get a handle on things.
(I'm looking hard at Fishbowl, but if anybody has any suggestions for a similar system that can integrate with Quickbooks, and knows from manufacturing, I'm all ears.)
Anyway, no matter what system we go with, I'm going to have to come up with a system of part numbers for all our parts.
Currently, we've got a pair of mutually incompatible systems that just sort of happened as we grew, and neither one of them is particularly well designed for future growth. So they're both going to get either replaced, or heavily modified going forward.
I've built 2 inventory systems before, for prior companies, but both of those had other needs and criteria than we'd need for a manufacturing shop, so the experience is useful, but not absolutely the same as this one.
As far as part numbers go, there are two patterns that I've seen:
A)"A number's a number". So you start out with a few general prefixes, like "100.xxx" are screws, "200.xxx" are buy-ins, 300.xxx are manufactured parts, etc. Then parts within those categories just add in sequentially over time, regardless of what they are, or what they're a sub-assembly of.
B) "The numbers mean something" So there's some sort of logic to the numbers, to aid people figuring out what items relate to which other items, and to at least be able to make a stab at figuring out what an item's PN *should* be. (Aids in DB sorting too.)
For example: product 125.005 has sub-assemblies, so they'd number out as 125.005-100, 125.005-200, 125.005-203X, or whatever.
Or screws: 1/4-20x7/8 flathead = "250-20-875FHSS" and so on. So if you remember the suffixes for the heads, you can pretty well figure out what the number should be, without looking it up.
The problem with a system where the numbers mean something, is future proofing it.
Sure, I can put all my current parts in, but what if I come up with a new product? Or rev an old one? That kind of thing.
I've done variations on this kind of thing before, and I always leave space between the numbers, but that's the best trick I've been able to come up with so far.
Anybody got any better ideas? Things that really worked? (Or didn't?) Boobytraps hiding in the weeds?
Any ideas gratefully received.
Regards
Brian