The Materials module is where you can list the Raw Materials, Components and Finished Goods that are used to produce or sell a Product or Service. Materials can therefore be defined as the Items - in part or complete - that the business offers as a Product or Service.

Considering that the production and sale of Materials is at the core of the business, data listed in the Materials module is drawn upon throughout BOS as Transactions are processed throughout the business cycles.

Navigation

Main Menu > Materials

Discover Material Modules

1. Setup Materials & Inventory (see below)
   • Cost and Pricing
     • How to Receive Paper Prices
   • User Defined Fields
2. Materials Price Manager
3. Transfer Orders
4. Materials Movement
5. Stock Check
6. Inventory
7. Material Summary

Setup Materials & Inventory

In the Material & Inventory Setup, you can manage every aspect of a Material Item in one place. The Edit Material Interface consists of eight tabs, see below:

Navigation

Main menu > Materials > Setup Materials & Inventory > Select Category > New

Main menu > Materials > Setup Materials & Inventory > Right-click on Item > Edit

1. Detail - The Detail tab shows the Material Item's Category, Sub-category, linked Customer, Type, how it is Replenished and Resolved, Size, Weight and Quotations Settings for this Material Item.
2. Units & Prices - The Units & Prices tab is where you can set the Unit, VAT Type, Cost Price and Sell Price of the Material Item. In this tab you can also set the Suppliers to replenish the Material Item.
3. Image & Notes - The Image & Notes tab allows you to add an image, specifications and instructions to the Material Item for ease of reference in the stock room, or production.
4. Estimates - Here all the Estimates linked to this Material Item will be displayed.
5. Dependencies - The Dependencies tab shows what other products are dependent on this product for their completion.
6. Inventory - The Inventory tab shows how many units are available of this Material, at each inventory location. The Inventory tab is only available for Inventory Material Items.
7. Transactions - The Transactions tab shows the Transaction that are linked to this Material Item. It also shows the last Stock Check date against that location, and allows you to Issue or Receive stock. The Transactions tab is only available for Inventory Material Items.
8. Price History - The Price History tab show a history of price changes for this Material Item, as well as the variance between the old and the new prices.

Cost and Pricing

In BOSPrint you can maintain four prices for Materials as follows:

1. Supplier Price - You can add multiple Supplier Prices linked to a Material. These are the prices for paper that you download from the QuickEasy server (more below) as well as any other Material Items. You can choose to use these prices in your Estimates, however they are used by default for Paper.
2. Cost Price - This is based on Supplier Prices, but it could also, for example, be the highest Supplier Price + 10% handling / spoilage fee. You can choose to use these prices in your Estimates, but not for Paper.
3. Selling Price - This would be the Selling price for Finished Goods items that are sold directly.

To view or enter the Supplier Price, Cost Price and Selling Price, navigate to the Units & Prices tab when editing a Material. See image below:

4. Inventory Price - This is the Unit price for Items that are in stock and the price that can be automatically updated from Goods Received transactions. It is also the price used on all Stock Issue transactions. The reason it is separate from the Cost Price is so that it can be updated automatically to accurately reflect your stock-holding without changing the Cost Price.

The Inventory Price is handy for a number of reasons, for example:

• When a raw Material requires an in-house Service to be taken in to Stock, that means the final Stock Item is now more expensive than the Cost Price.
• When any additional costs are added to the Item. For example, Shipping, Customs, etc.
• When Material Items are bought at different Supplier Prices. For example:

You have 100 Stock Items that you bought at a Price of R200. Then you do a Purchase Order for 200 of the same Item at a Price of R210.

Value of Items in Stock Qty 100 = (100 X R200) = R20 000

Value of new Items Qty 200 = (200 X R210) = R42 000

Combined value = R62 000

Thus the Average Inventory Price for the Material Item is, the combined value divided by the total Qty:

R62 000 / 300 = R206,67

To view or enter the Inventory Price, navigate to the Inventory tab when editing a Material. See image below:

How to Receive Paper Prices

When setting up a new database in the print industry, it is important to import the latest paper prices and lists from the national supplier database.

QuickEasy checks, collates and updates paper prices from all the major paper suppliers across the country on a monthly basis and makes it available for clients to import, so that they always have the latest prices, and the competitive advantage.

Follow these 9 steps to receive and update Paper Prices:

1. User Access - Ensure the user has rights to System Messages. Navigate to Main Menu > Setup > Staff > Edit > Settings > System > System Messages - Access Allowed. See image below:

2. Open System Messages: System Messages normally open when starting QuickEasy BOS, else navigate to Main Menu > Help and select System Messages.

3. Receive: Click the Receive button to receive the latest System Message.

4. Once the message is downloaded, click the ellipsis (button with the three dots) and select Execute.

A Material Import window will appear.

5. Select Local Category and Local Supplier to match the Server Category and Supplier.

6. Click on the Options drop down list and select Add new prices and update existing prices.

7. Click Import.

8. Wait for the Import process to finish.

9. Close the Materials Import window.

To delete the message in the System Messages window, click the ellipsis button (three dots) and select Delete.

When paper prices are added from Units & Prices tab in the Materials & Inventory Setup, the Supplier field is not populated, which allows the buyer to decide which paper Supplier to use when the job has been accepted. The Supplier and Note field can, however, be populated if a special supplier price needs to be recorded.

By default these imports will populate the Supplier Prices linked to your Materials. This is available only in South Africa.

Prices that have not been updated in the last 30 days will display in red when selected in an Estimate.

User Defined Fields

Creating User Fields in the Materials module allows you to organise data that the business needs to see, but is not part of the built-in module fields. These User Fields are typically useful when setting up a Material Item.

Navigation

Main Menu > Setup > Settings & Defaults > User Fields > Select a Module > View

Find more about User Fields in the Settings & Defaults Module or in Base Concepts.

The Benefits of BOS Materials and Inventory

Powerful stock and inventory management

With QuickEasy BOS you’re able to maintain and manage all the raw materials, components, finished goods and tools in your business.

• Inventory is updated automatically as you perform your daily transactions – you always know what is ‘on hand’ and what is ‘available’.
• Tracking functionality ensures a product can be traced right back to it’s production batch including the raw materials used in the batch.
• Image, specification and user-defined fields are available to capture all the Item’s information.
• Multiple units of measure and conversions between the Units of Measure are supported.
• Customer-specific items can be linked to customers.
• Multiple supplier prices can be linked to supplied items.
• Multiple production methods can be linked to produced items.
• Only items that are kept in stock are flagged as inventory items – Inventory lists are not bloated with non-stock items.
• Multiple inventory locations are supported.
• Replenishment is driven by ‘minimum’ and ‘re-order’ quantities. These quantities can in turn be driven by historical or projected demand, economical batch sizes and replenishment lead times – it’s up to you.

Profitable purchasing

Material and outwork purchases make up the lion’s share of a company’s turnover – especially when it comes to manufacturing.

A company’s profitability is, therefore, significantly influenced by how well you buy.

• Multiple supplier prices can be linked to items to provide price comparisons.
• One click on an item summary gives you insight into:
  • Inventory.
  • Supplier prices.
  • Purchasing history.
• Jam packed with functionality to track and manage outstanding purchase orders.