The Materials module allows you to list all the materials you use in your business. This could be raw materials, components, and finished goods. All the items that you list in Materials will be available throughout the application - in Estimates, Production, Inventory management, Accounting, and Reports.
Find more about Materials & Inventory in the Materials Module.
Main menu > Setup > Materials & Inventory > View
Multi-select functionality allows you to Copy and Paste records from the grid to a spreadsheet.
Main menu > Setup > Materials & Inventory > Select Category > New
Main menu > Setup > Materials & Inventory > Right-click on Item > Edit
The Material Setup Interface consists of eight tabs. See below:
For example the Board - Packaging Material Category. See screenshots below:
2. Menu - This has added functionality within the Materials module for you to do the following:
3. Code - Selecting this will generate a unique ID code for the Material Item. You can also type in your own code.
4. Unit - This shows the Unit specification for this Material Item. To change this, navigate to Menu > Change the default Unit.
5. Active - This checkbox is to specify if this Material item is Active for selection throughout the app, or not.
6. Category - When creating a new Material Item, you must first select the Material Category before clicking Add. This field will automatically populate. This is specified in Main menu > Setup > Settings & Defaults > Lists & Categories > Material Categories.
7. Sub-Category - This is where the Material Sub-category is selected / entered. You can type in your own Sub-Category by typing in the field. Alternatively, click on the Edit icon to open a lookup list that you can add your new subcategory to. This Sub-Category will be available in the lookup list relating to this Category.
8. Customer - If this product is produced for a specific Customer, they can be added from this drop down field. This is useful when pulling Customer reports. If not, leave this blank.
9. Type - Select from the drop down list of Material Types, defined below:
10. Resolve - Select how the item resolves itself against a transaction from the drop down list, as defined below:
11. Size (mm) - This auto-populates from the Description Generator (1). Weight can be entered manually.
12. Weight - You can specify the weight by g, kg, or mg. This is useful if you manage your stock by weight, and for courier / despatch calculations.
13. Round Up - Here you can set the Round Up value. For more on Rounding Up, click here.
14. Adj(%) - This allows you to adjust the Mark-Up for this Material Item. If left blank the default Mark-Up will apply.
15. Add to Description - If this box is ticked, the Material Item's description will be added to the Quote.
16. Adjust - If this box is ticked, it will adjust with the overall Mark Up; and if un-ticked, it will only adjust the Mark Up that is allocated to the Material Item.
The Units & Prices Tab has two main categories:
a. Units & Prices
b. Suppliers
The Set Sell Price and Round to adjustment Update (Batch update functionality), will only be applied to the records selected in the Units & Prices data grid.
6. Add - This allows you to add another Unit with its own prices.
7. Unit - The list is created by adding Units from the list setup in Setup > Settings & Default > Lists & Categories > Material Categories > Edit > Units .
Duplicate Units are not allowed in this list. You can select the default Unit for the Item from the list of Units linked to the Material item. This Unit is used to measure the Inventory Qty, Minimum Qty and Re-Order Qty. For raw materials, it also becomes the Unit which is used in the Work Order's Bill of Materials (BoM). You can also select up to three different Units in which the Item can be counted during a Stock Check. Again, these Units can only be selected from the list of Units linked to the Item.
8. VAT Type - Here you can select the VAT Type from the drop-down list.
9. Price - Here you can select if the price is excluding or including VAT.
10. Est - Default: Unchecked - When the checkbox is checked, the Cost Price can be added to an Estimate.
This is useful when you are creating a BoM which consists of produced items. E.g., You might have a ‘Welcome’ pack consisting of a printed Card, Brochure and an Envelope. These items will also be available to add to Materials on a Work Order.
It only makes sense to use Items that have a Price Type = Unit Price (19). The Materials section in Estimates and Work Order Materials does not support the other types.
11. Cost Price - This is the cost of purchasing the Material.
12. Sell Price (Excl. VAT) - This is the selling price of the Material excluding VAT. This can be set in number (2), (3) and (4).
13. Sell Price (Incl. VAT) - This is the selling price of the Material including VAT. This can be set in number (2), (3) and (4).
14. /Qty - Per Quantity. This shows what the Material Cost and Sell Prices are per Quantity. Eg, paper may be supplied batches of 1000 pages, so /Qty would be /1000.
15. MU % - This shows what mark-up percentage has been specified in (1), if applicable.
16. GP % - This shows what gross profit percentage has been specified in (1), if applicable.
17. Updated - This shows the last time this Material information was updated and the User who performed the update.
18. Stock Check Units - This is where you set the Stock Check Units of Measure. You can set up to three different Units of Measure. For more about Stock Check, click here.
19. Price Type - Here you are able to select a Price Type to be linked to the Material Item. You are able to select from the following Price Types:
Duplicate Units will be highlighted in red. See image below:
The Qty field will be highlighted in red if it's left blank.
The Qty From and Qty To fields will be highlighted in red if it's left blank.
When Materials are added to a Quotation or a Sales Order, the Type will be as follows:
You are able to create a Fixed Price List showing the various prices by quantity for Estimates, when the Estimate is added as a Material Category, for ease of over-the-counter quoting. For more on this, click here.
The appearance of this tab depends on whether or not the Material Item is Replenished as a Supplied item. If so, the Supplier tab will appear in order to allow you to link the list of Suppliers relevant to this Material Item.
The Est field only applies to Paper selection in Printing Estimates.
4. VAT Type - This shows the VAT type selected for the Supplier.
5. Price - Here you can select if VAT is included or excluded from the drop-down list.
6. Price (Exc) - This shows the Supplier's price excluding VAT.
7. Price (Inc) - This shows the Supplier's price including VAT.
8. Currency - This shows what currency applies to the supplier.
9. /Qty - This shows the Quantity of items that the price pertains to. Eg, R480.00 per 1000 Units as in the image above.
10. Unit - This shows the default Unit for this Material.
11. Adj (%) - This shows the markup percentage for the Material from this Supplier if it is different to the default Material markup. This can be used as a handling fee.
12. Total - This shows the total cost per unit.
13. /Base - This is the base unit of the Material.
14. Min Qty - This shows the Minimum Quantity that can be ordered from this Supplier.
15. Updated - This shows the last time the Supplier's Material information was updated and the User who performed the update.
If the Supplier's Material Item's Price has not been updated within thirty days, this field will be marked red to alert the User.
For more about Updating Material Prices, click here.
This is where any image, specification or instruction related to the production of this Material can be listed. This is useful for production. The Reporting module has a report displaying the Material Items' Image and Spec detail in a menu-type layout of all materials and instructions. This is useful if printed as a booklet to aid production or manufacturing, as an instruction booklet showing the raw materials and how to make a certain product according to spec.
The Estimates tab shows all the Quotations linked to the Material Item.
When a Material has been created from an Estimate, the Quotation is automatically linked to the Material in the Estimate tab. From here, you're able to Update the Material from the Quotation by right-clicking and selecting Update Material from Quotation. See image right:
The Dependency tab shows which products use the Item in their costings (linked Quotes). The Dependencies tab looks for Estimates that are linked to this Material (not Materials that are linked to Estimates).
The Inventory tab is only visible on Inventory Items.
Therefore when you view Inventory Items, or add a Material Item to the Inventory by navigating to Menu and selecting Add to Inventory, the Inventory tab will be available.
This determines whether or not the Material Item is a Stock Item. To do so, navigate to the Menu button and click Add to Inventory. An Inventory tab will appear.
When you add a Material Item to the Inventory by navigating to the Menu button and then selecting Add to Inventory, the Inventory tab will automatically open.
The Transactions tab is only visible on Inventory Items.
Therefore when you view Inventory Items, or add a Material Item to the Inventory by navigating to Menu and selecting Add to Inventory, the Transactions tab will be available.
The Transaction window shows all Transactions linked to the Inventory Material Item.
This shows the history of every price change and adjustment against this Material Item. This tab lists Date, User, Detail (either Cost Price, Selling Price or Supplier Price), Unit, Old Price, New Price, Variance and the Variance %.
Watch this short video on how to create a Material Item: