You can track and view the available quantity of stock in each warehouse via a facility called the Time axis enquiry. This enquiry can be accessed at any time, but the information displayed is particularly useful when entering a sales order.
The time axis is an efficient planning instrument (accessed through the Time axis enquiry) which indicates what is available for sale for an item/warehouse per day/week. By utilizing this feature, you can minimize your inventory investment and maximize your customer service by knowing actual stock availability at any moment in time. Note: The updating of the time axis will only occur for those items defined as being under Time axis control. In addition, the Update stock on hand field in both the Sales order type and Purchase order type tables must be set to YES.
You can view On hand availability for all types of items (stock). This includes:
- Normal items, including Contract Managed Inventory (CMI) items
- Batch-controlled items
- Non-conforming stock (items)
- Order allocated items
Each time the stock on hand quantity is updated (increased/decreased) an inventory transaction is created.
The time aspect
The Time axis enquiry displays what is going to happen to one item in one warehouse, from today and onward. Depending on the date format in the DIS control file, the cells could display day or week.
Day date format
Each cell in the Time axis enquiry will display 1 day. Day by day is used during the planning time (displayed in the upper right hand corner) and also during the remaining days of the week when the planning time expires. Later, each week is displayed. Note: Only working days are displayed.
The starting point on the Time axis enquiry, which is dependent on the system date, is automatically moved by the system. The second cell displays the actual period (today or this week). The first cell is visible until the previous day or week, i.e. delayed dispatches and receptions.
Planning time
The planning time is very important to the time axis. In order to calculate the planning time and ensure the time axis will function properly, you must define three parameters correctly in the system. These parameters are:
- Administration time
- Lead time
- Transport time (both customer and supplier transport time)
Days in planning time
The number of days (it is always the number of working days) are calculated as follows:
|
Administration time (Your company, defined in the DIS control file) + Lead time (Item, defined in the Item file) + Transport time (Supplier, defined in the Supplier transport time table) = Planning time |
Below, is an explanation of these fields:
- Administration time
- The time used for your own administration of a purchase. This includes the time from when a need is apparent until your order has reached the supplier, plus the time from when the goods have arrived until they are available for use. For example: If purchase orders are handled once a week, the administration time will be affected by 2.5 days in average.
- Lead time
- The time it normally takes the supplier of this item from when he receives your order until he sends the goods from his warehouse/plant.
- Transport time
- The time it takes to transport your goods from the supplier’s premises to your premises.
- Planning time
- The sum of all above, and therefore should be seen as the time it takes to replenish stock.
The system then looks at all sales orders existing in the system and all purchase orders coming in and displays, on a daily or weekly basis (depending on the date format) the information.
The figures displayed on the Time axis
The system displays the information in the Time axis enquiry per entered item/warehouse. Tip: If you enter warehouse code 999, the total quantity, for all warehouses in which this item is stored, will be displayed in each field. Note: Warehouse code 999 is not a valid entry for batch-controlled items, which are under date handling.
Click Inventory info to view additional information.
The quantities displayed are in stock units.
- Supplier
- Displays the main supplier for the item.
- Net on hand
- This is the current net on hand quantity at the moment.(See Simple time axis calculation for a normal item for detailed information about how to calculate the net on hand).
- Note: This quantity is not always available for sale (see Available below). In addition, the non-conforming stock is not included in this quantity.
- Plan time
- Displays the planning time in days and the end date. For normal deliveries (not BtB) this is the sum of the administration days, lead time and transport time. For BtB transit deliveries it is the sum of BtB lead time and transport time.
- Reservation
- Displays for each period, (day or week), the sum of what is to be delivered to customers or returned to suppliers during that period (including manual reservations and internal replenishment orders).
- On order
- Displays for each period, (day or week), the sum of what is to be received from suppliers during that period (including manual orders and internal replenishment orders). In addition, items expected to be returned from customers are shown. Note: This figure includes items that may have been received but are under quality control. Purchase orders are displayed in the period (day or week) when they are available for sale. Available date for a purchase order is reception date plus Promise date buffer, defined in the DIS control file.
- Available
- Displays the quantity available for sale during that period. This quantity is calculated as follows:
On hand
– Picking/kitting
– Returns to supplier
– Held quantity (for batch-controlled items)
– Sum of all sales orders components/manual reservations from previous cells
– Sum of all sales orders components/manual reservations in the current cell
– Sum of any Net Requirement Brought Back from subsequent cells within the planning time (NRBB)
+ Sum of all purchase orders (mother)/manual orders to be dispatched today or earlier
= Available
The “Net Requirement Brought Back” (NRBB) is a calculated quantity, cumulated backwards cell by cell starting with the last cell within the planning time. (See Simple time axis calculation for a normal item and Advanced time axis calculation for a normal item to understand how this is calculated).
The formula used is:
| NRBB = NRBB – PO + SO |
where,
NRBB = Cumulated Net Requirement Brought Back
PO = Purchase order (mother)/manual order quantity for the cell itself
SO = Sales order component/manual reservations quantity for the cell itself
Note: This calculated quantity is brought backward only when it contains a positive value. Otherwise it is set to zero.
Keep in mind that a quantity on a sales order, which is to be dispatched after the planning time has expired, does not influence the quantity available within the planning time. This is because you can get new supplies to cover that order.
Batch control items
When a batch controlled item is entered in the Item field the system displays the Batch time axis enquiry panel.
Note: Warehouse code 999 is not a valid entry for batch-controlled items, which are under date handling.
Additional fields are:
- Expired
- This field is only displayed if the batch controlled item has date handling defined in the Item file. It is the sum of the item that has expired and therefore not is for sale.
- Matured
- This field is only displayed if the batch controlled item has date handling defined in the Item file. It is the sum of the item that has matured and therefore now is for sale.
Enquiries and printouts
- Warehouse balance enquiry to view available quantity for BtB items. The same information is displayed as that in the Time axis enquiry, but with no time aspect.
- Item file enquiry to view statistical related information per warehouse.
- Inventory contract balance enquiry where you can view the balances for all inventory contract lines, per inventory contract, regardless of the status, available quantity, start and end dates.
- Batch file enquiry to view statistical related information per batch.
- Non-conformity certificates enquiry to view statistical related information for non-conforming stock.
- Time axis printout
- Stock valuation list. You can choose to print information for negative stock, dispatched not invoiced items, normal stock, batches, etc.
- Stock on hand list
- Batch file list
Related topics
- Routines that update the time axis
- View available quantity for a normal item
- View planning time information
- View available quantity for a batch-controlled item
- Simple time axis calculation for a normal item
- Advanced time axis calculation for a normal item
- Time axis calculation for a batch-controlled item
- About planning time
- Setting up and initializing the inventory contracts for IBS Contract Managed Inventory (CMI)
- About consuming goods from Contract Managed Inventory (CMI)