Materials Tracking Management

Materials tracking management includes the ability to define materials as ingredients, intermediates, finished goods, by-products, and others. You can define characteristics for each material entered in the system.

You can use the Materials Editor to track the location of materials that are stored in units. This tracking capability pertains to bulk ingredients and work in process materials. The batch management system uses the ingredient location data to determine where to obtain ingredients when a batch is to be produced. This capability allows ingredient locations to be independent of recipes and control programs and permits ingredients to change locations with no effect on recipe processing.

The Materials database is used by the Recipe Editor in the construction of recipes. Only materials in the Materials database can be used in recipes.

When new bulk ingredients are received, plant personnel can enter the unit location into the Materials database. You can also assign a lot identification to the material. You can store multiple lots of the same ingredient in the same vessel. The batch management system updates the database when ingredients are used and when intermediates or finished goods are produced. The database gives you easy access to work-in-progress (WIP) information. You can also use the database to update higher level material management and material resource planning (MRP) systems with ingredient usage information, WIP, and finished goods production. The Materials Editor is not an inventory management system, but you may use it to complement existing systems.