Understand items and item classes

An item is the basic unit produced or consumed during production. Items can be referred to as a part, component, piece, and so on in different manufacturing environments.

An item class is a logical grouping of items that share common characteristics, such as physical properties and whether they are produced, consumed, or both.

Items and item classes are created in MES Client.

It is helpful to understand how item entries are formatted in MES Web Portal:

• The item entry format consists of the item class designation followed by a backslash and then the item designation when both the item class and item designation are displayed on a single line.

• The item class designation is the item class ID and/or item class description, as specified by the Item class display System parameter.

• The item designation is the item ID and/or item class description, as specified by the Item display system parameter.

For more information about setting the Item class display and Item display system parameters, see the MES Client User Guide or online help.