Using Catch Weight Parts

Catch Weights are used when finishing or receiving a Part that has a variable weight, such as a food product like ground beef. The actual weight recorded during production/receipt is compared to the default, or estimated, weight to ensure the proper quantity is being produced, packaged, and sold if recording production or received if purchasing. Can be used in combination with Serialized parts for more granular tracking. The process can be summarized as follow:

  1. Parts flagged as "Catch Weight" will have a default, or estimated, weight entered in the "Unit Weight" field of the Item Master Calcs tab.
  2. When a Catch Weight item is received or finished on a production Job, users will be prompted to enter an actual Catch Weight for each Lot via the "Catch Weight" button on the form.
  3. Once the "Catch Weight" button is clicked, the Edit Catch Weights form will be displayed. Users will either confirm that the actual Catch Weight is the same as the default Catch Weight or, if different, enter the correct value.
    1. Note: Multiple User Lots that have the same Catch Weight are not grouped into the same System Lot.
  4. In regards to shipping, the actual Catch Weights of the Lots selected for shipment are available for display on the shipping form and for printing on any relevant shipping documents. In addition, when shipping orders, Parts flagged as "Catch Weight" will have a total weight calculated based on the actual Catch Weights of the Lots that were shipped. Parts not flagged as "Catch Weight" will have a total weight calculated based on their Unit Weight as defined on the Item Master Calcs tab.

To increase ease of use, the Apply Inventory form can be modified to include a column for the Lot's Catch Weight. Additionally, if Catch Weights should be displayed on system print outs, they (mainly invoices and physical inventory worksheets) should be modified to include Lot-level details.

Note: A new system lot number is created for each new catch weight item that is adjusted. For example, if a 5 quantity adjustment is made, 5 new system lots, each with a quantity of 1 will be created.

Configuration

Parts must be set up as follows:

  • The "Catch Weight" flag must be checked on the Properties tab.
  • Catch Weight items must have the "Stock Unit" on their Item Master header set to an "Each" type unit of measure with a factor of 1.
  • Their "Stock Pricing Unit" is usually the base weight-type unit of measure and the "Unit Weight" field on the Calcs tab should be the nominal weight of a full unit, for example 2000 lbs or 1000 kg for a full tote.
  • Optional. The "AutoFinisher Unit" field in Item Master > Units tab can be set to use a different Unit of Measure for the item than the system base when using AutoFinisher.
  • Optional. Version 16.05.008 introduces the option to specify the total catch weight by Master Lot. This option is controlled by the "Total Catch Weight by Master Lot" flag on the item master Properties tab and is useful in situations where companies will receive an item, for example on a pallet, and need to specify the pallet's total weight on receipt, but break out the weight on each individual unit or case when reserving. This allows companies to report on the remaining cases and weight on the pallet.

For more information on configuring parts, refer to Designing a Part Numbering System and Creating Parts.

Process

Entering production for Catch Weight parts

In the Item Master, Parts that have the "Catch Weight" flag checked on the Properties tab will have a default, or estimated, weight entered in the "Unit Weight" field on the Calcs tab. When a Catch Weight Part is finished on a Production Job, users will be prompted to enter an Actual Catch Weight for each unit produced. The below steps detail how to enter Catch Weights.

  1. Follow the normal finishing steps for the desired method, as detailed in the Using the Input Production form and Using the Close/Relieve form Best Practice pages.
  2. After clicking "Finish" (via the Input Production method) or "Save" (via the Close/Relieve Job method), the Edit Catch Weights form will appear, displaying the Default and Actual Catch Weights of the Part.
  3. Users can either confirm that the actual Catch Weight is the same as the Default Catch Weight or, if the actual Catch Weight is different from the Default, enter in the correct value. To change an Actual Catch Weight:
    1. Select the desired record and click "Modify".
    2. On the Edit Catch Weight form, enter in the correct value in the "Actual" field.
    3. Click "Save" and "Exit" if only one record needs modification or click "Next" to enter the Actual Catch Weight for the next Part.
  4. Once all Catch Weights are confirmed, click "Save" on the Edit Catch Weights form. The finishing process will complete as normal.

Note: Version 17.02.004 adds a new field, "Relieve by Catch Weight" to the Edit BOM line form. If checked, and finishing items that are marked as catch weight and backflushed, the system will back flush all BOM items with this flag checked based on the weight of the catch weight finished (as specified on the Edit Catch Weight form) rather than the quantity specified on the BOM.

Receiving Catch Weight parts

The steps necessary to enter catch weights upon receipt are listed below. Catch weight items can also be received via the Receive PO transaction in the DEACOM WMS Application.

  1. Follow steps 1-4 of the Process section in Receiving Purchase Orders.
  2. On the Purchase Order Lines form select the appropriate PO line and click the "Catch Weight" button. Note that if all catch weight information is not entered, the system will warn users if the "Receive" button is clicked prior to entering the necessary values. In addition, the grid on the "Purchase Order Lines" form can be modified to include the default catch weight to help users identify which lines will require the entry of actual catch weight values.
  3. The system will display the Edit Catch Weights form, indicating the part number, description, and default catch weight.
  4. The default catch weight is based on the item's unit weight (pr_unitwgt) from the Item Master Calcs tab.
  5. Note: If a base Unit of Measure is not indicated for the "weight" type, the system will default the unit's catch weight to "1", regardless of the value specified in the "pr_unitwgt" field.
  6. The actual catch weight will initially be populated with the default weight value from the item master.
  7. Review and/or modify the Actual weights.
  8. To modify a single line, select the desired line, click "Modify", enter the value in the "Actual" field, then save and exit.
  9. To evenly split one total amount across all lines (available starting in version 15.04.030), click "Split Weights", enter the value in the "Total Weight" field and click "Continue".
  10. Note: Any rounding difference due to the division is applied to the last item in the grid.
  11. When finished click, the "Save" button to commit the changes and close the Edit Catch Weights form.
  12. If additional PO lines require catch weight values, repeat steps 1-4.
  13. Once all the information has been entered correctly, click the "Receive" button to complete the process.

Notes:

  1. Beginning in version 16.04.037, if the holding Facility has the "Transfer Hold Lot Control" flag checked, catch weight values may be entered when initially receiving lots on a Transfer and Hold Purchase Order.
  2. DEACOM Version 14.07.041 has enhanced the way catch weight and serialized items are scanned. Specifically, both the catch weight and serialized values may be scanned using one GS1-128 barcode. An example of the GS1-128 barcode containing both the catch weight and serialized value is included below. Additional information on the format and setup of GS1-128 barcodes is available via Supported Barcodes.
    1. GS1-128 Catch Weight & Serial Barcode Example: Part Number, Serial Number, Catchweight <<F_BARCODE("GS1128",14,"(21)101(90)testcatch3(3101)000060")>>
  3. Beginning in version 16.01.063, the "Import Excel" button has been added to the Edit Serial Numbers from to allow users to mass upload of serial numbers, and optionally catch weights, during the receive transaction. A properly formatted Excel sheet is shown below. Either the Serial or ContSerial number is a required column. The catchweight column in optional. In addition, beginning in version 16.01.063, the Edit Serial Numbers from available when clicking the "modify" button contains the "Catch Weight" field which may be used to verify or modify catch weights. ( The catch weight enforcement that makes sure catch weight values are entered prior to clicking the Receive button is removed when each item's item master catch weight property is set to true, and either unit serialization or container serialization is set to true. This is due to the user now being able to enter catch weight values on the Edit Serial Numbers form as well.)

FAQ & Diagnostic Tips

How do you fix Catch Weights if finished with the wrong weight?

The best solution is to locate the lot with the incorrect catch Weight using an Inventory "Lots" report and then click the "Modify Lot" button where the correct catch weight may be entered. Another option is to create a Job and issue the items with the wrong catch weights and finish with the correct weight.