Utilizing Substitutes in Production

Using Substitute Parts in Production is useful as it allows users to manually determine that if one material is out, another similar material can be used in its’ place to finish the job as needed. For example, if a company is running out of cane sugar, but beet sugar will allow the completion of the product the same way and can be used in its’ place if needed, beet sugar will be substituted for cane sugar until the company obtains more sufficient amounts of cane sugar.

In DEACOM, there are four ways of substituting Parts:

  1. Defining Substitutions via the Item Master Substitutes tab
  2. Using the Custom Adds function
  3. Using an alternate BOM Revision
  4. Defining Substitutions via the BOM Line Substitutes tab.

The first option is discussed on this page. Options two is covered via the Entering Production Jobs Using the Custom Adds Feature page and options three and four are covered on the Adding and Modifying BOM Revisions page.

Configuration

  • Several Parts will have to be added to DEACOM in Inventory > Item Master > "New Part" button. Ensure the "No Substitutes Allowed" flag is not checked for Parts that may be substituted.
  • To utilize Substitute Parts, companies will want to determine if the ability to substitute any part for any other part is a viable option. It is typical that users will specify certain parts to be substituted for another (via the Item Master Substitutes tab) as to avoid manual error in assigning a substitute that is not appropriate.

Note: Beginning in version 17.04 the system will automatically convert the requirement to the correct stock unit of the substitute part when using substitutions during issuing and staging in the main Deacom and WMS applications. (Transactions included: Main App: Issue/Reserve, Final Staging. WMS: Issue Job, Reserve SO, Final Staging SO, and Final Staging Job)

  • Configuration note. All substitute factors (su_factor) should be entered in the in terms of the stock unit of the original part.
  • This change simplifies inventory substitutions as companies will no longer have to change the UOM setup on Item Masters or adjust inventory to the correct stock unit in order to accommodate the previous substitutions limitations. In addition, users will no longer be prompted with "The original item and substituted item must be stocked in the same unit of measure" during issuing. Supports scenarios where companies need to stock substitutes in different units of measure than the original part. For catch weight items the system will use the value in the item unit weight (pr_unitwgt) in conversions of unit type.
  • Additional fields have been added to the Substitute Part form via Inventory > Item Master and Inventory > Bills of Materials to support more finite inventory substitutions rules.

Process

Adding a Substitution

To specify the Substitute parts:

  1. Navigate to Inventory > Item Master > select the Part Number and click "Modify".
  2. On the Properties tab, ensure the "No Substitutes Allowed" flag is not checked.
  3. On the Substitutes tab, click "Add" and select the Part that is allowed to be used for substitution.
    1. In DEACOM classic (Desktop Application) substitutes can only be a 1:1 ratio. In DEACOM web, a Factor may be specified. The "Factor" field allows for situations or possibilities of substitutions other than 1:1. For example, assume the company is out of cane sugar and can use beet sugar in its place, but beet sugar is not as sweet. They determine that 1.10 parts of beet sugar is equivalent to 1 part cane sugar. That means, in this example, the factor would be 1.10.
    2. The process for defining substitutions depends on the version of DEACOM that is used.
      1. In Classic versions, if no substitutions are defined on this Part's Substitutes tab and the "No Substitutes Allowed" flag is not checked, then any item can be substituted for this Part.
      2. In Web versions, if no substitutions are defined on this Part’s Substitutes tab and the "No Substitutes Allowed" flag is not checked, then no items will be able to be substituted for this Part. This is generally preferable to the Classic behavior, in that unrestricted substitutions allow low level production personnel the ability to substitute absolutely any item with no further approval required.
    3. The Substitute Part and the original Part must be stocked in the same Unit of Measure, otherwise users will be prevented from issuing.
    4. In any transaction where substitutions are allowed, there is a security setting available to prevent certain users from completing substitutions.

Substitute Parts are utilized on production jobs at the time of job issuing. On the Issue form, users will notice when selecting individual materials that there is a Substitute Part section, which will allow users to draw from the list of Substitute Parts defined in the Item Master. The substitute parts displayed depend upon what version of DEACOM is used as explained in step number 3 above.

Substitutions are one way only, meaning if Part B is listed as a Substitute for Part A, Part A cannot also be used as a Substitute for Part B. To make a substitution work both ways, modify the Part listed as a Substitution, Part B in this example, and add the original Part, Part A in this example, on the Substitutes tab.

Using a Substitution

The section below describes the steps necessary to issue inventory and use substitutions in DEACOM. Note that the General tab of the Facility record contains the check box, "Prompt When Over Issuing". If checked, users will always be prompted with a yes/no prompt to confirm that they are over issuing material on Jobs in this Facility. This flag is checked by default. Un-checking the flag is useful in situations where customers will always over issue, such as when issuing full pallet quantities.

  1. Navigate to Inventory > Issue/Reserve Inventory, change the "Type" field to read "Job" and select the Job number to which materials will be issued. Users may also click on the "Issue" button on the Job order header during order entry or modification.
  2. Locate the Part to be substituted and click "Modify".
  3. Choose the Substitute Part from the pick list then click "Save". Two factors determine the list of substitutions that will be displayed.
    1. The Substitution Type specified on the Edit Part form. Reference the Edit Part form section on the Inventory > Issue/Reserve Inventory page for additional details.
    2. The version of DEACOM, Web or Classic, that is being used. Reference step number 3 in the section above for additional information.
  4. Review the lot number column to see if any items indicate "Lot required". If yes, select these items, click on the "Modify" button and then the "Select Lots" button to determine the appropriate lots that will be issued. If items have a lot number value of "system" this indicates that the system will automatically apply the oldest lots in inventory when issuing for this item. DEACOM offers users the ability to use the "Modify" and "Select Lots" buttons in these cases as well but this step is usually unnecessary.
  5. Once all the appropriate lots have been selected click the "New Location" field and select the appropriate location using the search box.
  6. Determine whether lot labels, picklists or a list of previously issued items will be printed by placing a check mark in the appropriate check box on the issue/reserve inventory form.
  7. Click the "Save" button to issue the materials and complete the process.
  8. The "New Item" button can be used to add additional items to the job to be issued. Enter the quantity needed and Select Lots if lot controlled.

Notes:

  • The General tab on the Facility contains a field that determines how lots issued to WIP jobs will be relieved from inventory. The field is entitled "Production Relief" and contains two options: first expired (default) and first issued. Useful in situations where the relief of materials during Job production needs to be in sequence with the actual physical consumption/use of materials; in other words, in situations where companies will use the materials based on the sequence of how they were issued.
  • Job Categories can be used to establish a specific issue type of Job or Staging for specific items and revisions. This option is useful in situations where customers need to "lock in" the issue type set at the Item Master level, so that the setting cannot be over-ridden by an operator using the WMS scanners or within the main DEACOM application.
  • Version 16.03.032 introduces the option to allows users to substitute a part if found on any other job line BOMs, including co-products. The feature is enabled by the "Substitute All" box on the Issue/Reserve Inventory form and supports the ability to utilize a larger set of substitute items, particularly in co-production scenarios. When this box is checked, the system checks all item requirements, for all lines on the job, and insert records in the Custom BOM form for any instances where a part in being substituted.

FAQ & Diagnostic Tips

How can I stop users from substituting parts?

Use the "No Substitutes Allowed" flag on the Part's Item Master Properties tab. If checked, this prevents the use of the "Substitute Part" button for this part. In addition, a user can be prevented form substituting parts in sales or production via the "Inventory -- Issue Substitutions" and "Inventory -- Reserve Substitutions" security settings.