The generic special order item (an item classified as Special) is an inventory item used for miscellaneous special order items without creating individual inventory codes. This feature gives an alternative to entering a part number each time a special order item is purchased.
EBMS allows the user to record and track these special order items within inventory in a similar way as a stock item but does not require creating unique inventory item codes for each special order item. The recommended method from special order items is to use unique inventory items rather than using a generic special order item.
Note: The recommended method for standard special order items is to use special order purchasing methods, rather than a specific inventory classification. The recommended way to configure a special order item can be any inventory classification (such as Track Count, No Count, Serialized Item, etc.) with a special order Purchase Method. Review the following steps to create a replacement. Review Special Orders and Drop Shipment Overview for the alternative way to create items that were classified as Special Order in EBMS version 7.4 and older.
The inventory classification of Special functions in the same manner as the old Special Order classification in EBMS version 7.4 and older. The Special inventory classification should be used for generic special order items only.
Generic special order items should be used only in the following situations:
-
The individual items are priced using formulas within the product record Pricing tab. The sales order pricing must be entered manually or derived from the cost entered into the purchase order.
-
Each item is linked between the sales order and purchase order. The cost and description are copied from the sales order to the purchase order, which allows the user to use a single code for a variety of items.
SCENARIO: A service station may need to order a specific part to repair a vehicle, but they do not intend to stock the part and may never order the part again. An inventory item labeled Special Order Ford Parts would be created with an ID of SO-Ford. This inventory item is used for the thousands of different special order parts used within many different models of Ford vehicles. The Special Order feature connects the cost entered into the purchase order to the sale price on the sales order. For example, the special order inventory item described above – Special Order Ford Parts – may include the following items:
-
24in Fan belt (Cost of $ 25.00)
-
Rear passenger door window (Cost of $ 459.00)
-
Driver door hinge pin (Cost of $ 2.75)
Note that the costs of these items vary greatly. The system cannot use the FIFO (First in, First out) method as used in standard inventory items since each cost is connected to the specific part. It is important that the proper cost ($ 2.75) is calculated when the sales invoice is processed, selling the pin for $ 3.95 and creating a gross profit of $ 1.20. Both the inventory value and the profit calculations for the invoice would be drastically wrong if the door window cost ($ 459.00) was used as the cost instead of the door hinge cost ($ 2.75).
The recommended method of tracking parts that are purchased and sold infrequently is to create individual part numbers instead of using the generic special order option. The generic special order item should be used sparingly, since sales and purchase history, purchasing details, profit averages, and other sales-specific history are not recorded.
Complete the following steps to use a generic special order item:
-
Create a new inventory item with the classification of Special. Review the Entering New Products section for details on this step.
-
Set the Purchase Method within the inventory item as Sync Quantities or Associated. Click on the product record Count tab and se the appropriate Purchase Method setting as shown below:
Review the Special Orders and Drop Ship Overview section.
Review the Purchasing Special Orders section for details on creating purchase orders for generic special order items.