System-Defined Part Types

Each item must be assigned a part type.  The part type determines how the item will be handled throughout MAC-PAC, so it is extremely important that the correct type be assigned to each item.  Ten part types are defined by the system.

Purchased Part

An item procured from a supplier.  Purchased parts can be purchased, stocked, sold, used as a component in a bill of material, and transferred between plants.  Since purchased parts are not manufactured, you cannot create a routing, manufacturing order, or production schedule for a purchased part.  You can create a bill of material for a purchased part; however, the bill of material will not be processed by MAC-PAC.

Manufactured Part

An item that is generally produced in-house, although these items can also be procured from suppliers.  If an item is sometimes manufactured and sometimes purchased, it should be defined as a manufactured part.  Manufactured parts can be sold, manufactured, stocked, used as a component in a bill of material, and transferred between plants.  A bill of material should be created for each manufactured part, and a routing may be created.

Raw Material

Raw material parts and purchased parts are treated identically by MAC-PAC.  MAC-PAC provides two part types so you can distinguish between items you purchase for resale and items you purchase for use in production. 

Planning Part

A product family or group used for generating forecasts of market demand.  The bill of material for a planning part indicates which end items belong to the group and how the Master Scheduling application should allocate demand for the group to the individual end items.

Planning parts are used only in Master Scheduling.  You cannot create routings, purchase orders, sales orders, manufacturing orders, production schedules, or transfer orders for planning parts.  You cannot specify them as components in bills of material or maintain inventory balances for them.  See the Master Scheduling User Manual for more information.

Reference Part

A miscellaneous, non-inventoried part.  Reference parts are typically used in the following situations:

·      To specify an item, such as a tool or engineering drawing, that is used to make an item but is not consumed during production.  The item is included as a component on the bill of material and can be added to a manufacturing order.  However, there is no need to replenish reference parts.  Consequently, Master Scheduling and Requirements Planning do not create manufacturing orders, production schedules, or purchase requisitions for reference items.  Although a reference item may be listed on a manufacturing order, you cannot issue a reference part.

·      To add a miscellaneous charge, such as freight, to a sales order.  The cost of the reference part is added to the total for the order.  Reference parts appear on the sales order and invoice, but not on the pick list. 

·      To order non-inventoried items on a purchase order, such as supplies.  The item description can be tailored to each purchase order.

Reference parts cannot be manufactured or stocked. 

Build-Thru Part

(Also referred to as a phantom part.)  An item that is manufactured but not normally stocked.  Once it is produced, it is used immediately in the production of another item.  If a manufacturing order is opened for a part with a build-thru component, the picking list includes the components of the build-thru part, as well as those of the ordered part.  The build-thru part itself does not appear on the picking list.  Although build-thru parts are normally used immediately after they are produced, MAC-PAC allows you to maintain inventory balances for build-thru parts and to create manufacturing orders for them.  Build-thru parts can be transferred to another plant and sold to customers, but you cannot define a routing for a build-thru part.

Non-Standard Part

Items such as desks and chairs that are owned by a plant but are not used in the manufacturing process.  Non-standard parts are costed using moving average costing rather than standard costing.  A non-standard part cannot be manufactured, used as a component in a bill of materials, or transferred to another plant.  However, it can be purchased, stocked, and sold.  The planning modules do not process non-standard items.

Transfer Part

A part that is used in the current plant but manufactured in another.  A sourcing plant must be defined for each transfer part (on the Description screen of the Part Master Maintenance conversation).  During planning, Master Scheduling and Requirements planning automatically create transfer requisitions for all transfer parts to ensure that they are transferred from their sourcing plants in time to meet the needs at the current plant.  Note that transfer parts are costed like purchased parts.  You must maintain the cost manually on the Part Master File; it will not roll over from the sourcing plant.

Although a transfer part is not normally manufactured at the current plant, there may be occasions when it must be produced there.  Consequently, you can create bills of material, routings, and manufacturing orders or production schedules for transfer parts (depending on whether they are MRP or JIT items).

Each transfer part must be defined (with the same part number) in its sourcing plant.  Within the sourcing plant, the item can be defined as a purchased, raw material, manufactured, build-thru, or transfer part.  If the item is defined as a transfer part in the sourcing plant, a third plant must be specified as the source for the part (see below).

        Correct Sourcing Flow

No matter how many links are added to the sourcing plant chain, eventually the chain must end.  There must be one plant where the item is either purchased or made.  Master Scheduling and Requirements Planning will trace back through the sourcing chain for each transfer part and create manufacturing orders or purchase requisitions in this "ultimate" sourcing plant.

In the above example, transfer requisitions would be created to move the transfer item from Plant B to meet demand at Plant A.  This transfer requisition places demand on Plant B, which is met by creating a transfer requisition  to move the item from Plant C.  The demand on Plant C is met by creating a purchase requisition (if the part is bought) or a manufacturing order (if it is made).  It is very important that you do not create a circular relationship with transfer parts.  For example, you cannot define the part as a transfer part in Plant C sourced from Plant A.  This situation is shown below.

      Incorrect Sourcing Flow

Non-Stocked Part

An item, such as water or electricity, that is used in the manufacturing process but is not tracked as an inventory item.  Non-stocked parts may be purchased but not sold.  They may be used as components in a bill of material.  For example, you might list electricity as a component of an item so that electric costs are included in the cost of the item.  The cost information for non-stocked parts is stored on Warehouse Balance File records (maintained in Inventory Control), but inventory balances are not maintained.

Bundled Part

A collection of parts that are often sold together.  The parts making up the collection are specified on the bundle part's bill of material.  Defining bundle parts makes order entry easier, since only one line must be entered to order a group of items.  Bundle parts are not inventoried.  They cannot be purchased, transferred, or manufactured.