Best Practice 3: Multi-Site Inventory

The inventory module in Calem is built for an organization to have consistency of inventory naming across business units for better visibility and sharing. This blog covers the best practice for inventory management in Calem.

1. Item and Inventory

Items include parts, services and repair services used in your organization. An item may be used at a site (a business unit such as a plant) as an inventory.

• The global items allow an organization to have consistency of inventory naming across business units for better visibility and sharing.
• See this blog for the general introduction: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/data-setup-part-1-inventory-setup

2. Stock and Order Units

Stock units at items and order units by vendors are key factors for efficient inventory management. See this blog: https://eam.calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-manage-inventory-units

3. Inventory Replenishment Automation

Min/Max stock levels can be configured for inventory items to automate ordering of parts. See this blog: https://eam.calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/purchase-process-automation

4. Service Item

A service item represents a service by a vendor. It is an item with category of "Service". See this blog: https://eam.calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-receive-services-in-calem

5. Offsite Repair

Offsite Repair is a service item for sending a part to a vendor for repair. It is of category "Offsite Repair" and used in requisition and purchase orders to send parts for repair. See this blog for asset offsite repair: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/asset-off-site-repair-and-tracking

6. Part Repair Process

An organization may choose options for part repair. Option 2 and 3 are good choices in general for internal and external part repair. Option 1 is a good choice if an organization does only offsite asset repairs. An organization may choose to implement either options 2 and/or 3, or option 1.

• Option 1. Asset offsite repair only: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/asset-off-site-repair-and-tracking
• Option 2 and 3: Internal and external repair by work orders: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/what-part-repair-processes-are-provided-in-calem
• Set up repair storerooms: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-set-up-storerooms-for-repaired-parts

7. Generic Items

Generic items are for transitional items that are purchased and used, but not stored in inventory. Their reuse reduces the needs to create new items. See this blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-set-up-generic-items-in-calem

8. Item Owner Groups

Item owner groups may be configured to segregate items for access control. For instance, authorized warehouse staff should request technical parts. Item owner groups can be configured to do it. See this blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/when-to-use-item-owner-groups

9. Inventory Kit

An inventory kit is an item designated as a set of other items. It can simplify item requisitions and checkout. See this blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-implement-inventory-kit-in-calem

10. Asset Item

Asset items are items managed individually as assets. Managing parts as assets may be adopted when needs arise. See the pros and cons discussion in the blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-manage-inventory-items-individually

11. Transactions and QR code

QR code is of better quality in the fields. It may be adopted for inventory management. See this blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/why-adopting-qr-code-in-calem

12. Transaction Freezing

You may freeze inventory transactions for a given time when needs arise. See this blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-freeze-inventory-transactions

13. Item Number Changes

Calem object Ids can be used when you need to change item numbers in bulk. See this blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/mass-update-of-item-numbers

14. Inventory Merge

Inventory merge is a feature to consolidate duplicate items. See this blog: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-merge-inventory-in-calem

15. Inventory KPIs

Inventory KPIs are provided including multi-site KPIs. See blogs below:

• Multi-Site KPIs: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/multi-site-inventory-kpis
• Budget KPI: https://calemeam.com/calemcustomers-2/how-to-manage-maintenance-budgets-in-calem

Additional resources

• How to Use Price Lot in Calem
• User Guide and Admin Guide (customer account required)
  
• Calem Enterprise Training Site
  
• Calem Enterprise Blogs
  
• Calem Enterprise demo