Best Practice for Item Revisions?

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chadC
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Item Master / Item Location maintainance is becoming increasingly challenging for item revisions which effect multiple data points.  Item revisions effect multiple vendors/catalog / uom revisions, more so for inventory and demand flow type items.

Does Lawson /Infor's have recommendation for BEST PRACTICE, other then creating a brand new item? re: item revisions which effect mutiple data points of the Item Master records (example: revision of WIGGET 1 TO WIGGET 1 vs WIGGET 1 TO WIGGET 2)?

How is your company handling these situations?   Are there any other ways then:  completing all open orders then adjusting out SOH at all locations.....or creating a new item?

Bill Ianni
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What warrants a revision versus a new item???  Changes to UOM, cost, packaging, etc. are considered revisions while a "material change to the quality" would warrant the creation of a new item.   

Type of Change

Revision

New Item

UOM

X

Packaging

X

Description

X

Specification 

X

 

In situations where your supplier promoting a replacement or substitute sku (in other words, a new vendor item number), generally, a new item number will be warranted.  One clear rule of thumb - if you are pulling product from the shelf and/or returning product to the supplier, a new Lawson item should be created for what you are replacing.  

 

The mass change utility IC330 is helpful in organizing changes across locations.  However, you must resolve open supply and demand orders.  [This is a bit of a seek and destroy exercise although a ProcessFlow could be written to automate the procedure.]  Kill open demand orders using WH25 and WH32.  Remove open supply orders using PO23 and PO20.  Inactivate the item on IC11 as soon as you are able, but make sure you complete a Return (if necessary) prior to inactivating.    

Ray
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Similar to the previous post, our basic guideline is if there's a material change to the product, we create a new Lawson number. Changes in UOM, conversion factors, or packaging do not constitute a material change…in those instances, the existing Lawson number should be revised. Advantages to creating a new Lawson number for material changes to products are: not unwittingly corrupting ancillary systems to which you may interface your Lawson item master (IC525), and creating a separation of old product from the new product in your purchase and inventory transaction histories (which can be crucial during recalls).

We use the IC11 Description 2 field to document the old Lawson number on the new item (we include the phrase “Formerly…”) and the new Lawson number on the old item (we include the phrase “Replaced By …”). By using daily auto-emailed Crystal Enterprise reports, our individual perpetual inventory teams monitor stock depletion of the “old” (“Replaced By…”) Lawson numbers and when SOH reaches zero, they inactivate the item, remove from par carts, then load the new number to par carts, begin ordering the new item, etc. From time-to-time, we’ll transfer (IC22) inventory from a slow-moving perpetual location to a faster moving location to deplete quicker across the company (i.e., if we need to make a hard change vs. a rolling change - where inventory is depleted at different rates by each location). Our Lawson item master team receives a report which identifies when an item has been inactivated at all IC12 locations so they know to then inactivate in IC11, ensure PO15 template changes are made, etc.

We’re on Lawson 9x and run Crystal XI. If you’d like a copy of our Policy and the Crystal reports, drop me your e-mail address…hope this is helpful!

Red
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I have to say that I am surprised at how much more conservative our approach is. From a healthcare perspective, product recalls have to be one of the top concerns when it comes to assigning or reassigning new Lawson numbers. Basically, I want to easily be able to segregate items that could potentially be recalled. We work from a "Form/Fit/Function" rule of thumb, so certain changes are ignored (meaning that we update the item in place), but if the change is due to an acquisition or a material change in manufacturing processes (including changes in the packaging string) then a new number is assigned. Yes, there is a certain amount of pain in the ongoing maintenance, and we do hear the groans from the floors, but it pales in comparison to the potential liabilities if you cannot track the items down.

I am happy to share our policy as well,
Red
Learn from the Past. Prepare for the Future. Act in the Present.
Stephanie
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Hello, I am interested in seeing your policies and any crystal reports either of you have created!

stephanie.kowal@bhs.org

Thanks!
Stephanie Kowal | skowal@rpic.com
CDS
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I would like to get a copy of the CR and the Best Practice policies also.
myunicrn@yahoo.com
Bev Edwards
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I'm in the process of a huge cleanup of our Item Master and all associated Lawson forms for each item. (Product codes do not match, pricing incorrect, etc.)
Maintenance on top of daily workload is hard to keep up with so if you wouldn't mind including me on the list to receive a copy of your CR and Best Practices, that would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!!
Michelle Wetzel
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Ray & Red -

I'd like to see the policies / CR as well. This is something that we always struggle with. Thanks so much for being willing to share with the group!

Michelle
michelle.wetzel@carle.com
Kodi L
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I would like to get a copy of the CR and the Best Practice policies also. Thank you so much; I appreciate it!

Thanks!
Kodi
klarson1@billingsclinic.org
Red
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Folks,
I will be responding to all of your requests throughout the day.

Bev,
I do not see your e-mail address. You can send it to me via personal note, if you wish.

Thanks all,
Red
Learn from the Past. Prepare for the Future. Act in the Present.
Bev Edwards
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Sorry Red!
Here you go: bedwards@gbmc.org
Pdudow
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Hi Red,

I would also like to see a copy of your policy. 

Thank You!
Patricia.Dudow@wchn.org