ControlPro v3.4
The inventory tracking feature of ControlPro is called material stores. One or more stores can be set up for each material. Follow the instructions below to see how you can use material stores to track your inventory levels. Stores can be used for either automated or hand-add materials. In this example, we’ll be setting up a store for automated materials.
Start by opening the material search screen, which can be found on the home screen. Once opened, double click on a material to open the material screen.
In the material screen, click on the tab that says “Stores”. Any stores already setup will be visible in this tab. Since we’re setting up the store for the first time, nothing is displayed. Click on the green plus sign to add a new material store.
In the description field, type in the name you want to assign to the store. For type, leave it set to the default of “Transactions_Only”. Underneath there you have the section for setting up sensors. Sensors are usually used in liquid setups and not dry. The sensors are setup and configured by our engineers. To the right of the sensor section, you see the warning and reserve fields. The warning field is used to issue a warning when your inventory reaches a certain level. The reserve field is used to hold back a certain amount of product in reserve. The total available amount to use is the total amount minus the reserve amount. If the reserve limit is reached, the automation system will stop delivering that material. This is used in applications were the tank cannot be run dry, and needs a minimum amount of product left over.
Once those levels are set, click save. Once saved, you can now add your first transaction. Click the “Add Transaction” button to the right. The options for transaction type are deposit, correction, and transfer. Deposit will add to inventory levels, correction will adjust inventory levels, and transfer allows you to move inventory from one store to another (if multiple stores are setup for that material). Since this is our initial setup, we’ll select deposit. Under the description, type in anything you want to identify the transaction. Then type in the amount in the field. By default, the unit of measure assigned to your material will be the unit of measure selected in the drop-down menu. You can select other units of measure, even volume measurements. If adding gallons to a store tracked in pounds, ControlPro will use the materials’ density to calculate the correct amount of product added to the store. In my example below, I’m adding 100,000 lbs of fertilizer to the store. Click submit when finished.
Now you should see the inventory level you just created. The available amount should be the total transaction amount minus the reserve amount. If inventory adjustments are needed, use the correction option when adding a transaction. Any positive number will add to the amount, and negative numbers subtract from the amount. For example, if you want to subtract 100 lbs, you type in -100 in the amount field to subtract 100 lbs.
Any processed tickets containing this material will subtract the delivered amount from the available store. If the program is in simulation mode, inventory levels will not be adjusted when running tickets.
There is one last step. We need to assign which store to use in the system screen. In the system screen, under the materials tab, you’ll see two columns with the title “S#” and “Selected Store”. The S# column means number of stores. It’s not adjustable, and just displays the number of stores setup for the material. You select which store to use under the Selected Store columns’ drop-down menu. Select the store you want to use, then click the save button at the bottom right. If one bin runs out, make sure you go into the materials tab to switch the material to use the other store, then click save.