In an ideal world the kit for a works order would contain exactly the items required to produce the order. However, in practice things often don't go as smoothly as planned. The works order kit tool allows you to return unwanted kit items back into stock, delete unwanted kit lines and also add extra kit lines to an order:
For example, if the assembly for a product omits a component then the kit list will miss it out as well, or perhaps some components might be scrapped during production.
An extra kit line containing a missing component can be added to the works order using the add line page and then issued as normal:
Likewise, if the assembly for a product contains too many of a component, or if the scrap allowance for a component is too high then the kit will contain too much material. This can be returned to stock using the return line page. This page can also be used to "cannibalise" an issued item back from one kit so it can be issued it to another order - just tell Herschel the item will be reissued later:
The store module options issue from stock and receive into stock could be used to record unplanned movements of this type, but using the Make module's works order kit tool has three advantages. Firstly it's quicker as you don't have to go into the Store module; secondly it's easier to see where components have gone or where they have come from; lastly, and perhaps most importantly, if you want to accurately cost the order using the Shop module's job costing options then it is vital that the amount of material used by the order is correctly recorded.
The explode an assembly into stock option allows you to quickly return the components of an assembly back into stock. This is useful when a works order has been kitted but will no longer be made. It's also useful in scenarios where you want to explode one partnumber into several others, for example when a collection of components is punched out of one sheet of metal:
