Maintenance · Daily operations · 8 min read

Reserve, issue and return spare parts on a work order

Add parts to a job, reserve stock, issue them, return what is unused and ask for what is short.

Before you begin

• The part must be an active stocked product (type Goods). Services are refused.
• You need maintenance.parts.issue to reserve, issue, return and request a shortage.
• A warehouse must exist. The system pre-fills the Default Warehouse for Parts from Maintenance Settings, then the company default, then the first warehouse by code.

Add a part and reserve it

1. Open the work order and the Parts tab.
2. Click Add Part.
3. Choose the Item.
4. Enter the Required Qty, more than 0.
5. Check the Warehouse.
6. Leave Reserve it in Inventory now ticked to hold free stock for this job.
7. Click Add.

The line shows Required, Reserved and the free stock available. Reserved stock is no longer available to a sale. Parts tracked by lot or serial number are never reserved here.

If the stock is short, only what is free is reserved and the line shows 'short 2'. The product also appears under Maintenance > Parts > Reorder Alerts, which lists need, available stock and shortage by product and warehouse, largest first.

Issue parts

1. On the Parts tab click Issue (all lines) or enter a quantity on one line.
2. Confirm.

The system moves the stock from the warehouse to consumption, releases the reservation and records the cost. If Post parts issues to accounting is on, it posts a journal. Example: 4 filters at an average cost of 25.00 AED. Stock falls by 4, the ledger shows 100.00 AED of parts cost, and the journal debits 5200 Operating expense 100.00 and credits the stock account (default 1200 Inventory) 100.00. Branch, cost centre and project from the job are carried on the entry.

The limits are:

• 'Every part needed has already been issued.'
• '<part>: at most 2 can be issued.' (more than required minus what is already issued)
• 'Only 1 of <code> is available at <warehouse>.'
• '<code> is tracked by lot or serial - issue it from Inventory, then add its cost here.'

Return unused parts

1. Click Return Unused and enter the quantity.
2. Confirm.

The stock goes back at the cost it left at, and the part cost and journal are reversed. Example: of the 4 issued at 25.00 AED, you return 1. Part cost becomes 75.00 AED and the journal debits 1200 and credits 5200 for 25.00.

Change or remove a part line

• Lowering Required Qty releases the difference. It cannot go below what is already issued net of returns: 'It cannot need fewer than have already been issued.'
• Deleting a line releases its reservation. An issued line cannot be deleted: 'Issued parts are returned, not deleted.'
• The warehouse cannot be changed while stock is reserved or issued: 'Release the reservation before changing the warehouse.'

Ask for a shortage

1. When a line is short, click Request Shortage.
2. Choose the Vendor.
3. Confirm.

The system creates a draft request for quotation in Purchase for the missing quantity, at product cost with 5 % VAT. The job goes to Waiting Parts and labour stops. Your buyer confirms and receives the purchase in Purchase and Inventory. Then press Resume, reserve the line again and issue. If nothing is short, you get 'Nothing is short: stock covers every part.'

Where to see all parts

Maintenance > Parts has Spare Parts, Reservations, Consumption and Part Requirements. Click a row to open its work order. Maintenance > Reports > Parts Consumption shows quantity and cost per product.

Good to know

• Cost columns need maintenance.cost.view.
• Preventive plans can carry default parts through the system interface, but not yet from the plan screen.