Raw Material Dispatches
A Raw Material Dispatch is the document that records the raw materials taken out of inventory to be consumed by a Production Order. It tells AdmCloud exactly which items, in what quantities, from which location (and bin, lot or serial when applicable), were issued to the shop floor for that order, reducing stock and updating the order's material consumption.
What is it and what is it for?
When you manufacture a product, AdmCloud needs a record of the raw materials that actually left the warehouse for that specific Production Order. That record is the Raw Material Dispatch. It always belongs to one Production Order (it cannot be created without one) and lists the items dispatched, with their quantity, unit of measure, and, if your plan uses them, the Bin, Lot, Serial numbers and Attributes (such as size or color) that identify exactly which stock was used.
This document only moves raw material out of inventory; it does not register the finished product. If you'd rather record the material consumed and the finished goods obtained in a single step, use Direct Production instead. Raw Material Dispatches are meant for production processes that are tracked in stages, where materials are issued to the floor first and the finished product is recorded later (for example, through a separate finished-goods receipt or at the close of the Production Order).
How to use it
- Start from the Production Order. Raw Material Dispatches are usually created from an existing Production Order using its "Dispatch Raw Material" action (or the Create button from the list, choosing the order). AdmCloud then loads the raw materials expected for that order (from its Bill of Materials) with the quantities still pending to dispatch.
- Review the header: Document Date, Location and, if your company uses Subsidiaries, the Subsidiary. Location and Subsidiary must be consistent with each other.
- Review or adjust the item lines on the Raw Material tab: Item, Description, Quantity, and Unit, plus Bin, Lot, Serial numbers and Attribute 1/2 when those features are enabled for your company. You can remove a line or add another raw material item if you need to dispatch something that wasn't originally planned on the order.
- Attach supporting files if needed, on the Files tab (for example, a signed pick list).
- Click Save to record the dispatch. AdmCloud reduces the stock at the selected location and updates how much raw material has already been dispatched to the Production Order.
- From the Details screen you can Print the dispatch (with a signature area for handoff), jump to its Journal Entry, Duplicate it, Edit, Void or Delete it, depending on your permissions.
Key capabilities
- List with search, customizable columns (Document Number, Date, Location, associated BOM, Reference, Subsidiary, and a "Void" indicator) and filters by date range, Location and Subsidiary.
- Creation pre-filled from the source Production Order, pulling the raw materials from its Bill of Materials so you don't have to type them from scratch.
- Optional feature toggle to instead pull raw materials from approved Location Transfer Requests linked to the order, when your company uses that workflow to move stock between warehouses before dispatching it to production.
- Tracking of Bins, Lots, Serial numbers and Attributes on each item line, when those inventory features are enabled for your company.
- Automatic reduction of stock at the dispatch's Location, and an accounting entry posted to the General Ledger reflecting the raw material consumption.
- A print layout with company header, Production Order and Sales Order reference, item detail, notes and signature lines, plus a barcode/QR for the document.
- Void and Delete actions, protected so a dispatch that is voided or deleted correctly reverses its stock impact.
Key fields
| Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Document Number | Unique identifier of the dispatch, assigned automatically according to your numbering configuration. |
| Document Date | Date the raw material leaves inventory. Must fall within an open accounting period for the Inventory module. |
| Location | Warehouse the raw material is taken from. Must match the Subsidiary selected, when Subsidiaries are enabled. |
| Subsidiary | Business unit the dispatch belongs to, when your company has Subsidiaries enabled. |
| Production Order | The order this dispatch supplies raw material to. Required on every dispatch; it cannot be changed after the document is saved. |
| Reference | Free-text field to note an internal reference for the dispatch. |
| Item / Quantity / Unit | Each raw material dispatched, the amount taken from stock, and the unit of measure it's expressed in. |
| Bin, Lot, Serials | Identify exactly which physical stock (sub-location, batch or unit) was used, for items that track this information. |
| Attribute 1 / Attribute 2 | Variant dimensions (such as size or color) for items that use attributes. |
| Notes | Free-text remarks about the dispatch. |
Validations on save
- A Production Order is required. A dispatch cannot be saved without one, and it must exist and not be voided; the associated Bill of Materials must also not be voided.
- Location and Subsidiary must be consistent with each other; otherwise AdmCloud rejects the document.
- At least one item line is required. An empty dispatch cannot be saved.
- There is a maximum number of item lines allowed per document; if you go over it, AdmCloud tells you the limit.
- The quantity dispatched of a raw material generally cannot exceed the quantity still pending on the Production Order's Bill of Materials. If you try to dispatch more than planned, AdmCloud blocks it unless your user group has the specific "Exceed quantity when registering Raw Material Dispatch" permission (or you're an administrator).
- If your company tracks Bins, Lots, Serial numbers or Attributes, each item line must include the ones that item requires; conversely, you can't set a Bin, Lot or Attribute on an item that doesn't support it.
- The Unit of Measure on each line must belong to the item's configured UOM plan.
- Items marked as inventory kits cannot be added as lines on this document.
- The Document Date must fall within an accounting period that is still open for the Inventory module.
- Deleting a dispatch is blocked if the document is already referenced by other records; voiding reverses the stock impact and updates the Production Order's pending quantities again.
Availability and permissions
- Browsing, creating, editing, voiding and deleting Raw Material Dispatches requires the "Raw Material Dispatch" permission on your user group, with separate levels for each action.
- Dispatching more raw material than the Production Order calls for additionally requires the "Exceed quantity when registering Raw Material Dispatch" permission.
- This feature requires the Manufacturing (WIP) capability to be active on your company's plan. If you don't see this screen in your menu, contact AdmCloud to have Manufacturing enabled.
- Whether Bins, Lots, Serial numbers, Attributes and Subsidiaries appear on the form depends on which of those inventory features are enabled for your company.
Tips and common mistakes
"The production order is required": you tried to save a dispatch without linking it to a Production Order. Create the dispatch from the order itself, or select one before saving.
"You don't have the privilege to exceed raw material quantity": the amount you're dispatching for that item is higher than what's still pending on the order's Bill of Materials. Either adjust the quantity to match what's planned, or ask an administrator to grant the "Exceed quantity" permission if the extra amount is intentional (for example, to cover scrap or waste).
The Production Order's items pre-fill the dispatch automatically. If your company instead uses Location Transfer Requests to move stock into the production location first, ask your administrator whether that workflow is enabled, since in that case the dispatch pulls its items from the approved transfers instead of directly from the Bill of Materials.
Use Print for the physical handoff of materials to the production floor: it includes a signature line so whoever receives the materials can sign for them.
Void instead of delete whenever a dispatch has already been referenced elsewhere or you simply want to keep a trace of the correction; deleting is only available while the document has no dependent records.