Katana dynamically calculates ingredients availability to help you manage production and inventory efficiently. This feature indicates whether the necessary materials and subassemblies (collectively referred to as "ingredients") are available to fulfill your orders, based on real-time stock levels and order priorities.
Where to find ingredients availability
Ingredients availability statuses are displayed in the following areas:
Sell screen: For products listed on sales orders (SOs).
Make screen: For products on manufacturing orders (MOs).
Buy screen: For products on outsourced purchase orders (OPOs).
These statuses provide immediate insights into whether you have the required ingredients to proceed with production or need to take further action.
Ingredients availability statuses
Each product on an order is assigned one of the following statuses:
In stock
All required ingredients are available in your inventory.
Action: No action needed; you can proceed with production.
Expected
Ingredients are not currently in stock but are expected from open purchase orders (POs), manufacturing orders (MOs), or outsourced purchase orders (OPOs).
Action: Monitor incoming orders to ensure timely arrival.
Not available
Ingredients are neither in stock nor expected from any existing orders.
Action: Create new POs, MOs, or OPOs to procure the missing ingredients.
Not applicable
This status appears when:
The product is set to only Buy (not Make)
The selected location is designated for sales only and not for manufacturing.
Action: No action needed; ingredient availability is not relevant.
How ingredients availability is calculated
Katana determines ingredients availability based on:
Stock levels: Checks if the required quantity is available in stock.
Expected receipts: Looks for open POs, MOs, or OPOs that will fulfill the requirement.
Order priorities: Considers the priority of orders; higher-priority orders reserve ingredients first.
If an ingredient is committed to a higher-priority order, even if it's in stock, it may not be available for lower-priority orders.
Managing order priorities
Adjusting the priority of orders can impact ingredients availability:
Sales and manufacturing orders: Change priority by reordering them in the Sell or Make screens.
Outsourced purchase orders: Modify the expected arrival date to adjust priority.
Higher-priority orders reserve ingredients before lower-priority ones.
Viewing detailed ingredient information
To see detailed information about ingredient availability:
Click on the Ingredients Availability status on an order.
A list will show missing or expected ingredients.
Click the status of an ingredient to open the Inventory Intel window, displaying:
In stock quantity
Expected quantity
Committed quantity
Orders reserving the ingredient, listed by priority
Actions based on ingredients availability
Not available:
Create a new PO, MO, or OPO for the missing ingredient.
Adjust the product's safety stock level to prevent future shortages.
Expected:
Monitor the arrival of expected ingredients.
If urgent, consider expediting existing orders or adjusting order priorities.
In stock:
Proceed with production as planned.
Processed:
Used on the Sell screen.
If the Sales items availability is In stock, the Ingredients are shown as Processed.
Also used when an MO or OPO is done.
Not applicable:
No action required.
Special considerations
Kits and bundles: Katana handles kits differently; only the primary sales item benefits from auto-assembly. Ensure that subassemblies are correctly configured to avoid discrepancies.
Actual vs. planned quantities: Ingredients Availability is calculated based on planned quantities. Actual quantities used are recorded upon completion of the MO and may affect future availability calculations.
Correcting possible stock calculation issues
To ensure accurate potential stock calculations, follow these steps:
1. Verify stock availability
Check that all components necessary for the item's BOM have sufficient quantities available.
Confirm that no components have been pre-committed to other orders.
2. Adjust sales order priority
In the Sell screen > Open tab, drag and drop affected SOs to the top. This prioritization ensures that stock is allocated accurately to the most critical orders.
3. Review BOM configuration
If any component is configured as a kit or bundle, consider splitting it into individual items to ensure proper handling by Katana's auto-assembly mechanism.
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