Overview

The Inventory grid displays the current item inventory in the Wonderware MES system. Items can be stored in storage entities and in specified lots. The Wonderware MES inventory system will allow you to track an item’s remaining quantity, grade, status, and expiration date. The current work order may be associated with produced items, to allow tracking of WIP (work in progress) items. Internal movements may be tracked, as well as recording shipments in and out of your system.

Inventory Capabilities of the Operations Capability Object

In the Operations Capability Object, you can use the Inventory Transfer tab to receive a new inventory item quantity or transfer an inventory item quantity from a source storage entity to a destination storage entity. The source storage entity is the entity from where you want to move inventory items and the destination storage entity is the entity to which you want to move inventory items.

Attributes that begin with the word To and Transfer are used when specifying a new inventory item received. All the attributes are used to transfer inventory items.

To view the Inventory Transfer tab in the object editor, select the Entity Can Store Items check box in the General tab.

You can reclassify an inventory item to a new grade, state, or expiry date by triggering the Move Inventory command. To reclassify the grade, state, or expiry for an existing inventory item, values of the following attributes must be same:

• To Location and From Location
• To Item and From Item
• To Lot and From Lot
• To Sublot and From Sublot

If an inventory is maintained according to a job, the following additional attributes must also be the same:

• To Work Order and From Work Order
• To Operation and From Operation
• To Sequence Number and From Sequence Number

You must specify the source information such as location, item name and quantity, lot and sublot numbers, and sequence number to move an inventory item. 

You can manage your inventory in runtime, by using the Inventory Transfer Attributes available in the Operations Capability Object. The Inventory Transfer attributes that are available at runtime are described in the following table. You must select the Entity Can Store Items check box on the General tab to view the following attributes in.

 

Attribute name	Description	Configuration
StorageExec.ToLocation	Specifies the entity where the inventory will be transferred.	Yes
StorageExec.ToItem	Specifies the item that is stored at the destination location.	Yes
StorageExec.ToLot	Specifies the lot where the item is being stored.	Yes
StorageExec.ToSublot	Specifies the sublot where the item is being stored.	Yes
StorageExec.ToGrade	Specifies the grade of the item being stored.	Yes
StorageExec.ToState	Specifies the state of the item being stored.	Yes
StorageExec.ToUOM	Specifies the Unit of Measure for the item being stored.	Yes
StorageExec.ToExpiryDate	Specifies the expiry date for the item being stored.	Yes
StorageExec.ToWorkOrder	Specifies the work order of a destination.	Yes
StorageExec.ToOperation	Specifies the operation of a destination.	Yes
StorageExec.ToSequenceNumber	Specifies the job sequence of a destination.	Yes
StorageExec.TransferQuantity	Specifies the quantity to be transferred.	Yes
StorageExec.TransferOption	Specifies the options to transfer an inventory item.	Yes
StorageExec.FromLocation	Specifies the entity where the item is being transferred from.	Yes
StorageExec.FromItem	Specifies the item that is being removed from the source location.	Yes
StorageExec.FromLot	Specifies the lot from where the item is being removed.	Yes
StorageExec.FromSublot	Specifies the Sublot from where the item is being removed.	Yes
StorageExec.FromWorkOrder	Specifies the work order of a source.	Yes
StorageExec.FromOperation	Specifies the operation of a source.	Yes
StorageExec.FromSequenceNumber	Specifies the job sequence of a source.	Yes
StorageExec.MoveInventoryCmd	Specifies the command to move an inventory item from a source location to a destination location.	No
StorageExec.ReceiveCmd	Specifies the command to receive an inventory item to a destination location.	No
StorageExec.ResetCmd	Resets the commands and errors that occur while executing the commands.	No

The Inventory Tab in Wonderware MES Operator displays the current inventory status of the selected entity. This tab allows the user to transfer in, transfer out and reclassify inventory in the selected location only. It also provides filtering and the ability to view and modify lot attributes for the selected row in the tab. Each of the buttons on this tab will be described at greater length.

Transfer Item Button – Transfer Item In button launches the inventory transfer screen that pulls inventory from another entity to the currently selected entity.

Transfer Item Out Button – Transfer Item Out button launches the inventory transfer screen that sends inventory to another entity from the currently selected entity.

Scrap Button – The Scrap button allows for all or partial items to be taken out of inventory.

Reclassify Button – Reclassify button launches the Reclassify Item Window. This window allows the user to change the grade and status of the lot selected in the inventory tab.

Hide/Show Numeric Keypad – The Hide/Show Numeric Keypad button toggles the view of the numeric keypad display.

Lot Attributes Button – Lot Attributes button launches the lot attributes window which allows the user to add, remove and change the values of the lot attributes of the lot selected in the inventory tab.

Filter Button – Filter button launches the filter window allowing the user to enter filter parameters to limit the view of the inventory tab. Selecting the check box next to a grade or status will add that to the filter and remove all uncheck odes. The text boxes for item id and lot number are filled in with whole or partial items or lots to be added to the filter. A wild card character of “%” can be used at any point in either field.

Switch User Button – The Switch User button changes the active user in Operator. Usually, computers on the shop floor are shared by multiple users. The Switch User serves two purposes. The first is to login or to make a user active. A user that has already logged into Operator and is not currently the active user selects the Switch User that brings up the Switch User screen. The user would then highlight their user name, enter their password, and then select the Login button. The second purpose that the Switch User button is used for is to lock a user’s session. If multiple users are utilizing one PC, a user can select the Switch User button that will then display the Switch User screen. By doing this no other users can alter another users information in Operator.

Refresh Button –The Refresh button updates Inventory Grid. Help Button – The Help button opens the Help window.

Launch External Program Button – The Launch External Program button runs a predefined external file. The button can be set to pass arguments. Setting the parameters for this button is done in the “configure button” window for each tab.

Launch Internet Browser Button – The Launch Internet Browser button launches a defined browser and a predefined page. The parameters are configured in the Configure Buttons tab of the Inventory screen.

Open Forms Button – The Open Forms button opens a form that has been predefined. The forms that are available are configured in the Forms window of Supervisor are selected by setting the default parameter for the drop down menu in the Configure buttons screen of the Inventory tab.

Enabling Updates in the BOM

You can automatically update inventory items by using the BOM version features within the Wonderware MES Client.

A Bill of Material (BOM) contains the basic information and production details for the selected BOM version. A BOM item represents any component or by-product of the production of parent item. These components and by-products must be defined as an item and assigned to an item to be a part of the BOM.

A BOM version specifies the components that are consumed to produce the parent item, any

by-products of that production, and default values for several production settings. BOM item adds production-specific details for usage of the item in the current BOM version.

An item can contain multiple BOM versions, but you can define only one version as the preferred version. The preferred BOM version is used automatically whenever a process is defined to produce the parent item.