The Assemblies feature enables you to create the structure of an Assembly with any number of levels. Each level may contain Components or Assemblies. The structure is a 'logical' one, not a 'physical' one, i.e. the system is holding a picture of the structure, it is not holding the actual Component and Assembly records. This means that if an Assembly is changed, it will be changed in every other Assembly that contains it, and in every Bill of Materials that contains that Assembly Stock item. Similarly if an aspect of a Component Stock item is changed, it will be changed in every Bill of Material that contains it.

These are Purchased (or manufactured), and are treated as normal Movements IN, i.e. they are treated in the same way as 'normal' Stock items.

Assembly stock items must be flagged Assembly from the Type menu on the main Stock Record window.

Click on the Assemblies button to display the Parts for [Stock Code] window.

Click on Edit and add assembly Components using the Stock pull-down menu to select from Stock, Price or Text entries. You can use the search button to display the Stock Selection window. If you select another Assembly item as one of your components, you will see the sub-components listed in the right-hand pane.

Use the Explode and Restore buttons to drill up and down through successive assembly levels.

Assembly stock items are not Purchased; they are 'built', using the Movements function. This allows you to build Assemblies in two ways.

This is the simplest method, and assumes that any lower level Assemblies contained at that level and in lower levels have already been built.

If sufficient lower level Assemblies have not been built, you will only be able to build the number of this Assembly that is determined by the numbers of Components and Assemblies held in stock at that moment.

This method will build the whole Assembly, including any lower level Assemblies that are contained in this Assembly.

If this method is used, you can choose between two approaches, each of which will give very different results:

Build from bottom Starts at Component level, and tries to build any required Sub-Assemblies. It does not take into account or use, any pre-built Assemblies. This can be useful if the Sub-Assemblies are items that can be sold separately by themselves.

Build from top Starts at Component and Sub-Assembly level, and works down the structure. It will attempt to build the quantity of that Assembly that you require, and it will make use of any Sub-Assemblies that are already built.

Two further options are available whether you are doing a Single or a Multi Level build:

Build as much as possible This option will try to build as much of the Assembly as possible.

Do not build if insufficient This option will not build ANY of the Assembly unless the full quantity required can be built.

Before building Assemblies, it is a good idea to use the Check Availability function, to see how many of an Assembly you can build.

An important feature of this function is that it remembers how you last built Assemblies, and checks the availability of Assemblies and components in the same way.

When dealing with Assemblies, because the 'build' function generates internal Stock Movements, showing the Movements OUT of Component Stock items, and IN to make up Assembly Stock items, it is sensible to make use of a function available in Stock Options - Assemblies - Create Movements, to create and print a Movement Document recording each of these Movements.

This function in Revalue Assemblies enables you to revalue the Assembly Stock items, based on the current values of the contained Components and Assembly Stock items. It enables you to select whether to deal with Components or Assemblies.

Components Work up through the Bills of Materials structures.

Assemblies Work down through the Bills of Materials structure.

You can select the range of Stock Codes or Sort Keys, and you can revalue the Cost Price and/or the Selling Price.

Availability

This shows the Stock position, and can also show the quantity by Period of the Movements IN and Movements OUT.

Check Availability

Shows Quantities Required, Quantities Available and Can Build quantity.

Assemblies

Details the Components of each sub-assembly, and shows the availability of Assemblies, based on Components available.

CCurrent Batch/Current Period/All Transactions/Wide Report

When Assemblies Only are selected within these reports, they list the Assembly Movements for the selected relevant period.