The new capabilities discussed in this section do not just apply to cores that are condition tracked. However, they are being discussed in this paper due to the undeniable relationship between cores and part conditions. To be clear, core parts can be tracked in this way even if they are not flagged as Track by Condition.
Tracking part cores is about money. Rebuilding and reusing core parts can save organizations significant dollars in most cases. Even cores that are in store to be repaired still have a core value, so they are worth something.
The following new functionalities are discussed in this section:
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New Core Return barcode label is printed when issuing core tracked parts. These labels are attached to the cores being returned as a core return (i.e., the broken parts).
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In the Work Orders | Cost Summary screen a new field called Unreturned Core Charges is added to identify the core value of all cores which have not been returned to store following the issue of a core tracked part to the work order (see screenshot below).
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Unreturned Cores is a new, list only screen that identifies the entity for which core parts have issued but an equal number of core parts have not been returned to store as core returns (see screenshot below).
Traditionally, EAM has done a fairly good job of tracking cores that are in stock (i.e., Qty. for Repair – now Core Qty., Qty. in Store, Qty. at Supplier, etc.). But what if a replacement part is issued, the core part is removed, and never returned to store or worse, simply discarded? This can occur because mechanics often do not know which parts are core tracked and which are not. They just remove the old part, replace with the good part, and throw away the used parts. This is less likely for expensive items tracked by asset but can be common for less expensive parts that can be returned to vendor for replacement/reimbursement via warranty claim.
Simply put, this is a waste of money with no straight forward way of tracking down if cores are not being returned or who is not returning them. In addition, as core tracked parts are issued to work orders, employees, projects, etc. the core charge is often included in the issue price so if a damaged core part is not returned to store the core value remains charged to the responsible department!
A few changes have been made to bring more visibility to the cores that are outstanding (i.e., core tracked parts issued but an equal number of them have not been returned as cores).
First, a new barcode label can now be printed from the Issue/Return Parts screen whenever core tracked parts are issued. It will contain information like who/what the part is issued to, core value, issued quantity, date, etc. This label serves two purposes:
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It is a reminder to the mechanic who is being issued the replacement parts that there may be cores to be returned to the store.
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Many customers store their cores on a pallet or in a container until they have enough to repair (i.e., they have not been returned to EAM within the system). The label can be attached to the cores to provide traceability. If the core is showing up on the Unreturned Cores screen (see details below) the customer can use the labeled parts on the ‘to be repaired’ pallet to determine if the core is accounted for but simply not in EAM or if it is lost or unreturned.
A new field has been added to the Stores tab for Part called Label Template (Core Return). Enter the core return label template code you create using the HxGN EAM Barcoding application.
This field has not yet been added to the Stores screen. Therefore, the template code must be entered for all stock records individually
for each condition tracked.
Second, a new field called Unreturned Core Charges has been added to the Cost Summary tab for Work Order. As good core parts are issued to a work order this field displays the total core value for these parts. As core parts are returned from the work order as ‘core returns’ (i.e., return for repair) the system reduces this amount appropriately. This is a good way for either mechanics or personnel who review and complete work orders to quickly see if there are still unreturned cores for the work order. Regular review of this field would be a worthwhile business practice.
The value in the Unreturned Core Charges field is already included in the Stock Items
or Direct Purchase columns and is therefore, already included in the Remaining Balance
fields.
For a higher-level overview of outstanding cores supervisors/managers will want to make use of the new Unreturned Cores screen. This screen displays a record for each instance where a core tracked part is issued but an equal number of those same parts are not returned with the core return check box selected. In other words, this screen identifies all the places (i.e., WO/Equipment/Employee/Project-Budget) where unreturned cores exist so they can be tracked down for return.
The number of unreturned cores is the difference between Total Issued Qty. and Total Returned Qty. Core Value is the core value of a single part.
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A record will not be visible on this screen once Total Issued Qty. is no longer > Total Returned Qty.
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A record will not be visible on this screen the user does not have access to the organization of the store related to the issue transaction (i.e., store organization is the controlling org.)
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Records will be created or updated in this table whenever a part, whose Track Cores flag is TRUE, is issued to a WO, equipment, employee, or project-budget. In addition, a record will created/updated when this same kind of part is either received directly to a WO or received and "held in store" for a WO.
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Records will be updated in this table whenever core parts are returned from a WO, equipment, employee, or project-budget.
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System displays Core Value Currency based on the currency of the store organization.
