Save Time & Money by Including Alternate Part Numbers

We know inventory management can be challenging. There are so many details for thousands of items that you just can't memorize, so let AutoFluent® do that work for you. Inventory management can potentially include storing an infinite amount of items in AutoFluent®, transferring items between locations, and managing prices on a daily basis. However, when it comes to managing smaller details, one function you can adopt into your workflow is storing Alternate Part Numbers for your items.

Let’s make sure this is the right feature for your purposes. Do you ever purchase the same part from different vendors? Do each of your vendors sell the same item, but with different part numbers? Do you need help tracking which part numbers are related to one another? Using the Alternates function in AutoFluent® allows you to list multiple part numbers for the same item, whether or not you keep them in stock. 

Here’s an example:

Let's say you purchase the same oil filter from your main vendor every other week to keep on your shelf. The oil filter you get from your main vendor is listed under part #AAB. Let's also say this week your main vendor is completely out of the oil filter #AAB, but your shelf is almost empty, and therefore you find that a local vendor down the street has the same part - listed under part #125 - and you purchase it from them. Now you would like to keep a record of the relationship between Part #AAB from your main vendor and #125 from the local vendor, and note that they are the same or interchangeable parts. In the future, you’ll be able to quickly pull up a list that will show the alternate part numbers from other vendors in the absence of the original part number. To do that, we will list part #125 from the local vendor as an alternate of Part #AAB from your main vendor.

Learn how:

We’ll start in Inventory Entry. Select your item and open the Vendors tab. In this example, select the main part number #AAB (the item that is already saved in your Inventory). In the Vendors tab, we will first list the main vendor and then add any secondary vendor(s). First, click on New, select the vendor, input the part number, and optionally input the cost of that part. Click Save Changes (under the Vendors tab), then list any additional vendors and part numbers. When you’re done, click the Save Changes button at the top left corner of the window. 

Now, the next time you are searching for your inventory item, you can click the Alternates button (located inside any inventory window) to quickly locate another vendor that has the same part. If those alternate parts are also in your inventory, you’ll be able to see their quantity and price.

You can also use this feature to track obsolete or interchange part numbers that you never purchase, in order to link them to your existing inventory.  To enter these, select the item and click the Vendor tab as before, but just enter the Vendor Part #, leaving the vendor as *INVENTORY ADJUSTMENTS*. So a given part can link to several other part numbers, which may or may not exist in your inventory.

If you need more guidance on how to set up Alternate part numbers, contact AutoFluent® Support!