Inventory Management: Creating New Inventory Items

Inventory Management: Creating New Inventory Items

Purpose Statement

This feature enables Fire/EMS personnel to create new inventory items within the First Due system, establishing the foundational data structure for tracking supplies, equipment, and consumables across department locations. By creating properly configured inventory items with appropriate settings for quantities, minimums, PAR levels, and expiration dates, departments can maintain accurate supply management, automate reorder notifications, and streamline receiving processes.

Background Information

Creating new inventory items is the first step in establishing comprehensive supply management within the First Due system. This process creates the master inventory record that defines how items will be tracked, managed, and reported across all department locations.

The inventory creation process includes configuration options for quantity tracking, minimum and PAR level thresholds, expiration date management, vendor associations, and notification settings. These configurations determine how the inventory item will behave when added to specific locations and when receiving orders throughout the system.

It's important to understand that creating an inventory item establishes the item definition but does not add actual quantities to any locations. After creating the inventory item, quantities must be separately added to specific compartments, storages, or locations through receiving processes or direct location assignment. This separation allows for flexible deployment of inventory items across multiple locations with location-specific settings.

The system supports vendor associations, file attachments, and various packaging options to align with existing procurement and management processes. Proper configuration during creation ensures consistent tracking and reporting across the department.

Video


Step-by-Step Guide

1. Navigate to inventory management in First Due's assets module.




2. Select the tab for the Inventory List.




3. Select the blue new inventory button




Configuring Basic Inventory Information


4. From this screen, you'll need to fill out all associated fields for that inventory item.




Info
  1. Inventory Group - Select the inventory group that the inventory belongs to. (i.e. medical supplies, cleaning supplies, etc.)
  2. Name (required) - The display name of the inventory item
  3. SKU # - This field allows a SKU number to be associated with an inventory item. 
  4. Current Price Per Unit - This field allows tracking for the current price of the item.
  5. Packaging - Select from the packaging types that are available. (Packaging types are managed in Assets > Setup > Inventory > Packaging)
  6. Description - A description of the inventory item
  7. Quantity - Toggling this switch on enables users to specify a quantity when adding this inventory item to a pouch, compartment, or storage. 
  8. Min - Toggling this switch on enables users to specify a minimum par level of the inventory for a specified location. 
  9. Notify Below Min - Clicking the box enables notifications to be sent when par levels fall below a specified minimum. (Notifications are managed in Assets > Setup > Notification > Notify on below minimum items)
  10. Par - Toggling this switch on enables users to specify a maximum par level of the inventory for a specified location.
  11. Expiration Date - Toggling this switch on enables users to specify an expiration date associated with the inventory for a specified location.
  12. Required field - Clicking the box makes the expiration date a requirement when adding inventory to a location or confirming in a checklist.

Configuring Vendor and Attachments


5. The orders tab will allow us to select a vendor that will be the default vendor whenever we go to receive those items. Should it be a different vendor whenever we receive an order, we can always select another vendor from the dropdown.




6. The attachments tab will allow you to add a JPEG, PNG, PDF, or DOC file. You can have no more than five files per item, and each file can be up to 64 megabytes each.



Saving and Finalizing


7. Once done, select save.



We can now verify that that inventory item is created in our inventory list.



Best Practices

Planning and Organization:

  • Establish consistent naming conventions for inventory items before creation
  • Use inventory groups strategically to organize related items for easier management and reporting
  • Include accurate SKU numbers to align with procurement systems and vendor catalogs

Configuration Strategy:

  • Enable quantity tracking for items that require count management
  • Set realistic minimum thresholds based on operational needs and usage patterns
  • Use PAR levels strategically to maintain optimal stock levels without overstocking
  • Enable expiration date tracking for medical supplies, medications, and perishable items

Vendor and Documentation Management:

  • Associate items with primary vendors to streamline receiving processes
  • Use attachments to include product specifications, safety data sheets, or reference images
  • Keep file attachments under the 64MB limit and use common formats (JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOC)
  • Limit attachments to essential documentation to avoid system clutter

Notification Strategy:

  • Use notify below minimum settings strategically to avoid alert fatigue
  • Coordinate notification settings with asset setup configurations
  • Ensure notification recipients have authority and resources to respond to alerts

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Common Issues:

Q: I created an inventory item but don't see it in my compartment/storage location. Why?

A: Creating an inventory item only establishes the item definition. You must separately add quantities through receiving processes or direct location assignment.

Q: What's the difference between minimum and PAR levels?

A: Minimum is the lowest acceptable quantity before notifications are triggered. PAR is the target quantity you want to maintain at a location - you might set PAR at 5 but minimum at 2.

Q: Should I enable required expiration dates for all items?

A: Only enable required expiration dates for items that actually expire, such as medical supplies or medications. Enabling it unnecessarily complicates inventory management.

Q: Can I change the default vendor after creating the item?

A: Yes, you can modify the default vendor in the orders tab, and you can also select different vendors when receiving specific orders.

Q: My file attachment won't upload. What's wrong?

A: Verify the file is in an accepted format (JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOC), is under 64MB, and you haven't exceeded the 5-file limit per item.

Q: How do notifications work with the minimum settings?

A: Notifications must be configured in both the inventory item settings and the asset setup notifications section to function properly.

Technical Issues:

  • If the save function doesn't work, verify all required fields are completed
  • For problems with dropdown options, check asset setup configurations
  • Report persistent issues with toggles or file uploads to technical support
  • Clear browser cache if experiencing display problems with the new inventory screen

Related Information: For more information on receiving inventory, please see the related article of the same name.




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