MRP - Forecasts

The Forecast window is used to enter potential future sales for a Product. This feature can be used in conjunction with MRP and Inventory Shortages to generate Purchase Orders or Work Orders based on future demand.

1. Open the Forecast window and create a new record

Navigate to Sales ➤ Forecast and click the + to create a new Forecast.

Forecasts can also be imported via the Import Wizard.

2. Enter the Forecast information

Enter the info below to complete the Forecast.

Enter the Forecast information
  • Company Name (optional): The name of the company for whom you are Forecasting a future sale.
  • Ship To ID (optional): The ID of the Ship To Address where the Forecasted sale will be shipped. If you entered a Client Name, type the @ symbol and press tab to see a list of Ship To addresses associated with the Client.
  • Part Number: The Part Number of the Product for which the Forecast is being created.
  • Warehouse Name: The physical Warehouse that potential future orders will be shipped from. This is important when using Forecasts in conjunction with the MRP feature. MRP Action Items are calculated on a per Warehouse basis.
  • Original: The original quantity that was Forecasted.
  • Current: Enter the quantity of items that will be necessary for this Forecast.
  • Consumed: The quantity of items that have been consumed (by Sales Orders, Work Orders, etc.) from the Original Forecasted Quantity.
  • Required Date: The date that the Forecasted items will be needed in stock.

Company Name and Ship to ID are optional. All other fields are required.

  • If a Company Name is entered, the Consumed quantity will only be incremented by sales to that specific company.
  • If no Company Name is entered, the Consumed quantity will be incremented by sales to any company.

3. The MRP screen

Navigate to Warehouse Management ➤ Products, open the Product record [for an item that has been Forecasted] and go to the MRP tab.

  1. Choose the Warehouse.
  2. Click the Recalc button. You can also choose to (or not) enter the BOM level (for Assembly components) and change the time period.
  3. In the detail area you will see the list begin with current available inventory +plus (or -minus) a few different types of transactions:
    • + Purchase Orders with ETA date
    • + Planned Work Orders (finished goods)
    • - Sales Orders with Required Ship Date
    • - Forecasts
    • - Work Orders (components)
  4. If the Forecast requires an Action (e.g. Purchase Order or Work Order) you will see it listed under Action Items.
    • In this particular example, the Forecast requires a Work Order for 17 units.
    • I have manually set the status to Pending by clicking in the Status column. By setting the status to Pending, we are telling the system that we want to build these 17 units. In order to actually do that, we'll need to process the Inventory Shortages.
The MRP screen