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      Inventory Management
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        Inventory Management

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          Article summary

          Inventory Management is the practice of adjusting quantities and other data about your Inventory products, in order to facilitate things like cost tracking, workflow efficiency, and storage space. You can manage Inventory from the Inventory Dashboard in Steelhead.

          From the Dashboard header row, you can either click into one of your Inventory Types, Low Inventory Control, Inventory Management, or into your Vendors list.

          Screenshot 2025-04-07 at 2.24.12 PM.png

          CSV Filter:

          The Inventory Type Page includes filter-sensitive CSV export ability to Inventory Items.

          • To use this feature, just apply your filters and click the EXPORT CSV button.

          Screenshot 2025-04-07 at 2.28.26 PM.png

          Depleting Inventory

          Option 1: The operator can deplete Inventory on their Workboard. This will link the depletion with the Work Order.

          The operator can click "Work Parts" on their Workboard, and then click "deplete" on the Inventory Item(s) they have used. There is the option to auto deplete which will deplete the oldest Inventory Batch for this item, or you can click "Select Batches" to select a different Batch to deplete from. The Inventory can be depleted by entering the amount remaining or the amount used. The operator can enter a comment with the Inventory depletion.

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          Manufacturer Batch/Lot Numbers

          For products such as controlled chemicals, Batch and Lot Numbers provided by the manufacturer may need to be tracked separately from the Batch Number created by Steelhead and/or the Lot Number you assign according to your shop's format.
          To save these manufacturer designations, you can create a custom input schema according to the instructions in the Inventory article.
          A simpler way to save this data is to click into the Inventory Batch, and click the pencil edit icon on the line of the Batch Container you wish to denote:

          Screenshot 2025-04-07 at 3.30.38 PM.png

          In the Edit Batch Container dialog, include any manufacturing data you wish to save in the "Container Description" field.

          TIP: You can also edit the Scale Offset here, to correct Container weight and keep the available Batch weight accurate.

          Option 2: Inventory is depleted later on in the Inventory module.

          If Inventory is not depleted at the time of use, it can be depleted after the fact in a couple of different places within Steelhead. One option is to navigate to the Inventory Item's page in Steelhead and scroll to the Batches section. From here, you can click DEPLETE BATCHES. You will get the Deplete Inventory dialog where you can select the Batch you want to deplete. If you know the Work Order(s) where this Inventory has been used, you can select the Work Order(s).

          The other place for Inventory depletion is on the Inventory Management Dashboard. To get there, click the hyperlink in the upper right corner of the Inventory page.

          On this screen, there is the option to filter by Inventory Type, Inventory Item, and/or Transaction Date. To deplete an Inventory Item, click the downward arrow on the right side of the page. This opens the Deplete Inventory dialog with options to select the Batch, the depletion amount, the Work Order(s) for the depletion, and an option for a depletion comment.

          If depletions happen once a week or for any other time period, this tool can be used to quickly go through each Inventory Item and perform adjustments.

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          Option 3: Deplete Inventory to a Station.

          • Steelhead allows Users to deplete Inventory to a Station (i.e., reduce your stock by assigning active Inventory to a Station where it's expected to be used up).
            • This allows tracking of active Inventory in a Station at a given time (e.g., What acid was in Tank 1 at a certain time).
          • Supports adding more (topping off) and draining and refilling a Station with an Inventory Item.
          • The “active” Inventory in the Station is the most recent depletion to that Station.
          Editing Batch Transactions

          If a mistake is made in depleting Inventory, you can correct it by entering the Station or Inventory Batch in question, scrolling down to Batch Transactions, and clicking the edit pencil icon on the row of the Batch Transaction to be adjusted. Correct the depletion quantity, and the Inventory Item will adjust to match. The correction will create new Batch Transactions in both the Station and the Inventory Item to balance.
          If you click into an Inventory Item Batch, you can also adjust the quantity available by clicking AUDIT BATCH QUANTITY REMAINING. Click SAVE.

          Screenshot 2025-04-17 at 10.21.30 AM.png

          Deplete Inventory to Station Tutorial Video

          Adding Inventory Item Batches

          When you buy more Inventory, you can increase the quantity of your Inventory in Steelhead by adding a Batch. Each Inventory Item can have multiple Batches, and each Batch can have multiple Containers.

          1. Go to the Inventory Item that you want to add more of.
          2. Select the "Add Batch" button.
            batches.png
          3. Fill in the information on the displayed page, and click SAVE.
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          4. Your total remaining will now show the new quantity of the Inventory on hand.
            total remaining.png
          Edit Batch Scanners:
          • To edit the Inventory Batch scanners, navigate to the Domain Tile --> Configure PDF Templates --> Part Number Inventory Batch Label or Inventory Batch Label --> Select the icon as shown below.

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          • If you go to the latest Inventory Batch, you can use the edit pencil icon on the right and change the cost.
            • This cost will auto-populate as the Batch price when you create the next Purchase Order for that item.

          Create Inventory PDF

          Use the PDF button to load a PDF/printable label for your Inventory Batches:
          Screenshot 2024-10-22 at 4.24.24 PM.png

          Depleting Inventory Outside of Work Orders

          When Inventory is used up and not recorded in Steelhead, you can reduce the quantity of your Inventory by depleting a Batch.

          1. Go to the Inventory Item that you want to deplete.
          2. Click the DEPLETE BATCHES button.
          3. Choose either AUTO DEPLETE or SELECT BATCHES.
            • AUTO DEPLETE will deplete your oldest Batches first.
            • SELECT BATCHES will allow you to choose the quantity to deplete from particular Batches.
          4. Choose to enter either the amount remaining, or the amount used.
            • AMOUNT REMAINING will allow you to enter in how much is still available. This is your new quantity.
            • AMOUNT USED will subtract the entered amount from the previous quantity.

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          • If the Inventory quantity is now below the threshold, it will appear red in the Inventory Item and Inventory Types screens. This lets you know that you may need to purchase more Inventory.

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          Adjusting or Undoing an Inventory Depletion

          If you need to cancel or adjust an Inventory depletion, you can do so from the Inventory Item screen.

          1. On the Batches screen for a specific item type, click anywhere in the Batches lines to see the depletions for that item type.
          2. Select the depletion you want to edit.
            • If you want to delete the depletion (that is, put everything back), you can also archive the depletion to erase it.
          3. The depletion amount shows how much was subtracted in the depletion. Click the pencil icon to edit the depletion.
          4. Set the new depletion amount and click SAVE.
          5. Your Item Type quantity should now be adjusted to show a new remaining amount.

          Adjusting a Depletion.gif

          Extra Options for Inventory Batches

          If you'd like, you can specify other details like Batch Owner (the Customer who has paid for this Inventory Batch as part of a project), Location (where the Batch is being stored or shelved), and Expiration Date. It's also possible to audit and adjust Inventory manually, and to place a quantity on hold for Quality Management.

          Certain characteristics can be edited and given more detail with these buttons on the Inventory Batch page:

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          For example, the MOVE BATCH button allows you to assign:

          • New Location
          • Quantity to Move (Qty)
          • Comments

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          Batch Containers:

          The list of Batch Containers is shown here in the Inventory Batch page:
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          Audit Inventory Batch Quantity

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          This lets you measure the the current quantity across the whole Batch.

          Note:

          When possible, create depletions or edit previous transactions instead of updating the Batch remaining amount through an audit measurement. This will help with accurate Job Costing, Reporting, and more.

          Change Inventory Batch Owner

          Screenshot 2024-02-02 at 3.25.48 PM.png

          This lets you assign the:

          • New Owner
          • Quantity to Change Ownership Of
          • Mark As "Return To Vendor?" checkbox
          • Description
          Adding a New Material to Treatments:

          If you would like to add a new material to your list of Treatments:

          1. Go into Inventory and add your customer's supplied powder to it.
            1. To do this, first select a type of Inventory (powder).
            2. Then press "Add Item".
          2. After you add that to your Inventory, go to the Treatment you are using in the Treatments tab.
          3. Finally, add that Inventory Type under the Treatment.

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