Introduction

Using the Assemblies function enables users to build products quickly and easily.  Some users use the "Auto Assembly" option to assemble products with a set range of components. Others have a set of components for their products and choose to build their assemblies manually. For instance, users do not sell their components as individual items but instead assemble them in bulk. 

See Assemble a Product for more information. 

Some users have components that vary from sale to sale, so they choose to create assemblies on the fly, this support article explains how you can do this. 

Creating Assemblies is very useful

Creating assemblies on the fly can be used in many situations, e.g.

•  A shop that creates a platter that uses a range of cheeses individualized to their customer.
• The brewer who uses varying amounts of hops and yeast depending on their tastes.
• A Jeweller creating a bespoke necklace 

The benefits

1. You can create blank Assemblies without a Bill of Materials (new) which you can quickly add the relevant component products for a unique "one off" production run
2. You can create multiple Bill of Materials (BOMs) that represent frequently used components that can vary a little or a lot from assembly to assembly. BOMs represent frequently used components that can vary a little or a lot from assembly to assembly.
3. You can create a unique assembly that can then be as simple as choosing the BOM closest to your needs, and removing quantities or components until they meet your requirements.

About creating assemblies on the fly in Unleashed

There are two methods for creating assemblies on the fly in Unleashed:

1. Creating "BOM Free" Assemblies (new)
2. Creating "generic" Bills of Materials containing all potential products. Then fine tuning the relevant Assembly once created to fit the requirements

Method #1 - BOM Free Assemblies

With the introduction of the BOM Free Assembly feature, making Assemblies has never been easier.

This will be especially useful to you if your business offers any bespoke or customised production. As the name implies this feature allows users to create Assemblies without a BOM present. This reduces the steps it takes to build a unit by eliminating the requirement of a secondary transaction (the BOM) that needs to be adjusted and fine tuned.

Actioning a new Assembly for an Assembled Product without a BOM will produce a 'blank' assembly with no Component Products. This is perfect for bespoke production where the potential ingredients are too many to add to a BOM. 

However, there will always be a place for Bills of Materials, particularly if your Production is more static. Keep in mind that the Bill of Materials will allow you to pre-set component sets or create assembly rules such as "Can Auto-Assembly".

Note: Disassemblies are not captured by this feature & cannot be processed without a BOM

How to quickly create a BOM Free Assembly

1. Ensure all Component Products are created in your account (Inventory module menu)
   
   
2. Create the Assembled Product
   
3. Create the Assembly via one of the following methods:
   1. Production > Add Assembly
   2. View Product > Select a Product > Select Product drop down option > Select Create Assembly
      
4. Enter an Assembled Quantity
   
   
5. Add the relevant Component Products to the Assembly and any additional supplier cost, Batch Numbers, or Serial Numbers (where applicable
   
   
6. Select Complete

Method #2 - Generic BOMs

Whenever you create a BOM, you need to create products to use as your components — including the quantity and any wastage. This is then used as a template when creating an Assembly. Once created you can easily delete any irrelevant components, and reduce the quantity/wastage if required. This is why creating a variety of bill of materials (BOM) that include frequently used components to build assemblies on the fly is so compelling. When you create a BOM for a product that you create regularly - that could use similar, yet slightly varying products, if you include every product you use with the maximum quantity and wastage you need, then you should probably create these on the fly. 

Example of creating assemblies on the fly via a Generic BOM

In this example, an asbestos removal company needs all of the component products they use as one item by the meter on their sales orders (but for whom those products may vary from job to job).

On job scenario #1, it may be by:

• heavy-duty black sheeting by the square meter
• three pairs of gloves
• three rolls of garbage bags; and
• Five face masks.

On job scenario #2, it may be by:

•  lightweight white plastic sheeting by the square meter
• only one pair of gloves
• five rolls of garbage bags, and
• Three face masks.

This can all be achieved by using one Bill of Material.

In the following process, we'll use scenario #1 as our main focus but will use scenario 2 for any differences that need to be considered.

The process - how this could be achieved

1. Create all of the products in Unleashed (Inventory module menu)

• All products must have stock on hand before the sale is complete.

2. Create the BOM

• You can create the BOM via the Production module (Production| Bill of materials| Add Bill of Materials) using the finished product — we’ll call Materials by Meter.

3. Add the Components

• The black & white plastic sheeting, gloves, garbage bags, and face masks, etc. We use the maximum quantity we could need per square meter. So if some jobs require eight pairs of gloves (mentioned in scenario#2) but some only need three pairs of gloves, we would list the quantity as eight, plus any wastage.
• We do this for all of our component products — as many units of that product as we could possibly need. This is because we can delete products from a manual assembly, but not add them.

4. Create an assembly for the product

• Create an assembly for the product: Materials by Meter. Go to Production | Add Assembly and choose our finished product – the entire component products, quantities, and wastage loads. For scenario #1, we just need the heavy-duty black plastic sheeting but not the lightweight white plastic sheeting, so we simply delete the lightweight white plastic sheeting off the assembly.
• Our assembly lists eight pairs of gloves, but we only need three, so we reduce that quantity. We do this for the rest of the components, quickly changing the quantities to match what we specifically need for this job – three rolls of garbage bags and five face masks.
• You can remove components if they are not required on the sale, in this instance, you could remove the face masks. 

5. Set the quantity of the Materials 

• Set the quantity of the materials by the meter that we create. For example, if we create three units of Materials by Meter, the assembly removes nine pairs of gloves from inventory in the first scenario and three in the second.

6. Complete the component stock

• Once you’re happy with the assembly, you can complete it and the component stock is taken out of inventory, while three units of the Materials by Meter product are put into your stock on hand. This way our Asbestos removal company can put the Materials by Meter product on their sales orders, confident that the right amount of component products are being removed from their inventory, and see the exact cost of the materials they’ve used.