MANUFACTURING WORKFLOWS
From raw material to dispatch: make stock easier to follow
A factory stock figure is most useful when you can explain how it was reached. Connecting everyday movements helps you investigate differences and understand what is ready for the next step.
Keep raw material and finished goods distinct
In a plastics workflow, raw material may be recorded in kilograms while finished parts are counted in pieces. Record the unit beside each quantity. Where bags are used, agree the weight per bag and how partial bags are handled. Do not mix quantities with different units.
Record the production handover
A production record should identify the job, relevant material and quantities received into finished stock. Agree how consumption, wastage and any returned material will be recorded. If a calculation uses a standard part weight, distinguish that estimate from an actual measured quantity.
Connect dispatches to the right records
A dispatch tells you what left the factory. An invoice records the commercial charge, and a payment records money received. Agree how these documents connect, and which event changes stock, so that a single movement is not counted twice.
Handle corrections visibly
Stock adjustments, cancellations and returns need clear reasons and traceable references. Decide who can make them and how the original transaction remains understandable. A readable history helps the owner investigate a difference without guessing.
Review a real example before handover
Test a short sequence using sample records: receive material, record production, dispatch part of the output and process a return. Compare expected quantities and balances with the reports. Include an example that needs correction, not only a perfect transaction.