Objects

The Objects module is used to register and manage unique copies of parts. Objects can be serviced. A service engineer can display all relevant data about an object, including its production date, its original components, any failures reported, the service contract that applies to the object, and any modifications made to the object over time. If you are using the Service module, the use of objects is mandatory.

Examples of objects are:

• Parts you produce yourself, such as machines, boilers, or semi-finished products, such as an engine.
• A location, such as a building, ship, oil refinery or road network section where a product you are making is located. Examples are an office where you have fitted an elevator installation, or a ship for which you have supplied an engine.
• Offers may refer to a reference object, for instance a building project where the customers are building contractors submitting tenders for the project. They will all receive an offer that refers to the building project. The reference object can be used as the delivery address in a subsequent stage, and later as a location object to identify the location of the objects delivered.

Working with objects

To use unique copies, mark the part as object-linked. From then on, you should specify the object in all logistic processes, such as receipts, issues, stock postings, deliveries, etcetera. Objects are usually created by the user. When creating an object, you can register features and specify whether the object is part of another object.

A location or building is not a part. These objects are created manually on the Objects form.

Features

You can assign features to objects, such as running hours and counter readings. Based on the feature values, you may choose to replace an object.

Objects as part of an object

The components of an object can also be objects, for example in the case of a machine that includes an engine. The object, including all underlying objects at a particular time, is displayed in the as-built structure.

Validity of objects

All objects have a start date and an end date indicating their validity. If the engine of a machine is being replaced, the validity of the old engine will have expired, which is indicated in the as-built structure.

Example

A car with a particular combination of make, model and accessories counts as a part. Having its own chassis number, the car is an object with its own service and repair history.

Example

An oil company has an oil field encompassing several sublocations. A compressor is located at one of those locations. The oil field, the sublocations and the compressor are all objects. The compressor components that are susceptible to wear and tear are also objects, but the other components are not. Whenever a technician wants to service the compressor, he can use the object code to retrieve all required data about the compressor.