Hello everyone,
is there a designated way to specify a manufacturer number for an item? As in, the unambiguous identifier by which the manufacturer (not vendor(s)) lists this one item?
We are struggeling somewhat with this issue. The Intercompany No., No. 2 and GTIN are all kind of close, but intended for different scenarios that we also need.
We have also tested item references for this intent. However, they seem to be limited to Vendor, Customer and Bar Code references, don’t provide a “Manufacturer” option, and allow for multiple values. We need those as well, obviously, but we would like to specify and search for the unambiguous Item no. by which the manufacturer lists one article.
Previous topics have suggested item references, so that one item can refer to different manufacturers. This is one issue that we absolutely want to avoid. Different vendors, of course, but only one unique Manufacturer and Manufacturer Item No. per Item.
Is there a native way to add this information without misappropriating other fields or functions?
Thanks a lot!
In Business Central, there is no specific field or function to store the manufacturer number for an item. However, there are a few ways to address this.
One approach could be to create a custom field on the item card specifically for the manufacturer number. This field can be set up as a text field and can be used to store the unique item number by which the manufacturer lists one article.
Another approach could be to use the external item number field on the item card to store the manufacturer number. This field is typically used to store a number that represents the item in an external system, but it can also be used to store the manufacturer number.
Regardless of the approach you choose, it is important to ensure that the field is set up as a unique value to avoid duplication. Additionally, you may need to consider how to handle situations where an item has multiple manufacturers.
Hi,
thanks for the recommendations. We decided to go with a custom text field, since we did not want to resort to any other fields that are not specifically meant for this purpose, regardless if it would work or not. We might realistically need external or intercompany numbers later on, so we would like to keep them untouched, just in case.
In our case, we also don’t support multiple manufacturers for one article, with the strict exception of standard parts like bolts, nuts, washers and the like. For everything else, the rules are: if it is from a different manufacturer, it is a different article. Everything else has only lead to chaos in the past.
The unique number aspect is a good point, I will look into that.
Thank you!