Building and Disassembling Assemblies
Assemblies in AccuArk are items that are physically built from component parts and tracked as finished goods in your inventory. Unlike Virtual Kits (which sell components individually), Assemblies must be pre-built before they can be sold. The Assembly Build form handles both building assemblies from components and disassembling them back into parts.
When to Use Assembly Build
Use the Assembly Build form when you need to:
- Convert raw materials or component items into a finished product
- Pre-build bundles for retail display or shipping
- Disassemble finished goods back into their component parts
- Verify component availability before committing to a production run
Accessing the Build Form
There are two ways to open the Assembly Build form:
- From the Sub-Items tab ÔÇö Open an Assembly item, go to the Sub-Items tab, and click the Build Stock button (this button is only visible for items with Physical Assembly, which is Physical Assembly)
- From the Inventory menu ÔÇö Navigate to Inventory > Build Assembly and search for the assembly item
The Build Stock button on the Sub-Items tab is only available for Assembly items. It does not appear for Standard items or Virtual Kits.
The Build Form Layout
Assembly Selection
At the top of the form, search for or select the assembly item you want to build. Only items with Physical Assembly can be selected. Once an assembly is loaded, the form displays:
- The assembly item name and ID
- The current stock level of the finished assembly
- The component recipe grid
Component Recipe Grid
The recipe grid shows every component required to build one unit of the assembly. The columns are:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The component item's name |
| Required Qty | How many units of this component are needed per assembly |
| Available Stock | The current available quantity of this component at the selected location |
| Cost | The current cost per unit of the component |
| Status | Shows 'OK' if enough stock is available, or 'LOW STOCK' in red if available quantity is less than the required amount multiplied by the build quantity |
Max Buildable
The form calculates and displays the Max Buildable quantity, which is the maximum number of assemblies you can build given current component stock levels. This is calculated as:
Max Buildable = minimum of (Available Stock / Required Qty) across all components
For example, if your assembly requires 2 units of Part A (500 available) and 3 units of Part B (90 available):
- Part A: 500 / 2 = 250
- Part B: 90 / 3 = 30
- Max Buildable = 30
You cannot build more than the Max Buildable quantity. The build quantity field enforces this limit.
Calculated Unit Cost
The form displays the calculated unit cost of one assembly, which is the sum of each component's cost multiplied by its required quantity:
Unit Cost = SUM(Component Cost x Required Qty)
Zone Picker
A zone picker lets you select which storage zone the built assemblies should be placed into. If your location uses zones, select the appropriate zone. If no zone is selected, the built assemblies go to the location's default or unassigned zone.
Building Assemblies
To build assemblies:
- Select the assembly item
- Review the component recipe and verify all components show 'OK' status
- Enter the number of units to build (cannot exceed Max Buildable)
- Select the destination zone for the finished assemblies
- Click Build
Cost Mismatch Dialog
Before the build executes, the system compares the calculated unit cost (sum of component costs) with the assembly item's saved cost in the database. If these two values do not match, a dialog appears asking:
"The calculated cost ($X.XX) differs from the item's saved cost ($Y.YY). Update item's saved cost?"
You have three options:
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Yes | Uses the newly calculated cost for the build transaction AND updates the assembly item's master cost record to match |
| No | Uses the item's existing saved cost for the build transaction and does not update the master record |
| Cancel | Aborts the build entirely ÔÇö no stock changes are made |
Choosing Yes is recommended when component costs have changed and you want the assembly's cost to reflect the current cost of its parts.
What Happens During a Build
When you confirm the build, the following occurs in a single atomic transaction:
- Component stock is deducted ÔÇö each component's stock at the selected location is reduced by (Required Qty x Build Quantity)
- Assembly stock is increased ÔÇö the finished assembly's stock at the selected location and zone is increased by the Build Quantity
- Stock transactions are logged ÔÇö an AssemblyBuild transaction is created for the assembly (positive quantity), and corresponding negative transactions are created for each component
- If Yes was selected on the cost mismatch dialog, the assembly item's cost is updated in the database
All changes are committed together. If any step fails, the entire operation is rolled back and no stock changes are made.
Disassembling Assemblies
Disassembly is the reverse of building. It breaks finished assemblies back into their component parts.
To disassemble:
- Select the assembly item
- Enter the number of units to disassemble (cannot exceed the current stock of the finished assembly)
- Click Disassemble
What Happens During Disassembly
Disassembly performs the reverse of a build in a single atomic transaction:
- Assembly stock is deducted ÔÇö the finished assembly's stock is reduced by the disassembly quantity
- Component stock is returned ÔÇö each component's stock is increased by (Required Qty x Disassembly Quantity)
- Stock transactions are logged ÔÇö an AssemblyBreak transaction is created for the assembly (negative quantity), and corresponding positive transactions are created for each component
Fractional Quantities
The build form supports fractional quantities for both building and disassembling. This is useful when your components or assemblies are measured in non-integer units (e.g., weight-based items like bulk ingredients).
Tips
- Check component stock before building ÔÇö The recipe grid shows LOW STOCK warnings, but reviewing availability across all components helps you plan better
- Address cost mismatches promptly ÔÇö If the cost dialog appears frequently, it means component costs are changing. Click Yes to keep the assembly cost aligned with reality.
- Use zones for finished goods ÔÇö Route built assemblies to a specific 'Finished Goods' zone so they are easy to locate for shipping or retail display
- Build in batches ÔÇö If you need 100 units but Max Buildable is only 60, build 60 now and reorder the missing components. Do not wait until all components are available if you need some assemblies immediately.
- Disassemble when demand shifts ÔÇö If an assembly is not selling but its components are in demand individually, disassemble to free up the component stock