How to Add a Commodity

2017-05-04 18:55

Where is the Commodity Menu Located?

  • Company > Start a Task > New Commodity

Why & When a Commodity is Added

A new commodity can be a major cateogory of produce such as apples or onions, or it can be a material such as a packing material. Add a new commodity when you will be packing, brokering or shipping a new type of produce or if you plan to track and manage materials.

How to Add a Commodity

  1. Company > Start a Task > New Commodity
  2. Fill in required yellow fields. Name, Description, and Code may be the same, or different.
  3. Choose the Asset type: Product (produce type), Material (packing material), or Assembly (Packing materials where product is shipped but not packed).
  4. If you want to add a base Unit of Measure, click the dropdown beside Equiv. Unit UOM (Equivalent Unit, Unit of Measure) to choose this commodity's basic unit. 
    • Example: Apples 40 pounds (40#) or Each, Potatoes 100 weight (CWT).

Assigning Stages

IMPORTANT: Before adding stages, it is critical that your organization decides the criteria and elements the commodity requires. Discuss this with your Envio Representative. Reference the Commodity Planning Worksheet.

  1. Click Assign a Stage to begin setting up the stages.
  2. Beneath Stage Name, click the dropdown and select one stage. Most produce commodities use raw and packed stages.
  3. Click Modify.
  4. Below Available Elements, click on the name of the lement you want to use to define the product. 
  5. Click the < <  button to add it as an Element. The element value will display under the Elements area.
  6. Continue adding elements. When finished, click OK.
  7. The window closes and the grid area in the original window will populate with the Element choices selected.
  8. You may reorder the elements by clicking an element name and then clicking the red directional arrows. The order determines how the elements are listed when creating products.
  9. Determine which Element will define the weight. Click the checkbox on the element(s) that will define the weight.
    • Note: Pack is a common choice to define the weight. Pack is the container the items are stored in
  10. Click on the Element Values tab. A list of elements will appear. Click on the Element Name in the box (Variety, Pack, etc.). The corresponding data will show in the Values grid.
  11. Click the New Value button in the middle of the right-hand side of the screen to add as many values as you need. A new blank row will appear in the Values table. Type in the value under the Code heading (<11 characters; No spaces). Input a description in the Description field.
  12. Continue to add values to each Element.
  13. When all Elements have Values, Save and Close the "Stage, Commodity" window first and then Save and Close any other open windows.
    • Example: Close the "Packed Cherries" window before closing the Cherries window.

Troubleshooting & Tips

  • Reference the Commodity Planning Worksheet for review on assigning Commodity Elements.
  • Materials can be created with the Stage set as Un-used. The elements often chosen are Type and Misc.
  • Be sure to add weight definitions to commodities before adding products. See How to Adjust Weight Definitions for help.
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