Parts Departments

Configuration menu > Parts > Parts Department

Setting up parts departments tracks part sales and margins at a higher level tracking each part individually. In addition, grouping parts into a department means you can apply pricing levels the departmental level, rather than having to change pricing levels on every part.

For example, there might be a department that includes bulbs and fuses. These items are usually lower cost items, and it may be possible to set the margin higher for these items. Grouping them into a department allows you to set that margin higher for all of them at once instead of opening each part and setting the margin.

If you are using the Inventory module, you use parts departments to

• Make global pricing changes to parts (see Global Price Increase).
• Make changes to stock parts, non-stock parts, and consigned parts.
• Filter or group Inventory reports.

Adding Parts Departments

While it is not an absolute necessity to have parts departments set up in the beginning, some thought about this subject before beginning may head off problems and changes in the future.

Complete these steps:

1. Click the Add button.
2. Enter the Department Code (up to three characters) and Description. The Description is the department's name throughout R.O. Writer.

3. Modify the Pricing Levels for the department.

   What initially appears are the default pricing levels established in the Set Pricing Method Configuration setting.

4. Set the Minimum Profit Margin for all parts in this department. This is required.

   The Minimum Profit Margin should be set several percent lower than the retail margin.

   When the part is added to a ticket and the actual margin falls below the Minimum Profit Margin, R.O. Writer warns you and asks if the pricing should be modified on the ticket. It will also display the type of pricing that was set for this department for both Inventory and Outside Purchase Pricing (see Set Pricing Method).

5. Click Save.
6. Click Cancel to close the window.

NOTE: You may want to define one or more departments to not apply the Parts Department Group fees when this department is assigned to one of the Parts Department Groups.

To See Which Parts are Included in a Department

Inventory reports can be run for each parts department to help you track which specific parts are in departments.

Deleting Parts Departments

As business changes, so do your business needs. You cannot delete a parts department, but you are able to make it inactive in R. O. Writer.

When you make a parts department inactive, it no longer appears in the dropdown list but does appear on reports for historical accuracy.

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