Warehouse and Inventory Follow

Midnight's Inventory Management capabilities allow you to accurately track, store, and manage both company and customer inventory. Proper warehouse setup is essential for maintaining accurate inventory counts, tracking material locations, and supporting purchasing, fulfillment, and production workflows.

Before utilizing the Inventory module, your warehouse structure should be configured within the Administration menu. This includes setting up warehouses, sections, bays, shelves, location types, and other location identifiers that will be used to organize inventory throughout the system. For detailed information, please see this Midnight KB Article: Warehouse Locations.

The Inventory Search screen serves as a central hub for warehouse and inventory personnel, providing quick access to inventory information and common inventory management functions.

The green action buttons located on the right side of the screen provide access to various inventory operations, such as receiving inventory and creating new inventory items.

The following search fields are available on the Inventory Search screen and can be used individually or in combination to locate inventory records:

• Customer Name: The name of the customer associated with the inventory item.
• Item Code: The inventory item's code as defined in Midnight.
• Item ID: The unique system-generated identifier for the inventory item.
• Item Name: The name of the inventory item.
• Description: A description of the inventory item.
• Item Type: The category or classification assigned to the inventory item.
• Customer Part #: The customer's part number associated with the inventory item, if applicable.
• Quantity: The quantity currently available On Hand.
• Active: Indicates whether the inventory item is active and available for use within the system.

Receive Item

The Receive Item button, located among the green action buttons on the right side of the Inventory Search screen, is used to record inventory that has been received into the warehouse.

When inventory is received from a vendor, the Receive Item function allows users to enter the receipt and update inventory quantities accordingly. This process increases the item's On Hand quantity and records the inventory transaction within Midnight.

The first step when receiving inventory is to select the Customer that owns the inventory and the Vendor from whom the inventory is being received. If the inventory is associated with a Purchase Order, you can also select the appropriate Purchase Order from the list of open purchase orders for that vendor. Additionally, you may assign a specific Order # if the inventory is being received for a particular customer order.

After selecting the customer, vendor, and any applicable Purchase Order or Order #, complete the receiving information based on the materials being received.

Once the receipt information has been entered, select the inventory item being received.

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Adding a New Inventory Item During Receiving

If the item does not already exist in Midnight, you can create it directly from the Receive Item screen.

To add a new inventory item:

1. Click the Add button in the Items section at the bottom of the screen.
2. Enter the required item information.
3. Save the item record.
4. Continue entering the receipt details.

This allows warehouse staff to create and receive new inventory items without leaving the receiving screen, helping ensure materials are entered into inventory and available for use immediately upon receipt.

To add a new item:

1. Click the Add button in the Items section at the bottom of the receipt screen.
2. Enter the basic item information in the Quick Add window.
3. Save the new item record.

Once saved, the item will automatically be added to the current receipt, allowing you to continue the receiving process without leaving the screen.

Note: The Quick Add feature is intended for creating basic inventory items. If the item requires more detailed setup information, it is recommended to use the New Inventory Item button available from the Inventory module's home screen.

The New Inventory Item button allows users to create a new inventory item that does not yet exist in Midnight. Unlike the Quick Add feature available during receiving, the New Inventory Item screen provides additional fields and configuration options for setting up inventory items in greater detail.

The available fields include:

• Item Type: The category or classification assigned to the inventory item.
• Item Code: A unique identifier used to track and manage the inventory item within Midnight. For consistency and ease of reordering, it is helpful to use the vendor's item or reorder number combined with a vendor-specific prefix. This makes it easier for purchasing staff to quickly identify products and place replenishment orders with the correct supplier. Using a standardized item code format helps improve inventory organization, simplifies vendor communication, and reduces purchasing errors when reordering materials.
  • Examples:
    • MAC-44521 (Mac Papers item #44521)
    • LIN-123456 (Lindenmeyr Munroe item #123456)
    • VER-987654 (Veritiv item #987654)
• Item Name: The name of the inventory item.
• Description: A detailed description of the item.
• Customer Part #: The customer's part number or identifier for the item.
• Create Date: The date the item record was created. This field defaults to the current date.
• Version: The version number associated with the item, if applicable.
• Lot: Select this option if the item should be lot tracked.
• Expiration Date: The expiration date of the item, if applicable.
• Active: Indicates whether the inventory item is active and available for use within Midnight. Inactive items remain in the database for historical reporting purposes.

• Global: Determines whether the inventory item is available to all customers or restricted to a specific customer. Global items can be used across multiple customer records and are commonly used for standard stock items such as paper, envelopes, ink, and production supplies. Customer-specific items should typically remain non-global to ensure they are only associated with the appropriate customer's inventory.

For each inventory item, a series of tabs is displayed at the bottom of the Item Details screen. These tabs provide additional information about the selected item, including inventory history, warehouse activity, paper specifications, and transaction records.

The available tabs are:

• Details: Contains general information and settings related to the inventory item, including unit value, BUM, and reorder point information.
• Paper Details: Contains paper-specific information used for digital and offset printing. This tab includes vendor information, sheet size, basis weight, GSM, caliper, brightness, grain direction, and cost information.
• Orders: Displays all orders associated with this inventory item.
• Purchase Orders: Display all purchase orders associated with this inventory item.
• Warehouse: Displays the item's warehouse location along with the current inventory quantities, including On Hand, Reserved, and Available quantities.
• Locations: Shows the warehouse locations where the item is currently stored along with the On Hand quantity.
• Receipts: Provides a history of all inventory receipts recorded for the item.
• Transactions: Displays a complete history of inventory transactions, including transfers, adjustments, and other inventory movements.
• Substitutes: Allows users to specify alternate inventory items that may be used if the primary item is unavailable.
• Lots: Displays all lot records associated with the inventory item. Users can create new lots and view existing lots.

Note: For more detailed information about each Item Details tab and its functionality, refer to the Warehouse Item Details Knowledge Base article.

Right-clicking on an item's Item Code, Item ID, Item Name, or Description opens the Inventory Transactions menu. This menu provides quick access to common inventory management functions that allow users to adjust inventory quantities and locations.

The available options include:

• Add Inventory: Used to add inventory to a warehouse location. 
• Move Inventory: Transfers inventory from one warehouse location to another. 
• Subtract Inventory: Removes inventory from a location. 

Note: All inventory transactions are recorded in the item's Transactions tab, providing a complete audit trail of inventory activity for reporting, reconciliation, and inventory research purposes.

When opening the Inventory Transaction – Add screen, the Item Code and Item Name fields are automatically populated from the inventory item selected on the Inventory Search screen.

The available fields include:

• To Location: The warehouse location where the inventory will be stored. 
• Lot: The lot number associated with the inventory item. 
• Order: The order number associated with the inventory.
• Quantity: The quantity of inventory being added to the selected location.
• Comments: Any notes or comments related to the inventory transaction.
• Locations: Displays the warehouse location(s) where the item is stored.

Once the transaction has been entered and saved, the inventory quantity is immediately updated and the transaction is recorded in the item's Transactions history for future reference and reporting.

Note: Similar screens are available for Move Inventory and Subtract Inventory transactions. While the fields are similar, the transaction type determines whether inventory is being added, transferred between locations, or removed from stock.

For additional details on inventory adjustments, transfers, and transaction history, refer to the Inventory Transactions article.

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Warehouse Item Requests