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Use the Materials tab to move components into work in progress, record recoveries, scrap issued inputs, or replace an input before it is issued. Each action changes the work order’s quantities and can change inventory value or the manufacturing ledger.

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Open the Materials tab

Go to Manufacturing > Work Orders, open the work order, and select Materials. You need:
  • manufacturing.view to review the material plan and movements.
  • manufacturing.edit to issue, return, scrap, or substitute.
  • A work order in Released or In Progress status for material actions.
  • A work-order location and enough entity-wide stock for an issue.
The BOM instructions and its attached SOP documents also appear on this tab. They are read-only here. Manage the recipe and its documents from Bills of Materials.
Draft work-order Materials tab with two sample input lines, required and issued quantities, zero stock, cost cards, and empty GL and inventory movements

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Choose the correct action

A BOM line marked Retain is informational. A BOM line marked Scrap does not become available stock at completion. These line types do not provide the same buttons as an issued Consume or Add line.

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Issue an input

  1. On a Consume or Add line, click Issue.
  2. Enter a quantity greater than zero and no more than the displayed remaining quantity.
  3. Confirm the product, quantity, and available stock.
  4. Click Issue Material.
  5. Check Issued, the work-order cost cards, GL Movements, and Inventory Movements.
Arcus checks stock across the entity. It consumes from the work-order location first, then from other locations with available stock. Actual FIFO layers determine the issue cost. The first successful issue on a Released work order also moves the order to In Progress.
Entity-wide availability does not mean all stock is at the work-order location. Review Inventory Movements after issue when location control matters, because the issue can draw from other locations.

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Outcome

The line’s issued quantity and actual material cost increase. Available stock decreases at the source location or locations, and the related value moves into material WIP.

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Return an expected recovery

Return applies to a Return to stock line. It is not a way to reverse an issued Consume or Add line.
  1. Click Return on the eligible recovery line.
  2. Enter a quantity greater than zero and no more than the expected quantity still available to return.
  3. Confirm the action.
  4. Put the physical item into the work-order location and follow your warehouse’s normal bin process.
  5. Verify the returned quantity and Inventory Movements.
Arcus receives the item at the work-order location using the work-order line’s cost basis and posts the corresponding material return. Completion later records only the remaining recovery for that completion share.

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Outcome

The line’s returned quantity increases, inventory receives the recovered item at the work-order location, and material WIP is reduced by the recorded return value.

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Scrap issued material

Use this action only for a Consume or Add quantity that was already issued into WIP and is now unusable.
  1. Click Scrap issued material on the line.
  2. Enter a quantity no greater than the issued quantity that has not already been scrapped.
  3. Confirm the reason against the physical material.
  4. Click the scrap action.
  5. Review the line, Cost tab, GL Movements, and Inventory Movements.
The issue already reduced available stock, so scrapping does not reduce on-hand stock a second time. It removes the corresponding value from material WIP and records scrap expense.
Scrap is a real cost event. If the work order is later cancelled, the resulting system stock can differ from the physical quantity. Review inventory, location, cost, and GL after cancellation, then resolve every difference through your approved correction process.

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Outcome

The line’s scrapped quantity increases, actual material cost remaining on the work order decreases, and the value moves from material WIP to scrap expense.

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Substitute before any issue

Substitution is available only when all of these are true:
  • The line disposition is Consume or Add.
  • The work order is Released or In Progress.
  • The line’s issued quantity is exactly zero.
  • The line has not already been substituted.
Substitute before the first issue. Once any quantity has been issued on the line, Arcus refuses substitution even when some quantity remains.
  1. Click Substitute on the input line.
  2. Search for the replacement product.
  3. Select a physical product. The original product, kits, and services are excluded.
  4. Compare the original and replacement products and the unit-cost change.
  5. Enter an optional reason.
  6. Click Substitute.
  7. If stock is short, review Required and Available. Click Substitute Anyway only when receiving or another supply action will resolve the shortage.
Substitution preserves the original product on the line for audit and replaces the product used for later issue or backflush. It does not move or create stock. Verify the stored line-cost basis after substitution: when the replacement product has zero or blank cost, the current workflow can retain the prior line basis.

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Outcome

The line shows the replacement as a one-time substitution, retains the original product for audit, and shifts future dependent demand to the replacement. Inventory and GL remain unchanged until issue or completion.

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Common scenario: replace a short component

Suppose an assembly requires 10 units of Component A, no quantity has been issued, and an approved Component B is available.
  1. Confirm with engineering or the recipe owner that Component B is approved.
  2. Substitute Component B before issuing any material.
  3. Review the cost change shown in the modal.
  4. If Arcus warns that Component B is short, do not rely on Substitute Anyway as a supply action. Receive the missing stock first.
  5. Issue Component B or let completion backflush it.
The result is one traceable substituted line. The original component remains visible for audit, and actual cost is determined when the replacement is consumed.

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Let completion backflush remaining inputs

You do not have to issue every Consume or Add line manually. During a partial or full completion, Arcus calculates the cumulative required share and backflushes any remaining quantity needed for that share.
  • A stock shortage blocks the completion before that completion posts its inventory changes.
  • Stock is checked entity-wide and consumed from the work-order location first, then other locations.
  • A partial completion consumes only the cumulative share required at that point.
  • The final completion catches up the remaining required input.
Use Complete and Undo Work Orders for the whole-unit completion workflow and reversal limits.

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Review the transaction result

After every material action:
  1. Match the physical quantity to Required, Issued, Returned, or Scrapped on the line.
  2. Expand Inventory Movements and confirm product, quantity, and location.
  3. Expand GL Movements and confirm the related material issue, return, scrap, completion, or reversal entry.
  4. Review Cost for the updated actual material amount.
  5. Check Timeline for the acting user and event.
Do this review before completion, cancellation, or close. Cancellation returns current issued Consume and Add quantities to the work-order location, but it does not erase earlier Return or Scrap activity. See Run Manufacturing Work Orders for the full cancellation warning.

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Troubleshoot refusals

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Frequently asked questions

No. The current workflow requires the line’s issued quantity to be exactly zero. Return or correct the existing material through the approved inventory process before deciding how to continue the work order.
No. It records the replacement despite the shortage warning. The work order still needs enough stock before issue or completion.
Availability and consumption are entity-wide. Arcus prefers the work-order location, then consumes available FIFO layers from other locations. Review Inventory Movements for the exact source locations.
No. On-hand was reduced at issue. Scrap moves the issued value from material WIP to scrap expense without a second stock consumption.

Work Orders

Create, release, start, assign, close, or cancel manufacturing work.

Partial Completions and Undo

Backflush remaining inputs and understand when a completion can be reversed.

Bills of Materials

Define Consume, Add, Return to stock, Scrap, and Retain behavior in the recipe.

Manufacturing Reports

Review open WIP, completion cost, and component usage after posting.