Chain
Parts and cars moved between branches
A branch short of a part asks another branch for it. The supplying branch approves and ships, and the asking branch receives, with lots and serials. The job card waits until the parts arrive. A car can also go to another branch's workshop, such as the group's body shop, with the work charged back.
PlansEnterprise only
The problem it solves
- A branch phones around for a part another branch has on its shelf, and nothing is written down.
- Parts move between branches and neither branch's books show it.
- A car goes to the group's paint shop and comes back with no record of the work or its cost.
How it works
- 01
Open Garage > Parts > Stock > Transfers Between Branches and click New, or tap Ask for parts in the app. From a job card, Ask a branch fills in the short parts and picks the branch that has them.
- 02
Choose the supplying branch, the job card if any, the parts and quantities, and a note. Click Send Request. The job card goes on hold.
- 03
The request waits in the supplying branch's approval chain: its workshop managers to start with. They Approve, or Refuse with a reason.
- 04
The supplying branch clicks Ship and confirms quantities and lots. The asking branch clicks Receive and types what arrived; a shortage is noted. The hold ends.
- 05
For a car, click Vehicle Out on the job card, choose Transfer to Another Branch and write the work asked. A job card opens at that branch with your branch as the customer.
- 06
When that branch invoices, its invoice becomes a vendor bill on your job card. When the car is back, click Vehicle Back with the reading and photos.
Everything it does
Parts transfers
- Steps: requested, approved, shipped, received; Cancel by the asking branch; Refuse before shipping by the supplying branch
- History tab: who asked, approved, shipped and received, and when
- Lots and serials proposed from the reservation, changed before shipping, received with the same numbers
- Shortages noted per line and per lot
Settlement between branches
- Invoiced Between the Branches (the default): an invoice in the supplying branch and a vendor bill in yours, at the transfer price
- Markup on Transfers (%): added to the supplying branch's cost; 0 means at cost
- Or At Cost, No Invoice, for branches sharing one tax registration
- Follows the supplying branch's settings
A car to another branch
- Vehicle Out of kind transfer: branch and work asked, with reading and photos
- The vehicle record is shared; the other job card has your branch as its customer
- Its posted invoice becomes a vendor bill on your job card (the charge-back)
- Your job card is told when that branch delivers; Sent to Branches opens their job cards
Reports
- Parts Transferred: the parts moved between branches
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: Garage > Parts > Stock > Transfers Between Branches; Vehicle Out on the job card; Garage > Reports > Jobs and Parts > Parts Transferred
- The SmartMy Garage app: Parts > Transfers Between Branches with To approve, To ship, To receive, Asked, Open and All. Ask for parts; lots by scan; transfers need signal. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.
- In the app, Approve and Refuse show for workshop managers; an approver of an added level decides from My approvals
What you control
Settings
- Invoice Transfers Between Branches: on
- Markup on Transfers: 0%
- Parts transfer approval chain: one level, the workshop managers of the supplying branch
Approvals
- Parts transfer: the chain of the supplying branch; one level of its workshop managers to start with, any one decides. Levels you add are asked in turn and get a to-do. Whoever raised a request may decide it at a level they approve
Messages and alerts
- Approvers of the level get a to-do on the request
- Not built: a message to the asking branch when its request is approved, shipped or refused; follow it on the transfer
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Who approves a request for parts?
The supplying branch, through its approval chain: its workshop managers to start with. Your group can add levels after them.
Are transfers between branches invoiced?
By default, yes: the supplying branch invoices yours at cost plus its markup. Branches that share one tax registration can move parts at cost with no invoice.
Can we send a car to our body shop branch?
Yes. Vehicle Out, Transfer to Another Branch, opens a job card there with your branch as the customer. Its invoice comes back as a vendor bill on your job card.
Do serial numbers survive the move?
Yes. The lots and serials shipped are received with the same numbers at the other branch.
Related
Related features.
Parts stock per branch and service van, with lots and serialsFrom Scale
Each branch keeps its own parts stock, and each service van carries its own. Issuing a part to a job card takes it out of the store or the van. A return puts it back at the same value. Counter sales leave the branch stock too. Lots and serial numbers are scanned, and vans are refilled to their rules.
Ordering parts for a job, reorder rules and supplier billsFrom Scale
When an approved part is not in stock, Order Parts buys the shortage from the part's vendor for that job card. The job card waits on the supplier until the delivery is received. Reorder rules buy for each branch and van by themselves, and the supplier's bill is made from the purchase order.
Approval chainsFrom Growth
What staff must approve goes through one approval engine. That is counter authorisations from Growth, changes to fixed assets in Scale, and parts requests between branches in Enterprise. You set who approves, per branch, without code, and every decision is kept with who made it and why.
Vehicle out and back: test drives, outside work, pickup and dropEvery plan
Every time a customer's car leaves your premises, it goes out with a reading and photos and comes back with another. That covers test drives, outside work, pickups and drops. You see who took it, how far it went and how much fuel it used, and you are told when something is off.
Head office scorecards across branchesEnterprise only
Head office sees one scorecard per branch and month. It shows job cards, revenue split into labour and parts, average repair order, labour efficiency, comeback rate and approval rate. Compare branches for any dates with a group total, follow the trends, and give head office staff a role that only reads.
On hold by who it waits on, the customer's own parts and waiting timeEvery plan
Put a job card on hold with why and who it waits on: the customer, a supplier, the insurer or your own side. Holds for the customer's own parts, special orders and insurance claims start and end by themselves. The Waiting Time report shows where the days go.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.