Production & Manufacturing Runs in ClearRing POS

For businesses that make what they sell — bakeries, food manufacturers, assembly operations — inventory management alone isn't enough. ClearRing POS's Production module lets you define what goes into each product (the Bill of Materials), track a production run from start to finish, consume raw materials from stock, and automatically add finished goods to your sellable inventory.

Key Concepts

| Term | Meaning | |------|---------| | BOM (Bill of Materials) | The list of raw ingredients/components and quantities needed to produce one batch of a finished product | | Production Run | A single execution of a BOM — e.g. "Make 200 bread loaves on 15 Jan" | | Status Lifecycle | DRAFT → IN PROGRESS → COMPLETED | | Yield | The actual number of finished units produced (may differ from target) |

Step 1: Define a Bill of Materials

Before creating a production run, you need a BOM for each product you manufacture.

Go to Production → Bills of Materials and click + New BOM.

Select the Finished Product (it must already exist in your Products catalog — create it first if needed).

Then add components:

| Component | Quantity Per Batch of 200 pcs | |-----------|-------------------------------| | All-Purpose Flour | 20 kg | | Active Yeast | 200 g | | Salt | 400 g | | Water | 12 L |

Set Batch Size to 200. This means the quantities above produce 200 units of the finished product.

Click Save BOM.

Step 2: Create a Production Run

Go to Production → Runs and click + New Run.

Fill in the run details:

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Product | Fresh Bread Loaf | | BOM | Fresh Bread Loaf BOM (auto-filled) | | Target Quantity | 200 pcs | | Scheduled Start | Today | | Location / Shift | Kitchen — Morning Shift |

Click Save as Draft. The system checks if all required raw materials are available in stock. If any ingredient is insufficient, a warning appears before you continue.

Step 3: Start the Run

When production is ready to begin, open the DRAFT run and click Start Run. The status changes to IN PROGRESS.

Raw material quantities are reserved (but not yet deducted) from inventory. This prevents another run from being started if stock wouldn't cover both.

Step 4: Update Progress (Partial Completions)

During the run, the production operator can update the quantity produced so far. Click Update Progress, enter the current count (e.g. 148 pcs completed so far).

The system:

• Calculates how much of each raw material has been consumed proportionally
• Shows which ingredients are getting low (with an amber/red warning)
• Updates the status bar on the run card

This is especially useful for long production runs where partial batches are added to inventory throughout the day.

Step 5: Complete the Run

When production is finished, click Mark Complete. Enter the final Yield (actual units produced — this may differ from target due to waste or breakage).

On completion, the system:

1. Deducts raw materials from inventory based on actual yield
2. Adds finished goods to the sellable inventory for the finished product
3. Records any variance (target vs actual yield)
4. Logs the run as COMPLETED with a timestamp

If actual yield is lower than target (e.g. 188 instead of 200), a waste record is created for the difference.

Step 6: Review Completed Runs

Go to Production → Runs → Completed to see your production history:

• Each run shows target vs actual yield and variance percentage
• Raw material consumption is fully itemized
• Click any run to see a printable Production Report

Use this data to:

• Identify recipes with consistently high waste rates (refine your BOM quantities)
• Track production volumes for capacity planning
• Reconcile finished goods additions in your inventory reports

Inventory Integration

The production module is tightly integrated with inventory:

Before the run: Stock availability is checked automatically.

During the run: Materials are reserved.

After completion:

• Raw materials: deducted (a negative stock movement record is created)
• Finished goods: added (a positive stock movement record is created)

All movements appear in Inventory → Stock Movements with movement type "Production" for auditability.

Setting Up Finished Products

For a product to be manufactured (not purchased), it should be flagged as Produced Internally in its product settings:

1. Go to Products → [Product Name] → Settings
2. Toggle Produced Internally to ON
3. Set Reorder Point — when finished goods drop to this level, a production run suggestion appears on the dashboard

Common Questions

Can a finished product be both purchased and produced? Yes. You can have a BOM for a product but still receive it via a purchase order. The system tracks both sources in stock movements.

What if my BOM quantities need to change (e.g. recipe update)? Edit the BOM at any time. Changes apply to new runs only — completed runs retain the BOM snapshot that was active at the time.

Can I run production for non-food items (assembly/kitting)? Yes. The BOM supports any product type. A "kit" BOM might combine component A + component B to produce assembled product C.

Does waste get tracked separately? Yes. Under Production → Runs → [Completed Run], the Waste section shows units short of target and estimated raw material cost of the waste.

Summary

ClearRing's Production module closes the gap between manufacturing and retail inventory. By defining BOMs and running structured production cycles, every finished product on your shelf is traceable back to the raw materials that went into it. The automatic inventory integration means your stock counts stay accurate without any manual journal entries — production creates the finished goods, sales consume them, and the system always knows what's available.