Primary Use Case: Automated Material Handling
In such setups, machines pick materials, and human interaction is minimal or non-existent.
Machines can generate daily reports detailing material usage (e.g., number of melamine sheets, cabinet liner sheets).
This report data can be aggregated into an Excel sheet, enriched with bin location information pulled from APIs.
The processed data is then posted back to INNERGY to request and fulfill the material used by the machine, effectively updating inventory without manual intervention.
2. API Integration
The API endpoint of the Engineering Sync has been extended to include the request and fulfill functionality.
This allows for 100% API-driven integration, providing greater automation possibilities.
3. Direct Report Import and Automation
Question: Is it possible for some material handling systems to generate a report that can be directly imported into INNERGY?
Answer: Direct import is generally not possible without an intermediary step. It would typically require an API route:
1. The material handling system generates a report.
2. Another system (e.g., a custom script or integration platform) processes this report, extracts the necessary information, and then posts it to INNERGY via API.
Example Company Workflow (Power BI Integration):
Uses Power BI connected to their material handler.
Pulls daily material usage data.
Connects to the API to format the data precisely.
Exports this data to an Excel sheet (structured similarly to the demonstration's BOM items and products tab).
Imports the Excel sheet into INNERGY.
Further Automation: Instead of manual import, the data could be sent directly to INNERGY via API. The only remaining manual step would be to jump into INNERGY, select all items, and click request and fulfill.
4. Conclusion
The Request and Fulfill Queue provides a robust mechanism for integrating automated material handling systems with INNERGY, ensuring accurate and up-to-date inventory and job costing records.