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Attaching Accessories to Host Equipment

In e-automate, a piece of equipment is any machine on which you can perform service. Equipment is used by e-automate as a way to link all of the services you perform on a particular machine. You can also identify components that are linked or installed on the host equipment. These components are referred to as accessories. When you attach in-stock accessories, they are transferred by e-automate to the host equipment location (warehouse and bin) when you attach them. If you have accessory bin tracking enabled, accessories are transferred to your designated accessory bin for the warehouse in which the host equipment is located.

You add accessories to your equipment to help your supply order entry staff and technicians to interact with equipment. For example, a field technician should know which accessories are attached to the equipment to ensure that he is qualified to service the equipment and associated accessories. Order entry should also know which accessories are attached so they can provide the supplies correctly for the equipment and the attached accessories. During the sales process, your supply entry personnel can identify the correct supplies for equipment by identifying the equipment on the sales transaction. Identifying equipment on the sales transaction can also tell e-automate if the supplies or parts you sell are covered under the service contract. A filter is placed by e-automate on the item lookup so it only displays supplies related to the host equipment and the identified accessories. In addition to filtering by the related items on host equipment and accessories, you can configure a filter to restrict items that are displayed based on the contract bill code. This way you can only display supplies of a certain type. This same filtration automatically occurs in the e-info supply order portal for enabled equipment and supplies. In these ways you can be better prepared to provide supplies to your customers.

When assigning accessories to equipment, you can configure your e-automate system to allow equipment hosts to consume accessories. This feature is an administrative option. The consumption process completely removes the item(s) from inventory and adds the cost of the consumed items to the host equipment item. Consumed items do not show on sales invoice or orders when added to the order/invoice. Under certain circumstances, you change the equipment record's model number by changing the equipment item on the equipment record. For more information, see the Changing Model Numbers on Equipment topic.

If you are not consuming accessories, e-automate transfers items from their current inventory location to the host equipment location upon association or the assembled bin based on your configuration.

If the model linked to this piece of equipment is marked as a host, on the Model profile you can add item(s) or other equipment as accessories to the host equipment. After you have added associated accessories, you can see a list of connected accessories in the Dispatch Console when creating a service call (in-stock or sold equipment), on the Accessories tab of the equipment record (in-stock or sold equipment), and on the Item Availability window when you check Show attached accessories.

Getting to the TransactionGetting to the Transaction

On the e-automate toolbar, select [Equipment] to open the Equipment window.

Select the equipment to which you want to associate accessories and click [Accessories] to open the Edit Accessories window.

Basic InformationBasic Information

To add accessories to equipment capable of hosting, do the following:

Click [Add] to open the Add Accessory window.

Do ONE of the following:

To attach equipment as an accessory to host equipment, do the following:

In the Type field, use the drop-down menu to select Equipment.

In the Equipment field, use the lookup icon to select the equipment you want to attach as an accessory to this host equipment.

When linking equipment, e-automate disables the Serial number, Use system serial number, and Quantity fields.

To add the permanent flag, click Permanent.
Note: The permanent flag is simply for reporting.

To have the host equipment consume the equipment accessory and remove it from inventory, check Consume.
Note: The Consume checkbox is only displayed when configured by your system administrator. You can identify the warehouse and bin from which the equipment item is to be consumed.

When the equipment is in stock, you can identify the warehouse and bin from which to transfer the equipment accessory by checking the Transfer from checkbox and identifying the warehouse and bin in the Warehouse and Bin fields, respectively.

To attach an item as an accessory to host equipment, do the following:

In the Type field, use the drop-down menu to select Item.

In the Item field, use the lookup icon to select the item you want to attach as an accessory to this host equipment.

If the item is serialized, in the Serial number field enter the serial number.
Note: If the serial number has been received in your e-automate system, check Use system serial number. You can use the lookup icon in the Serial number field to identify the serial number.

To add the permanent flag, click Permanent.
Note: The permanent flag is simply for reporting.

To have the host equipment consume the item accessory and remove it from inventory, check Consume.
Note: The Consume checkbox is only displayed when configured by your system administrator. You can identify the warehouse and bin from which the equipment item is to be consumed.

When the equipment is in stock, you can identify the warehouse and bin from which to transfer the item accessory by checking the Transfer from checkbox and identifying the warehouse and bin in the Warehouse and Bin fields, respectively.

Click [OK] to add your accessory.

Repeat Steps 2 - 3 to add more accessories.

Completing the TransactionCompleting the Transaction

Click [OK] to save the accessories and close the Edit Accessories window.