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User eNotes - September 2019
Presidents Comments
Rod Hatcher
Just in case you are unaware, ALERE v 15.0 was released the 20 th of August. More than sixty new features and enhancements grace this new version. If you would like to review the last few years of ALERE progress, may I suggest visiting our website and navigating to Clients and then History .

The History page shows a timeline that stretches back five years. The date of each version is shown along with a brief summary of major features. Click on the version numbers to display the corresponding New Features brochure. A lot has happened over the last few years.

As a parting thought, it was brought to my attention that there are clients new to our community that don’t know what ALERE stands for. It is an acronym for A ssets, L iabilities, E quity, R evenue, and E xpenses! In Latin, ALERE means “to Grow”; hence, the green leaf in the ALERE logo!
BOM vs Material List
In this article the BOM is single level and consists of the components that are directly used in a parent item. An easy way to picture this is the list of the ingredients to make a cake. If ten cakes were being baked, then the list of the ingredients would be multiplied by ten. The resulting list would be the material list, or serves as a picking list for the total ingredients required.

Why is this distinction between a BOM and a material list important? When a work order is created the quantity on the order is multiplied by the BOM for the item. The list of components, and their quantities, appears on the Material tab of the work order.
Work Order Material Screen
The material list becomes part of the order which allows items to be added, deleted, and the quantities changed. What has been allocated, used, and is remaining is easily traceable. Changes to the root BOM can flow out to the order and the material list updated even while in process on the manufacturing floor.

The total capability is a truly unique feature of the ALERE Manufacturing software.
How Work Order Inheritance Works
Inheritance refers to serialized finished goods inheriting the serial number of material issued to the work order that is building the items. For example, ten derailleurs that are each serialized are issued to a work order to assemble ten bikes. The ten bikes take their serial numbers from the derailleurs.

There are two conditions for this to happen automatically. First, the work order type has to be set to Inheritance .
Work Order Inheritance Selection Box
Second, the serial numbers used are determined by the first serialized item issued to the order. So, in the case of the bikes, the derailleurs would need to be issued to the job before any other serialized material is issued.

This is a one-to-one relationship. The serial number of each finished good is based on the serialized item issued to it
Introduction to the Mobile Service App
The Service App supports the processing of service tickets, in real time via an internet, on a handheld device such as a tablet. The app runs via terminal services and is available with the purchase of the Mobility module. The Service App has all the functionality and flexibility of its service ticket desktop counterpart, however there are some differences to support its use in the field.

When the app is started, the user follows the normal ALERE login procedure after which the first page is displayed. This lists their scheduled activities and corresponding service tickets for the day.
Service Daily Schedule
Touching a service ticket displays it with a menu along the left hand border. The ticket is processed in the same manner as is done in a desktop environment with some exceptions. Labor can be tracked, material issued, results gathered, and notes taken as normal but the app can also automatically track a service person's time by clicking on the Start My Clock button.

The other major differences occur on the Invoice page where a digital customer signature field is recorded.
Service Ticket Signature Capture Box
The page also includes the option to create and email the customer an invoice.
Service Ticket Email Invoice Button
The Service App is ideal for use in the field and may be modified to meet a company's requirements.

A webpage has been setup to describe the rest of the service app screens. Details may be found here.
Technical Seminars - Your Source of Training
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TIW's next Technical Seminars in Easton, PA will be held in October.

The Manufacturing Seminar will be held October 28th and 29th.

The Accounting Seminar will be held October 30th through November 1st.

Invest in yourself and keep your knowledge of ALERE up to date!

Make your reservations now at Technical Seminar Reservations or by calling Chris at 610-258-5161 x 105. Current users on SMAs have certificates that entitle them to a free seat in a seminar.

Send employees to recurring training to educate them on how to use the new features in a just released version. Use it as comprehensive training for new additions to your staff to familiarize them with the capabilities of ALERE. Don't let that free seminar seat go to waste!
TIW Technology, Inc. | Phone: 610.258.5161 | Fax: 610.258.6217