The Inventory Usage application exists in the Inventory module and is used for issuing, returning and transferring items and tool items within site or across sites that share the same item master. It is an application that was introduced with Maximo 7.5 along with the Shipment Receiving application, the two together replaced the Issues and Transfers application.

An inventory usage record has a usage type which defines the type of lines that can be used:

• ISSUE – allows lines with Usage Type of ISSUE or RETURN
• TRANSFER – only allows lines with Usage Type of TRANSFER
• MIXED – allows lines with Usage Type of ISSUE, RETURN or TRANSFER

The default is MIXED. Once lines are added you can no longer change the usage type on the inventory usage record.

The inventory usage record is created in relation to the source storeroom that contains the items and tool items, the From Storeroom. Each inventory usage record can have multiple lines that allow the inventory transactions to be planned ahead of time and then executed through a change of status. A feature is to pull into the inventory usage lines reservations that have been created elsewhere, from a work order, a material requisition, or a purchase order that has created an internal demand on the From Storeroom. There is an option for automatically creating inventory usage records from reservations. 

Inventory usage records are created at the site level and will use the users Default Insert SiteA structural element of a Maximo database that is used for data separation. More, this needs to be the site of the From Storeroom. If a user is restricted by site and storeroom access, then this limits the storerooms from which they can issue, return and transfer items. Storeroom security affects both the From Storeroom and for transfers the To Storeroom.

Inventory usage records start at the ENTERED state. There are Change Status options for COMPLETE, CANCELLED, STAGED, and SHIPPED. Staging and Shipping are significant enhancements over functionality in the Inventory application and what was previously available with the Issues and Transfers application. Together with the Shipment Receiving application they provide a logistics function for Maximo. The other advantage is that both Inventory Usage and Shipment Receiving are documents that could be enhanced with Maximo Workflow.

When you are issuing or transferring items you may require a quantity that cannot be satisfied entirely from the nominated bin or lot. When this occurs the Split Usage Quantity dialog allows you to determine the bins or lots that will be used to make up the required quantity. The same dialog is used when issuing or transferring more than one of a rotating item, when the rotating assets need to be selected.

With the introduction of staging and shipping there have been a number of additional inventory balance fields, for example, quantity staged, total quantity shipped, etc. Maximo 7.5 also introduced staging bins so that the inventory balances could be maintained; while at staged status the items have not physically left the storeroom. These inventory balance records are dynamically created and deleted as you change status on the inventory usage record.

There are other miscellaneous functions in the Inventory Usage application:

• Before you select the quantity of an item to issue or transfer you can enter the result of a physical count.
• A pop-up dialog will suggest the original issue that might be a match for the return that you have entered.
• A pop-up dialog will suggest a reservation that might be a match to the entered issue or transfer.
• In Maximo 7.6.0.1 a new action – Create Remaining Usage Lines – was added to allow you to issue a part of a reservation and then create a new inventory usage document for the remaining quantities.

Whether issues, returns or transfers Maximo is creating financial records:

• MATUSETRANS – Issues and returns
• MATRECTRANS – Transfers
• INVTRANS – Inventory Adjustments, when items are inserted or when there are standard receipt adjustments
• ASSETTRANS – Asset creation or asset movements

These financial transactions depend on many factors. With transfers multiple transactions are created as you move from staged to shipped. In the Shipment Receiving application further financial transactions are created as items are received and more still if they require inspection or the serialization of rotating assets before those receipts are considered complete and the balances adjusted in the destination storeroom.

This concludes the overview of the Inventory Usage application. For a deep dive into various aspects of the application you can continue with:

• Inventory Usage statuses
• Security in Inventory Usage
• Organization settings affecting Inventory Usage
• Issues and returns in Inventory Usage
• Transfers in Inventory Usage
• How do reservations affect Inventory Usage?
• Change Status to Staged in Inventory Usage
• Change Status to Shipped in Inventory Usage
• Split Usage Quantity dialog in Inventory Usage
• Create Remaining Usage Lines in Inventory Usage
• A summary of the financial processes in Inventory Usage
• Inventory Usage – a data model