Managing an Inventory with PartKeepr

Projects and Reports

In addition to individual parts, you can also manage project parts with PartKeepr. This is done by displaying all of the parts associated with a finished assembled device. This function is located in the Edit | Projects menu. A click on the Add Project option lets you set up a new project.

Next enter the project name in the large area to the right and add information where applicable, such as description, necessary parts, and attachments. After clicking on the Save Project button, an entry will appear for the project in the list to the left of the program window.

The software offers the possibility of creating reports. These contain statistical data, such as the number of parts in stock, and they also let you manipulate the inventory. You can generate reports for individual projects with the menu option View | Project Reports . At the end of a project, you can automatically adjust the inventory by clicking on the Remove parts from stock button in the Project Reports window.

You can get an overview of developments in the warehouse using the Stock History option in the View menu. You will see a list of all parts that include the date on which they left the warehouse, the price, and the employees who processed the part. Here the software also offers the possibility of exporting the list in another format, such as the universal CSV format with the Export button (Figure 7).

Figure 7: Using the report function, you can see how the inventory has developed over time, what is still in the warehouse, and what parts have been included in a project.

Conclusion

You can systematize your stock with PartKeepr. This software was primarily developed for use with electronic components, but it is also well suited for other branches that also deal with small parts, such as farm machinery repair shops. Shops like these have to keep track of everything ranging from gaskets, to lug nuts, to an engine block, and beyond. PartKeepr shines as a parts manager due to its convenient interface and speedy operation. Thanks to LAMP, it also has a stable and standard database framework working under it.