Purpose
There are different methods to set up and track chemical tank mixtures in Aspire. There are Individual Chemical Items Method, Mixture Item Method Bulk Adjustment, and Mixture Item Method Individual Mix Adjustment.
For all methods, you will need to create individual catalog items representing the various chemicals that will be used in your tank mixtures. When establishing allocation units for each chemical, choose a unit of measure that makes it easiest for crew members to mix formulas in the field.
For example, on new item creation, you might set purchase units to gallons because you buy chemicals by the gallon, but when entering the item in Aspire, you set the allocation units to ounces. This is because formulas used by crew members for mixing are represented in ounces.
📑 To learn more about Purchase Units vs. Allocation Units, read this article.
Individual Chemical Items Method
This method helps create accurate estimates and allocations of materials, but requires crews to understand the makeup of their tank mixes in order to calculate item usage for each formula outside of Aspire. Then, they can record that usage in Aspire on their phone.
This method uses individual chemicals for a mixture in the estimate. Crew members would then allocate chemicals as used per application.
Enter all individual chemical items (i.e. Three Way, Dimension, etc.) used in mixtures into your Item Catalog as inventory items with appropriate purchase and allocation units.
Build your tank mix kits for each application round using production rates including all chemical materials and labor.
Use these kits for estimating each application round.
The Purchasing Assistant can be used to identify product requirements from all won opportunities.
Purchase all of your chemical items used in your mixes into Inventory.
You can either have the crews release all actual materials on their phone when doing the applications, or you can release materials from Inventory in the purchasing assistant.
Make Inventory on Hand quantity adjustments each month for all of the individual chemical items used in each of your tank mixes.
Mixture Item Method: Bulk Adjustment
This method helps if your company creates chemical mixtures in bulk, which are stored in Inventory until needed in the field.
Rather than estimating individual chemicals for a mixture on the opportunity, the mixture item is included in the estimate. Individual chemicals are ordered separately and used to create the mixture in bulk.
Inventory would then be adjusted during the End of Month process (EOM).
Enter all individual chemical items used in mixtures into your Item Catalog as Inventory Items with appropriate purchase and allocation units.
Add additional fictitious items into the catalog for each tank mix with a purchase and allocation unit.
Example would be 1 Gal. of Tank Mix Round, with a $1.54 purchase cost and a allocation unit of 1 Gallon. Check the box for Inventory Item for these fictitious items.
The cost for these items should be calculated outside of Aspire based on the actual costs of the items that make up each tank mixture.
Add the fictitious items and your labor item to build Application Kits.
Use these kits when estimating each application round.
The Purchasing Assistant identifies gallons of tank mix that are needed to applicate each round.
🧠 Use this information outside of Aspire to calculate actual material needs when ordering.
Purchase your actual items used for each mix into Inventory.
📌 Note: These items will never be actually released from inventory but will rather need to be adjusted against your tank mix during End of Month by inventory observation.The fictitious item will be listed under the material button on Crew Mobile for the crew to release by gallons of tank mix used on each property.
This will create an increasingly negative inventory value for this item throughout the month.
During the EOM process, a physical inventory count must be taken for actual material items and the tank mix, if any exist.
Enter your month end on hand quantities for each item on the Inventory Location screen.
Because you are increasing your fictitious items and decreasing your actual items, the end result of your inventory adjustments should be a net of zero.
Due to human factor, your net will probably never be zero; review your inventory adjustment based on quantity to determine the COGS(Cost of Goods Sold) material adjustment which is required during the EOM process.
Mixture Item Method: Individual Mix Adjustment
This method is similar to Mixture Item Method: Bulk Adjustment, but requires you to adjust inventory with every tank mixed. Opportunity estimates are based on an item representing the chemical mixture.
Individual chemicals are ordered separately and used to create the mixture in bulk but are adjusted per mix load.
Follow steps 1-5 as stated above.
Purchase your actual items used for each mix into inventory. These items will never be released from inventory, but will rather be adjusted each time a tank mix is created.
Each time you create a tank mix, do an inventory on hand quantity adjustment. This will increase the fictitious tank mix item and decrease your actual chemical items.
The fictitious item will be listed under the material button in Crew Mobile for the crew to release by gallons of tank mix used on each property.
During the EOM process, a physical inventory count needs to be taken for actual material items and the tank mix, if any exist. Enter your month end on hand quantities for each item in the inventory location screen.
Because of the human factor, you should review your inventory adjustment based on quantity to determine the COGS material adjustment that is necessary at month end.