Create Items

Before stock can be received, reserved, counted, adjusted, or used on a work order, the item normally needs to exist in the inventory catalog.

What is an inventory item?

An inventory item is the master record for a part, consumable, component, or tool.

It can include information such as:

• Part number
• Description
• Part class
• Operational tracking type
• Unit of measure
• Category
• Shelf life
• Required certifications
• Stock level settings
• Reorder settings
• Compatible aircraft models
• Compatible locations
• Alternate or supplier part numbers
• Related documents or manuals

Think of the item as the definition of the material. Stock records then show how many units of that item are available and where they are located.

For example, an item may define a specific brake pad part number. Stock records then show whether that brake pad exists in the main warehouse, workshop, or another location.

Why item setup is important

Item setup affects many later workflows.

If an item is created with incomplete or incorrect information, users may later have problems with receiving, traceability, reservations, stock counts, work orders, or purchasing.

For example:

• If the wrong unit of measure is selected, quantities may become confusing.
• If a component should be serialized but is created as a normal part, individual unit traceability may be missing.
• If required certificates are not configured, receiving users may not know which documents are expected.
• If the part number is inconsistent, users may create duplicates or fail to find the right item.
• If stock levels are not configured, reorder alerts may not work as expected.

For this reason, item creation should be treated as master data setup, not just a quick stock entry.

Before you start

Before creating an item, make sure you know the key information about the material.

At minimum, you should normally know:

• The correct part number
• A clear description
• The correct unit of measure
• Whether the item is a standard part, component, consumable, or tool
• Whether the item requires individual serial tracking
• Whether certificates are required during receiving
• Whether the item has shelf life or expiry requirements
• Whether the item should be linked to specific aircraft models or locations

If you are unsure, check the supplier documentation, maintenance data, internal material lists, or existing inventory records before creating the item.

Create a new item

To create a new inventory item:

1. Go to Inventory.
2. Open Items & Stock.
3. Select New Item.
4. Enter the item details.
5. Review the part class and operational tracking.
6. Add required certification settings if relevant.
7. Save the item.

After the item is saved, you can open the item record and continue setup, such as stock levels, pricing, part number aliases, compatibility, documents, and related inventory activity.

Basic information

The basic information section defines the core identity of the item.

Depending on your account setup and active templates, some fields may be required, optional, or hidden.

Typical basic fields include:

• Part class
• Part number
• Description
• Unit of measure
• Category
• Shelf life days

Part class

Part class helps define what kind of inventory item you are creating.

Typical part classes include:

• Standard part
• Component
• Consumable
• Tool/equipment
• Local miscellaneous item

This is an important field because FlightLogger Maintenance uses the part class to derive the operational tracking behavior.

For example, component items default to serialized tracking. This means each physical unit can be tracked individually by serial number.

Tools and consumables follow their own inventory behavior depending on account configuration and enabled modules.

Operational tracking

Operational tracking describes how the item behaves in inventory workflows.

The system derives operational tracking from the selected part class when the item is created.

This matters because tracking affects how the item is handled during receiving, stock management, reservations, and maintenance usage.

For example:

• A normal part can be tracked by quantity.
• A serialized part requires individual serial number records.
• A consumable is typically managed as material consumed in quantity.
• A tool may be managed through tool-related workflows if the tools module is enabled.

Operational tracking is fixed after creation. If tracking needs to be changed later, use the dedicated change type flow where available. Some changes may be blocked if the item already has serialized items or other related records.

Part number

The part number is one of the most important identifiers for an inventory item.

Use the official part number from your documentation, supplier records, or internal material setup.

FlightLogger Maintenance supports searching by part number and can also handle alternate part number references when aliases are added later. This helps users find the item even if they search using a manufacturer, supplier, superseded, internal, or alternate part number.

Good practice:

• Use a consistent part number format.
• Avoid creating duplicate items for the same part.
• Check existing items before creating a new one.
• Add aliases later if the same item is known by multiple part numbers.

Description

The description should make the item easy to identify.

A useful description helps users distinguish similar parts and reduces the risk of selecting the wrong item during receiving, reservation, or work order usage.

Avoid descriptions that are too short or unclear. For example, “Filter” may not be enough if your inventory contains several filter types.

A better description could include the part type, application, size, or other meaningful identifying information.

Unit of measure

The unit of measure defines how quantities are counted.

Examples may include:

• Each
• Liter
• Meter
• Kilogram
• Box
• Set

Choose the unit that matches how the item is stocked, received, counted, and issued.

This is especially important for consumables and bulk material. If the unit of measure is wrong, users may misinterpret quantities during receiving, stock counts, reservations, or purchasing.

Category

Category can be used to group items in a way that makes sense for your organization.

For example, categories may reflect material type, operational area, supplier grouping, or internal inventory structure.

Categories can make searching, filtering, and reporting easier.

Shelf life

If an item has a limited shelf life, enter the shelf life information where applicable.

Shelf life supports expiry awareness and helps prevent expired material from being treated as usable stock.

This is especially relevant for material such as chemicals, rubber goods, adhesives, sealants, batteries, or other time-limited items.

Required certifications

Some items require specific documentation before they can be accepted into stock.

FlightLogger Maintenance allows required certifications to be configured for an item.

Examples can include:

• Form 1
• 8130
• Certificate of Conformity
• Other required documentation

When certifications are configured, receiving users can see what documentation is expected when material is received.

This helps support traceability, compliance, and audit readiness.

After the item is created

Creating the item is only the first step.

After saving the item, you may need to continue setup depending on how the item will be used.

You can typically continue with:

• Stock level configuration
• Pricing settings
• Required certifications
• Part number aliases
• Compatible aircraft models
• Compatible locations
• Documents or manuals
• Receiving stock
• Creating serialized item records
• Linking the item to reservations or purchasing workflows

Stock level configuration

Stock level settings help FlightLogger Maintenance identify low stock and reorder needs.

Depending on your setup, stock level configuration may include:

• Minimum stock level
• Maximum stock level
• Reorder point
• Reorder quantity

These settings are useful when the item is regularly used and should trigger attention before stock runs out.

Stock level setup is especially important for frequently used parts, critical consumables, and material that may have long supplier lead times.

Part number aliases

After an item has been created, you can add known alternate part numbers.

Aliases can help users find the correct item when different sources use different numbers.

Examples include:

• Manufacturer part number
• Supplier part number
• Alternate part number
• Superseded part number
• Internal part number
• Customer reference
• Other known reference

This is useful when the same part is known by several identifiers across suppliers, manuals, historical systems, or customer documentation.

Item status and archiving

Items can be active or archived.

Archive an item when it should no longer be used for new inventory activity, but historical records must remain available.

An item may not be suitable for archiving if it still has stock on hand or active reservations. This protects inventory history and prevents users from hiding records that are still operationally relevant.

Example

A storekeeper needs to create a new brake caliper item.

The storekeeper creates an item with:

• Part number: BC-2048
• Description: Brake caliper assembly
• Part class: Component
• Unit of measure: Each
• Required certification: Form 1
• Category: Brake system

Because the item is a component, it may require serialized tracking. When physical units are received, each unit can then be tracked individually with its own serial number, condition, location, and lifecycle history.

Once stock exists, the item can be reserved for a work order, issued, installed, and traced later.

Good practices

• Search the catalog before creating a new item.

• Use consistent part number formatting.

• Write descriptions that make similar items easy to distinguish.

• Choose the correct part class from the beginning.

• Use serialized tracking for components or other items that require individual lifecycle traceability.

• Select the correct unit of measure before receiving stock.

• Configure required certifications when documentation is mandatory during receiving.

• Use shelf life settings for time-limited material.

• Add part number aliases when the item is known by multiple references.

• Configure stock levels for frequently used or critical items.

• Avoid archiving items that still have stock or active operational use.

What to read next

After creating inventory items, continue with:

• Configure Stock Levels
• Create Locations
• Manage Batches
• Perform Incoming Inspections
• Create Reservations