Define default sites and locations as part of the setup for Service/Support Management. Sites relate to inventory management and costing, since you set up costs by site.

Functions that access default sites during service activity include:

You can set up default sites for combinations of product line, service group, work code, item, and area. Not all combinations are valid. For example, you cannot use product line and item together. Search Order for Default Sites lists the combinations you can define and the order in which the system searches for them. If you enter an invalid combination, a message displays.

The values in the first frame of Default Site Maintenance (11.21.13) are the key for locating site defaults. You can enter any number of specific combinations or create defaults that apply to entire product lines or a particular area. Use different combinations to accommodate different business practices.

Service group and product line should not be used together. You may get unpredictable results if you set up default sites for both when some items belong to both groups.

Search Order for Default Sites illustrates the search order for default sites and the valid combinations of key fields.

To minimize the possibility of blank sites defaulting into Call Activity Recording and other functions that use them, the system uses an expanded search. If you defined records with a particular key but not the particular site and location the system needs, the system searches until it finds a record with a non-blank site and location.

As mentioned previously, numerous functions use default sites. However, not all key values are meaningful in all functions.

If you have not specified a site and location for the engineer, and the call either does not have an area or the call’s area has no site and location, CAR looks for a default spares location for item issues. When searching for a default spares location, the system takes the values for product line, service group, work code, and item from the call line. The system takes the area from the call, which was initially determined by the end user.

When you return items in CAR, the system derives the values for product line, service group, work code, and item from the item being returned—not the item being repaired. The system still derives the area from the call.

The system derives the default site on the header in Material Order Maintenance by searching for a default spares site associated with the call’s area if the material order (MO) is associated with a call, or the engineer’s area if there is no call.

When items on an MO are returned, the system takes search values from the item being returned. However, work code has no value in MO Direct/Pending Returns. The system derives the area from the engineer.

Keep these factors in mind when you set up default sites. If you set up default sites and locations by work code for Call Activity Recording, you may have to set up an alternate set of defaults for MO Direct/Pending Returns. Note, however, if the system does not find return sites in MO Direct/Pending Returns, it returns the item to the issue site and location in Material Order Maintenance.

You may want a restricted inventory status for return locations. Generally, you inspect returned items before making them available for sales orders or work orders. To allow for this, give the return, scrap, or repair locations a status of not available.

Set the location status to non-nettable to prevent MRP from considering inventory as on-hand. If most of your returns can be put into usable stock with little or no repair, make this inventory location nettable. You usually set scrap and repair locations to non-nettable.

If automatic locations are not enabled for a site, the system verifies that the location exists.

Return locations—return, scrap, and repair—must allow inventory transfers (ISS-TR) and receipts (RCT-TR), as well as unplanned receipts (RCT-UNP).

The spares location must allow inventory transfers and issues to work orders (ISS-WO).