Inventory - Introduction to working with Inventory
Understanding the Inventory
The Inventory is one of the most important areas of JGID. It acts as your central catalogue of everything your business sells, uses or charges for.
Keeping your inventory organised will make quoting faster, improve consistency, and help your team build accurate jobs and invoices.
Tip: The more time you invest in setting up your inventory, the more time you'll save when creating quotes, jobs and invoices.
What is an Inventory Item?
An inventory item is a single product, service or resource that can be added to a quote, job or invoice.
Examples include:
- Labour services
- Materials
- Equipment
- Consumables
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Each of these is created as an individual inventory item.
Inventory Categories
JGID allows you to organise your inventory into different item types.
Services
Services represent the work you perform.
Examples include:
- Window cleaning
- Anchor inspections
- Height safety installations
- Electrical work
- Rope access labour
- Consulting
- Project management
Services typically represent labour or professional work rather than physical products.
Materials
Materials are physical products that become part of the completed job.
Examples include:
- Anchor points
- Fasteners
- Sealants
- Steel components
- Timber
- Paint
- Cable
These are generally supplied and installed for the customer.
Instruments
Instruments are tools or equipment used to perform the work that may be charged to the customer.
Examples include:
- Elevated Work Platforms (EWPs)
- Scaffolding
- Ladders
- Testing equipment
- Survey equipment
- Specialty tools
Rope Access Businesses
If you operate a rope access business, it's recommended that your rope access equipment is categorised as Instruments.
Examples include:
- Ropes
- Harnesses
- Descenders
- Ascenders
- Pulleys
- Rescue equipment
Although this equipment is safety-critical, it functions as the equipment used to access the work area—similar to scaffolding or an EWP.
Consumables
Consumables are low-cost items that are used up while completing a job.
Examples include:
- Drill bits
- Masking tape
- Plastic sheeting
- Cleaning cloths
- Paper towels
- Garbage bags
- Abrasive discs
These items are generally replaced regularly as they're consumed during normal work.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE includes the safety equipment worn by workers while performing their tasks.
Examples include:
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
- Dust masks
- Hard hats
- High-visibility clothing
- Waterproof clothing
- Protective overalls
For rope access companies, PPE would typically include items such as gloves and other personal protective equipment worn by technicians while working at height.
Composed Items (Bundles)
While individual inventory items are useful on their own, JGID also allows you to combine multiple items into a Composed Item.
A composed item is a bundle made up of several inventory items.
For example:
Supply & Install
A Supply & Install item could include:
- Installation labour (Service)
- Anchor point (Material)
Instead of adding each item individually every time, you can simply add the composed item to your quote.
Other examples include:
- Equipment hire packages
- Inspection packages
- Maintenance packages
- Standard service bundles
Using composed items helps speed up quoting and ensures consistency across your business.
Save Time with Quote Templates
As you build your inventory, you can also create Quote Templates.
Quote templates allow you to reuse commonly quoted combinations of services and materials without rebuilding them each time.
This is especially useful for:
- Standard installations
- Recurring maintenance work
- Inspection services
- Service packages
- Frequently quoted jobs
Well-designed quote templates can significantly reduce the time required to prepare accurate quotes.
Best Practice
For the best experience with JGID:
- Keep your inventory organised.
- Use meaningful item names and descriptions.
- Group commonly used items into composed items.
- Build quote templates for repetitive work.
- Review and update your inventory regularly.
A well-maintained inventory makes quoting faster, improves consistency, and helps your team work more efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a Material and a Consumable?
Materials become part of the finished job.
Consumables are used during the work and are typically discarded or replaced afterwards.
What's the difference between an Instrument and PPE?
Instruments are tools or equipment used to perform the work.
PPE is the protective equipment worn by workers.
Where should rope access equipment be stored?
It's recommended that rope access equipment is categorised as Instruments, as it functions as access equipment in much the same way as scaffolding, ladders or elevated work platforms.
Personal protective items such as gloves should be categorised as PPE.
What is a Composed Item?
A composed item is a bundle made up of multiple inventory items, allowing you to add an entire package to a quote or job with a single click.
Summary
The Inventory is the foundation of your JGID system.
It allows you to organise:
- Services
- Materials
- Instruments
- Consumables
- PPE
- Composed Items (Bundles)
As your inventory grows, you can create Quote Templates that reuse these items, making your quoting process faster, more consistent and easier to manage.