Source Parts Using Service Logistics Parts Search

The Parts Search window is an interactive search window that uses the Service Logistics parts search program to display other sourcing options for spare parts.

When adding a part requirement to a service request or work order in the Add Part window, the parts search program returns a stocking location based on the program configuration. If you're dissatisfied with the returned stocking location or the program doesn't return a source, use the Parts Search window for selecting other stocking locations and shipping methods.

Note: Configuring the parts search program in Service Logistics is essential to using both the automated parts search and the interactive search in the Parts Search window. See related link.

You can access the Parts Search window from Fusion Service (Service Request and Work Order pages) and Service Logistics (Create and Manage Part Requirement pages). Create a part requirement to perform an automated parts search. The automated search program might not always find the requested part. Click the search icon next to the Stocking Location value to open the Parts Search window and use other sourcing options.

This opens the Parts Search window.

The check boxes control which searches are performed. Some of the sourcing options are available only for field service while some others are available for both customer support and field service. The options that you see depend on whether you're sourcing parts for a service request or service work order.
The Parts Search window sorts the sourcing options from the lowest to the highest shipping costs. The Parts Search window only lists the ship methods that meet the need-by date. Select a row or source and then save your choice, by clicking Save and Close. This updates the part requirement with a new source stocking location, shipping method, and arrival date.
Select a new date in the Need By field in the Add Part window. This lets you search for the part when you don't find it with the original date or if the program returns suboptimal stocking locations.

The parts search program uses shipping zones to find the stocking locations/internal locations that can supply the required parts to the ship-to address. Geographies define shipping zones and ship-to addresses map to geographies.

Let's look at how the sourcing options work.

Sourcing options available only for field service work orders:

Sourcing Option	Details
Technician	Part is sourced from the technician's trunk stock subinventories that can supply the ship-to address zone (set up in the Manage Transit Times page). When you source from a technician's trunk stock subinventory, a reservation is created.
Site Dedicated	Part is sourced from the site-dedicated stocking locations (subinventories) associated with the customer ship-to address in the Service Logistics Manage Stocking Locations page. When you source from site-dedicated locations, a reservation is created.
Unmanned	Part is sourced from unmanned warehouses that can supply to the ship-to address zone as set up in the Manage Transit Times page. When you source from unmanned warehouses, a reservation is created. It's required that you define a shipping method in the Manage Transit Times page but it's not used in this case.
Inventory Source	Search program uses inventory replenishment rules to find stocking locations that can resupply a field stocking location, which is usually the technician's trunk stock. The inventory sources can be defined for combinations of inventory organization, subinventory, and item. If you select this sourcing option, a transfer order is created without a shipping method or an arrival date and time, as inventory sourcing rules don't include ship methods.

Sourcing options available for service requests and field service work orders:

Sourcing Option	Details
Manned	Part is sourced from manned warehouses that can supply to the ship-to address zone (set up in the Manage Transit Times page). The search program calculates the arrival date and time for each shipping method, based on the transit times you define in the Manage Transit Time page. It then filters out the shipping methods that can't meet the need-by date. If you're sourcing for a work order, a transfer order is created to ship the parts to the technician subinventory. If you're sourcing for a service request, a sales order is created to ship the parts directly to the customer.
Global Order Promising	Select to use the GOP sourcing process.

Sourcing Option

Details

Manned

Part is sourced from manned warehouses that can supply to the ship-to address zone (set up in the Manage Transit Times page). The search program calculates the arrival date and time for each shipping method, based on the transit times you define in the Manage Transit Time page. It then filters out the shipping methods that can't meet the need-by date.

If you're sourcing for a work order, a transfer order is created to ship the parts to the technician subinventory. If you're sourcing for a service request, a sales order is created to ship the parts directly to the customer.

Global Order Promising

Select to use the GOP sourcing process.

Search and Order Parts from Multiple Stocking Locations

If you're adding parts from the Add Part window and the parts search programs can't find the required quantity in a single location, the Parts Search window opens. This lets you search and order parts from multiple stocking locations. In this case, the required quantity appears in the header region of the window and the ordered quantity appears in the search results table. The ordered quantity defaults from the required quantity, using parts from the lowest shipping cost locations until the sum of the ordered quantities equal the required quantity. If two stocking locations have the same shipping costs, Service Logistics uses the location with the most parts. You can also make adjustments to the quantities in the results based on your preferences.

Search for alternate parts:

If the original part is available, it's always used to fulfill the part requirement. However, if the part isn't available, you can search for substitute and supersession parts using the Alternates sourcing option in the interactive Parts Search page. Note:

Automated parts search isn't configured to search for substitute and supersession parts.
Substitute and supersession parts must be set up for the service parts in the Manage Item Relationships page of the Product Information Management cloud application.
After you perform the search, the substitute and superseded parts that you can use will appear in the Parts Search window. The icons next to each item indicate whether the found part is a suppression or a substitute.
When searching for superseded parts, the Parts Search program follows the entire link of superseded relationships. For example, if the part requirement is for part A and it's superseded by part B, which is superseded by part C, then the program searches for part A, then part B, then part C. The program uses the superseded part to completion before using supersession parts. In this example, if part B is available, it's used to fulfill the part requirement before part C.
For substitutes, the Parts Search program looks only for direct substitutes as defined in the Manage Item Relationships page.

Note that the search results are also filtered based on the following:

The source inventory organization must be able to ship the parts to the destination inventory organization when a part is being sourced for field service. It's important that these interorganization relationships are set up properly in the Manage Interorganization Parameters page.
The shipping method must be valid at the source organization that's set up in the Manage Carriers page. This is important because in the Manage Transit Times page, you associate the shipping method with an internal location and not a source inventory organization.