Apply inventory blocking
Inventory blocking helps prevent items from being processed or consumed. You can block inventory items in the following ways:
- Manually
- By creating a quality order
- By using a process that generates a quality order
- By using the Inventory blocking parameter
Blocking items manually
You can block a quantity of an item by creating a transaction on the Inventory blocking page. Only items that are available as on-hand inventory can be blocked manually.
For manually blocked quantities, expected receipts will not be generated as inventory is blocked from on-hand quantity. You can cancel a manual block on a quantity by deleting the transaction on the Inventory management > Periodic tasks > Inventory blocking page.
Blocking items by creating a quality order
You can specify items that must be inspected by creating a quality order on the Quality orders page. When you create a quality order, the quantity that you specify for an item is blocked. The sampling plan that is associated with a quality order controls only the quantity of items that must be inspected, not the quantity that is blocked.
The quantity that is entered on the quality order is the quantity that is blocked, regardless of the quantity that the sampling plan specifies should be sent for inspection.
Blocking items by using a process that generates a quality order
If a quality process specifies that an item must be inspected, a quantity of the item is blocked automatically. Therefore, when a quality order is generated automatically, the item sampling plan that is associated with the quality order controls the quantity of items that is blocked and the quantity that must be inspected.
If the Full blocking option on the Inventory management > Setup > Quality control > Item sampling page is selected, the full quantity of a purchase order line, for example, is blocked during inspection, regardless of the item sampling quantity.
Example
A quality association specifies that a quality order must be generated when a purchase order packing slip is posted.
The item sampling setup of the quality order specifies that 10 percent of the quantity on the purchase order line must be inspected.
Because the Full blocking option is selected in the item sampling setup, the full quantity of the purchase order line must be blocked during inspection, regardless of the quantity that is sent for inspection.
When the packing slip is posted, a quality order is generated. Ten percent of the purchase order quantity for the item is sent to inspection. The full quantity of the purchase order line is blocked.
Blocking items by using the Inventory blocking parameter
You can specify which inventory statuses are blocking statuses by using the Inventory blocking parameter on the Warehouse management > Setup > Inventory > Inventory statuses page.
You can't use inventory statuses as blocking statuses for production orders, sales orders, transfer orders, outbound transactions, or project integrations. For outbound work, use items that have an Available inventory status.
For example, if items have a status of Blocking, and master planning is run on those items, the items are considered missing and inventory is automatically replenished.