Q. How is form-U-net used to create bagged fertilizer blends?
A. To create bagged fertilizer blends in form-U-net, add an item for the empty bags in the appropriate size by navigating to Item Information / Add New Item. In this example, the Item Code BAG50 is used because the bags are 50 lbs. Set the Item Type to Other, the units as Each, and then set the Item Cost and Prices. Select Update to save the changes.
Navigate to Material Groups / Edit Selected Material Group / My Group Settings / Products in Group. Add BAG50 to the dry material group to be used with bagging. Select Edit Selected Material Group / Edit Data. Select a cell in the DEN column and right-click. In the menu that opens, select Insert Custom Column. Enter the Name and the InputScale as shown below, and select Insert Column. The new custom column is labeled 01_RES.
Enter the weight of blended product the bag is to contain in the BAG50 row of the 01_RES column. In this case, 50 is entered. In the Product row in the custom column, enter -1. Select Save Changes. Below is an example of the custom column.
On the Edit Selected Material Group / Edit Restrictions window, optionally change the Code of the BAG50 row from 01_RES to BAG50. Edit the Restriction Name so it reads BAG50 (0=Yes).
At Edit Selected Material Group / Edit Activities, in the BAG50 row, scroll to the right and uncheck the Mix option. Select Save Changes. This ensures the weight of the empty bag is not included in the blended weight of items.
Optionally, set up a Bagging Charge in Material Groups / Edit Selected Material Group / Edit Information by entering a Mixing Charge ($/Ton) and selecting Bagging from the Description drop-down menu in the Mixing Charge area. For this example, 10 is entered in the Mixing Charge ($/Ton) field. Select Save Changes.
Return to the Formulation window, and enter a simple blend of bagged Urea fertilizer. In this example, enter a Grade of 46% Nitrogen, and enter a 0 for BAG50 (0=Yes), indicating this blend is in bags. Optionally add a comment indicating this is a 1 Ton blend of Urea in 50 lb bags. Select Submit Request. The blend results are shown below.
Notice there is an Other price of $10.00 listed in the Formulation Results. This is the price of the 40 fertilizer bags priced at $0.25 each. This Material Group also had a Bagging Charge set up at $10.00/ton.
Because the BAG50 item does not have the Mix option selected in Edit Activities, the bag quantity is listed separately in the Non-Mixed Item Results grid. The BAG50 item is also listed below the Product row in the Margin Information grid. That Product row’s Cost, Margin, and Price are only for Mixed items.
Examples of the Mixing Sheet and the Quote Sheet from this formulation are shown below. On the Quote Sheet, notice the bagged fertilizer is priced per ton. A price per bag on the Quote sheet or in the Formulation Results grid on the Formulation window is not available.
