Configuring Stock Movements

Open the Stock Movement Configuration

1. Sign in to Pams with an administrator account that can manage warehouse configuration values. These values control the choices warehouse users see when they prepare Goods Issue Notes, Transfer Orders, and External Service Orders.

2. Open Configuration and locate the stock movement configuration area. This area contains three separate lists:

   • Withdrawal Reasons
   • Transfer Reasons
   • External Service Types

3. Open each list briefly before adding anything. Check the existing names so you understand which category applies to each movement:

   • Use Withdrawal Reasons when stock is removed from available inventory.
   • Use Transfer Reasons when stock is moved between warehouse locations, areas, or branches.
   • Use External Service Types when products are associated with work performed outside your company.

4. Keep these lists separate. For example, a reason such as “Damaged Stock” belongs in Withdrawal Reasons, while “Warehouse Relocation” belongs in Transfer Reasons. A label such as “Repair” belongs in External Service Types because it identifies work performed by an outside provider.

5. If you are also responsible for inspection-related setup, review Configuring Inspection Controls. Inspection settings define the checks performed on received products; stock movement settings define why products are withdrawn, transferred, or sent for external work.

Before creating records, agree on the labels your warehouse team will recognize during daily work. Clear values make it easier to identify why inventory moved when reviewing Goods Issue Notes, Transfer Orders, stock records, and related reports.

Create Stock Withdrawal Reasons

1. Open the Withdrawal Reasons list in the stock movement configuration area.

2. Select the available action to add a withdrawal reason. Enter a short, clear value in the Reason Name field. The name should explain why products are being removed from available inventory.

3. Use a separate reason for each recurring withdrawal scenario. Examples of clear labels include:

   • Damaged Stock
   • Internal Consumption
   • Sample Issue
   • Write-off

4. Avoid names that are too broad, such as “Other” or “General.” When a warehouse user selects a broad value on a Goods Issue Note, later reviews cannot clearly show whether the stock was used internally, issued as a sample, damaged, or written off.

5. Click Save. Return to the Withdrawal Reasons list and confirm that the new reason appears with the name you entered.

6. Review the wording from the perspective of the warehouse user. The list should be easy to scan while preparing a stock withdrawal. For example, “Internal Consumption” is clearer than a label that only makes sense to the person who created it.

Withdrawal reasons support consistent recording when stock leaves available inventory. Use them for movements that reduce stock available for storage, delivery, or allocation. Do not use a withdrawal reason for a relocation between warehouse areas or branches; that movement should use a Transfer Reason instead.

If several teams use the same warehouse, use names that work across sales, procurement, project, and warehouse activities. A sample issued for a sales Sales Job and material consumed by an internal team may both remove stock, but they should remain distinguishable through separate withdrawal reasons.

Define Reasons for Stock Transfers

1. Open the Transfer Reasons list in the stock movement configuration area.

2. Select the action to add a transfer reason. Enter a meaningful value in the Reason Name field that describes the purpose of the transfer, rather than only the destination.

3. Create a separate transfer reason for each common movement scenario. Your list may include reasons such as:

   • Replenishment
   • Warehouse Relocation
   • Branch Transfer
   • Return to Storage
   • Stock Balancing

4. Click Save after entering each reason. Check that the saved name appears in the Transfer Reasons list.

5. Compare the new values with the way your team uses Transfer Orders. A transfer reason should explain why stock is changing location. For example, select “Replenishment” when products are moved to restore stock in another warehouse area, or “Branch Transfer” when products are moved between branches.

6. Keep transfer reasons focused on relocation. Do not add “Damaged Stock,” “Sample Issue,” or similar stock-removal scenarios to this list. Those values belong in Withdrawal Reasons because they describe products leaving available inventory rather than products being relocated.

A useful transfer-reason list makes stock movements easier to understand after the transfer is completed. When a warehouse user reviews a Transfer Order, the selected reason should immediately explain the business purpose without requiring them to open related notes or ask the person who prepared the movement.

Use consistent wording across all branches and warehouse areas. For example, choose either “Branch Transfer” or “Transfer Between Branches” as your approved label, rather than adding both for the same purpose. This keeps movement records grouped under one recognizable value.

Set Up External Service Types

1. Open the External Service Types list in the stock movement configuration area.

2. Select the action to add an external service type. In the Name field, enter a label that identifies the work carried out by an outside service provider.

3. Create one value for each externally performed activity that your business needs to track. Examples include:

   • Repair
   • Calibration
   • Cleaning
   • Subcontract Processing
   • Inspection

4. Click Save and confirm that the new value appears in the External Service Types list.

5. Check that the name clearly describes the service, not the product or the provider. For example, use “Calibration” for products sent out for calibration. Do not use the name of a particular product, warehouse, or outside company as the service type.

6. Review the list with the people who prepare and follow External Service Orders. They should be able to select the correct type when stock is sent to an outside provider, received back after external work, or reviewed as part of an external service movement.

External service types let Pams distinguish stock movements connected with different kinds of outside work. A product sent out for Repair may need different follow-up from a product sent for Calibration or Inspection. Selecting a specific service type keeps the purpose visible on the related movement record.

Do not use one general value, such as “External Work,” if your warehouse regularly uses several services. Separate labels preserve meaningful movement data and help your team identify which products are out for repair, processing, cleaning, or another external activity.

Maintain Usable Reason and Service Lists

Review Withdrawal Reasons, Transfer Reasons, and External Service Types regularly, especially when your warehouse process changes or a new branch begins using Pams. These lists are most useful when every option has one clear purpose.

Use the following maintenance approach:

• Look for duplicate labels. For example, “Warehouse Move” and “Warehouse Relocation” may describe the same transfer scenario. Keep one approved name so warehouse users do not have to choose between similar options.
• Keep names concise. Values such as Sample Issue, Stock Balancing, and Subcontract Processing are easier to select quickly than long descriptions.
• Use business-recognizable wording. The label should make sense to the person preparing a Goods Issue Note, Transfer Order, or External Service Order.
• Keep withdrawal, transfer, and external service values in their own lists. A label that explains a stock withdrawal should not also be used as a transfer reason.
• Add a new value only when it represents a genuinely separate movement scenario that needs separate reporting or follow-up.

Retain values that have already been used on historical stock movements. Existing Goods Issue Notes, Transfer Orders, and External Service Orders rely on their selected values to explain what happened at the time. If you revise a name, make sure the revised wording still accurately describes the movements already recorded under that value.

When a new scenario arises, first check whether an existing value accurately describes it. For example, if stock is moved from one warehouse area to another to restore available quantities, use Replenishment if that value already exists. Create a new reason only when the movement purpose differs in a way that the team needs to distinguish later.

A controlled list supports consistent reporting. It also reduces uncertainty during busy receiving, storage, transfer, and delivery work because users can select a familiar, approved value instead of entering inconsistent descriptions.

Verify the Stock Movement Setup

1. Open a Goods Issue Note and reach the withdrawal-reason selection field. Check that the new value from Withdrawal Reasons is available. Select the value and review the movement details before saving any record used for live warehouse work.

2. Open a Transfer Order and check the transfer-reason selection field. Confirm that the new Transfer Reason appears in the available list. Select it and verify that the wording describes the purpose of the transfer.

3. Open an External Service Order, or review an existing record that involves an outside provider. Check that the External Service Type field offers the service type you created, such as Repair, Calibration, or Inspection.

4. Save the movement record only when it is appropriate for your normal warehouse process. After saving, reopen the relevant Goods Issue Note, Transfer Order, or External Service Order and confirm that the selected value remains visible in the saved details.

5. If a newly created value does not appear where expected, return to the matching configuration list and check that it was saved in the correct category:

   • A stock removal belongs in Withdrawal Reasons.
   • A location-to-location movement belongs in Transfer Reasons.
   • Work performed outside your company belongs in External Service Types.

Use realistic movement scenarios during verification. A Goods Issue Note should show a withdrawal reason, while a Transfer Order should show a transfer reason. This confirms that warehouse users will see the correct choices at the point where they record each type of stock movement.

Checking saved records is important because the selected value must remain attached to the movement. The saved reason or service type provides the context needed when warehouse, procurement, project, and sales teams later review why stock was removed, relocated, or handled by an outside provider.

Overview

Stock movement configuration gives warehouse users consistent choices when they record why products are withdrawn, transferred, or associated with external work. In Pams, these choices are maintained through three lists: Withdrawal Reasons, Transfer Reasons, and External Service Types.

Use Withdrawal Reasons for stock that is removed from available inventory through a Goods Issue Note. These values explain why products are no longer available, such as Damaged Stock, Internal Consumption, Sample Issue, or Write-off.

Use Transfer Reasons for stock that remains within your business but moves between locations. These values are selected with Transfer Orders and explain the purpose of the relocation, such as Replenishment, Warehouse Relocation, Branch Transfer, Return to Storage, or Stock Balancing.

Use External Service Types for products connected with work performed by an outside provider. These values support External Service Orders and distinguish activities such as Repair, Calibration, Cleaning, Subcontract Processing, and Inspection.

The key distinction is whether stock is being removed, relocated, or handled through an outside service. Configure a separate, clearly named value whenever your team needs to identify that scenario separately in movement records and reporting.

Prerequisites

Before maintaining stock movement values in Pams, make sure you have the following information and access:

• An administrator account with access to Configuration and the stock movement lists.
• A clear understanding of the warehouse scenarios your team needs to record through Goods Issue Notes, Transfer Orders, and External Service Orders.
• Agreed business labels for recurring stock withdrawals, transfers, and externally performed services.
• Awareness of values already used in existing stock movement records, so you do not create duplicate labels or rename a value in a way that makes historical records unclear.
• Warehouse and area information configured for the locations involved in your stock movements. If these locations still need to be set up, see Configuring Warehouses and Areas.
• Inspection settings reviewed where your warehouse process requires incoming inspection before storage or further movement. See Configuring Inspection Controls.

Prepare the names before opening the configuration lists. For example, decide whether your team will use Branch Transfer or Transfer Between Branches as the approved label. Do not create both names for the same activity.

Also agree on the difference between a transfer and a withdrawal. If stock moves from one warehouse area to another, record it through a Transfer Order with a Transfer Reason. If stock is removed from available inventory because it is damaged, consumed internally, issued as a sample, or written off, use a Goods Issue Note with a Withdrawal Reason.

For external work, identify the actual service activity rather than using one broad label. A product sent for Repair should remain distinguishable from one sent for Calibration or Cleaning.