One of our favorite features in IBM Maximo is Item Kits. Over the years A3J Group has worked with hundreds of companies across several industries but have only come across a handful using Item Kits. Item Kits are exactly what they sound like – kits of preassembled items that are often requested together from warehouses. Let’s consider the following scenario in which a warehouse storeroom supports Fleet maintenance. When scheduled maintenance is due on a pickup truck, the technician comes into the warehouse with a work order and a list of items they need:

• Oil
• Oil Filter
• Gloves
• Rag
• Air Filter

A warehouse clerk visits 5 different inventory bins in different areas across the warehouse to collect the necessary items, multiple times a day. Think of the time saving significance of an item kit named ‘Pickup Truck Oil Change’. That item kit would include: the oil, oil filter, rags and gloves. Suddenly a trip with 5 stops becomes a trip with 2 stops: 1 for the ‘Kit’ of always needed items and 1 for the air filter, which may or may not be needed for an oil change. Of course the make-up of these item kits is contingent on grouping items that are usually consumed concurrently. How to create an Item Kit in Item Master…

• From the Item Master application click the New Item icon. Update the Item ID if needed and provide a description. Ideally, the word “Kit” should be part of the description. This indicates to users that there will be multiple items when searching.
• From the Item tab populate all other fields that are needed like the Commodity Group and Issue Unit. Did you take notice of a checkbox for Kit? An error will be displayed if this flag is set at this stage.
• Save the record and navigate to the Item Assembly Structure tab.
• In the Children section click the New Row button. Next, start adding the Items that will be part of the Kit. Include all items to the item kit that seem logical. Then, be sure to update the Quantity and Remarks fields if necessary.
• Save the record and navigate back to the Item tab.
• Check the Kit? Make sure your checkbox is error free.
• The final step is to update to an active status and add the Kit to a Storeroom.

If your Kit Item Master is created and added to an inventory storeroom, then it is time to assemble the item kits. Navigate to the Inventory application to begin assembling the item kits you desire. How to Assemble a Kit in Maximo Inventory:

1. Click into the Inventory application and open the item kit that needs to be assembled.
2. In the More Actions, menu click the Assemble Kit option.
3. The Possible Quantity field contains total number of item kits that can be created. This is based on the availability of items in your inventory storeroom.
4. Enter a value in the Assemble Quantity field. This will indicate how many item kits will be assembled. Next, click OK. The number entered must be less than or equal to the Possible Quantity value.
5. Now, the Current Balance of your kit increased while the items that make up the kit decreased in balance.

Maximo Kits allow for measurable time savings in the Asset Maintenance Lifecyle: during the stocking of a single item kit for a Job Plan, reducing the research needed when planning a CM Work Order or lowering return trips to the storeroom. The small upfront investment of time to set up an Item Kit will pay off in big ways immediately.