Toner Tracking

Overview

Toner tracking and toner pools allow you to track the level of toner in machines. You can optionally automate the replacement of toners when the toner level reaches a particular level (%).

Toner tracking deals with tracking toners in individual machines.

Whereas toner pools deal with tracking toners for larger groups of machines.

When a product (that is a part) is shipped to a machine from a service or sales shipment, then that product is added to the parts tab on the machine.
Note those products are also added to the parts on the product that stands for the machine model.
When you shipped the first parts, you will not have a meter supply set up yet. So the result will be that the start dates on the parts will be the start date of the shipment date.

It is important to be aware that the parts list on machines is different to the parts list on the product on the machine. While they mostly contain similar information. The parts on the machine have to be able to vary from the model. As forcing the parts on all machines for a model would be too tight a control to work in practice. There is a need to make small variations on machines around parts. So the information is kept broadly in sync. But there is deliberately room for differences. For example, the 'is supply' checkbox on parts on a machine can be different to the 'is supply' checkbox on the parts on the overall product. The tab of Parts on machines is a different list to the tab of Parts on the Product that stands for the machine. There are many reasons for this difference including that you are sometimes supplying a different part on one particular machine which not used by toner tracking or by any of the other machines for the same module.
As a result, ticking the 'Is Supply' check box on the parts tab for that product for that machine does not change the 'Is Supply' check box on the parts tab on any existing machines.

Once you have some parts on the machine, you can then add meter supplies to the machine meters and then start to use toner tracking. 

Reserved supplies on a meter supplies are any parts that do not have a start date as yet.

If the reserve is set to 0 and the automatic reorder is false nothing will be ordered. If the reserve is set to 0 and reorder is set to True, and there is currently a part started or spare, nothing will be ordered.

If there is a sales order that has been generated from the sales that is still outstanding, the system will not create another sales order for that part for that machine.

Managing printer toner on a large fleet of printers can be a time-consuming task. The administrator must track toner usage and ensure that replacement toner cartridges are available when printer toner runs out.
Readysell can track the toner levels for supported printers and provide toner level information via FM Audit/email notifications etc when the toner is low and ready to be replaced.

For toner pools, Machine parts will show on the toner pool if they match all of the below criteria:

- They are associated with a meter on the toner pool
- They are of the same product as the toner pool's product
- They have no "End Date" on them

For individual machine toner tracking, Machine parts will show on the meter if they match all of the below criteria:

- They are associated with a meter on the machine
- They are of the same product as the machine's product
- They have no "End Date" on them

You can work with one of two methods for toner tracking:

Method 1.
Readysell allows you to set a machine part and reserved stock to a meter, then you can order to purchase the toner/parts in advance and replace toner cartridges before the printer runs out of toner.
Or 
Method 2.
Readysell allows you to set a machine part to a meter and set a Min Supplier Level to the part. Once the toner level reaches below the value in the minimum supply level, the task 'Generate Recurring Transactions' will generate a sales order. 

The workflow is as follows for Method 1:

Creating Machine Parts

• Sale orders create sale shipments.
  If the sale order is for a machine, the sale shipment will create a record of the part being used on the machine, called a machine part.
• Service orders create service shipments. If the service order is for a machine, the service shipment will create a record of the part being used on the machine, called a machine part.
• A machine part can also be added manually to the Machine product. See link Adding Parts to A Product For Use By Machines

Meter Supply Rules

• Meters on machines may have a list of meter supply rules, specifying which parts go with this meter. Those rules are normally used to specify which toner is used by a meter.
• When service orders for a machine are being posted, the system checks if any meters on the machine have a meter supply rule for the product on each sale shipment line.
  If the product on the sale shipment line matches the product in a supply rule on one of the meters on the machine, then the meter part created by the sale shipment is linked to the specified meter. The result is the toner that is supplied to a machine is linked by the meter supply rule to a particular meter on the machine. For example when a mono toner that matches the supply rule for the mono meter on the machine is sold against the machine, that toner is logged against that meter in the meter parts list. 
• When machine parts are logged against a machine from a sale shipment, the start date of the machine part is set to the day the sale shipment is posted if the part is not part of toner tracking. If a meter supply rule is found that matches the product being supplied against some meter, then the start date on the machine part is blank.
• The system can be set to record when toners are used in machines. To do this you must set a percentage on a meter called "toner replacement percentage increase". If the toner level on the meter increases by more than this percentage,  the system assumes the toner was replaced. It then finds a toner on the meter parts list for that meter which does not yet have a start date. Then it sets the start date on that machine part to today. It also sets the 'actual end date' of any machine part standing for the old toner that was in the machine. The old toner will be a machine part that has a start date but had no end date. Indicating that it was currently used. 

The workflow is as follows for Method 2:

• Sale orders create sale shipments. If the sale order is for a machine, the sale shipment will create a record of the part being used on the machine, called a machine part.
• Service orders create service shipments. If the service order is for a machine, the service shipment will create a record of the part being used on the machine, called a machine part.
• A machine part can also be added manually to the Machine product. See link Adding Parts to A Product For Use By Machines
• When using Method 2 of setting a Min Supplier Level to the Meter, you need to have the Meter supply parts set up with no Reserved stock.
  You need to assign a Min Supply Level to each meter as well.
• When service orders/sales orders for a machine are being posted, the system checks if any meters on the machine have a meter supply product and a minimum supplier level on the meter .
  If the product on the sale shipment line matches the product in a meter supply rule on one of the meters on the machine, then the meter part created by the sale shipment is linked to the specified meter. The result is the toner that is supplied to a machine is linked by the meter supply rule to a particular meter on the machine. For example when a mono toner that matches the supply rule for the mono meter on the machine is sold against the machine, that toner is logged against that meter in the meter parts list. 
• When machine parts are logged against a machine from a sale shipment, the start date of the machine part is set to the day the sale shipment is posted if the part is not part of toner tracking. If a meter supply rule is found that matches the product being supplied against some meter, then the start date on the machine part is blank.
• The system can be set to record when toner level is below the minimum supply level on each meter. To do this you must set a percentage on a meter onto the field called 'min supply level'.  If the toner level drops below this percentage, the system knows that a toner needs to be replaced and a sales/service order is created. If there is already a part on the machine for this meter and it does not have a start date, the task that runs will not create a order under all parts have been used up. Once the part is used up and replaced, the start date on that machine part is set to the to today dates. It also sets the 'actual end date' of any machine part standing for the old toner that was in the machine. The old toner will be a machine part that has a start date but had no end date. Indicating that it was currently used. 

• How data feeds such as FMAudit / Print Audit / 3 Manager - create machine parts such as for toners
• Toner Pool for multiple machines
• Toner Tracking for an individual machine
• Turning Off Toner Tracking