Setting up part harvesting
Everything an administrator configures before technicians can harvest parts: the feature switch, permissions, grades, harvest products linked to device models and the Harvested stock.
Audience: Administrators. This is the setup guide; the technician-side walkthrough is How do I harvest parts from a device.
Overview
Part harvesting lets technicians take working components off a device that will not be repaired, grade their condition, and put them into stock as reusable parts. Before the Harvest parts option works, five things need to be in place:
- The feature is switched on for your account (by Fixably).
- Roles have the right permissions.
- Condition grades exist.
- Harvest products exist and are linked to the device models they can be taken from.
- At least one Harvested stock exists per location.
Work through the steps in order. Each later step depends on the one before it.
Step 1 – Ask Fixably to enable part harvesting
Part harvesting is switched on per account by Fixably, not in your own settings. Contact Fixably support and ask for part harvesting to be enabled. Once it is on:
- Harvest appears as a stock type in the stock form.
- Harvest parts appears in the device menu on orders (for users with the permission).
- Grades appears under System Settings.
- The product form and product import gain the device-model link fields described in Step 4.
There is one optional companion setting, suggest harvested parts first, which sorts harvested products to the top of the product search when a technician adds a part to an order. Ask Fixably to enable it at the same time if you want harvested parts to be picked before new ones.
Step 2 – Grant permissions
Under System Settings → Security → Roles & Permissions, open each role and tick the permissions that apply:
| Permission | Who needs it | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest device parts | Technicians | Shows the Harvest parts option on a device and lets the user submit a harvest. Without it the option is hidden. |
| Create product | Senior technicians, parts team | Shows the Create New Harvesting Part button on the harvest screen, so a missing part number can be created and linked to the device model on the spot. |
| Manage grades | Administrators | Access to System Settings → Grades. |
| Edit product / Manage device catalogue product lists | Administrators, parts team | Linking harvest products to device models from the product card or from System Settings → Product Lists. |
| Create stock / Edit stock | Administrators | Creating the Harvested stock. |
| Create warehouse positions (optional) | Technicians | Only with warehouse positions enabled: lets the harvest screen add a new shelf position inline. |
Step 3 – Create grades
Every harvested part carries a condition grade, so at least one grade must exist.
- Go to System Settings → Grades.
- Select New grade, enter a Name (for example A – As new, B – Good, C – For parts) and a Value.
- Save, and repeat for each grade you use.
Grades can be disabled and enabled from the list. A grade that is already in use on a harvested part cannot be deleted; disable it instead so it is no longer offered. Grades are shared with Core return, so if you also use that feature, choose names that make sense for both.
Step 4 – Create harvest products and link them to device models
A harvest product is a normal product with the type Harvested. The harvest screen only lists products of this type that are linked to the model of the device being harvested, so both parts of this step matter.
4a – Create the product
- Go to Stocks → Products and select New product.
- Enter the Product code (part number) and Name.
- Set Type to Harvested.
- Tick Serial number tracking if each harvested unit has its own serial number (boards, cameras). Leave it off for bulk parts (screws, brackets).
- Enter the Stock price and Sales tax, then Save.
Tip: use a naming or coding convention that separates harvested parts from new ones, for example a H- prefix on the product code, so they are easy to tell apart in searches and reports.
4b – Link the product to device models
Pick whichever method suits the number of products:
- On the product card – open the product, find Devices this product is offered for, and select the device catalogue entries (brand, category, sub-category or model). A product linked to a higher level is offered for every device below it. Save.
- In bulk from the device side – go to System Settings → Product Lists, open the Harvested products tab, filter to a device catalogue entry, and use Attach products to link many products to that entry at once.
- By import – on the product import file, set type to Harvested and fill the device column. See How do I import new Products in Fixably?.
- From the harvest screen – a user with Create product can select Create New Harvesting Part while harvesting. The new part is created as type Harvested and linked to that device's model immediately.
Step 5 – Create a Harvested stock
Only stocks of type Harvest can hold harvested parts, and the harvest screen only offers Harvested stocks at the order's location. Create one at every location where devices are scrapped.
- Go to Stocks → Stock management and select New Stock.
- Enter a Name, for example Depot – Harvested parts.
- Select the Location.
- Set Stock type to Harvest.
- The Grade for a harvested stock field appears. Leave it empty to accept parts of any grade. Select a grade only if this stock should hold that one grade; a harvest with a different grade into it is rejected with "Grade doesn't match with stock grade".
- If warehouse positions are enabled, optionally attach a Warehouse structure so technicians can choose the shelf each part is put away on.
- Select Save.
One stock or one per grade? One ungraded Harvested stock per location is the simplest setup. Every part still carries its own grade, and the harvested-part label prints it. Create one stock per grade only if you physically store the grades apart and want the stock to enforce the split.
Harvested stocks behave like Regular stocks for picking: a harvested part in stock can be brought to a repair order like any other part.
Routing devices for harvesting (optional)
Many depots collect write-off devices in one place before dismantling them. Create a queue such as Harvesting under System Settings → Queues and move orders into it with your normal status changes or a macro. Technicians then work through that queue and harvest each device from its order.
Labels
Nothing needs configuring for labels. When a harvested part is printed from the order or from stock, Fixably uses a dedicated harvested-part label that shows the order and client IDs, product name, category and serial, the device model and serial it came from, the stock, the grade, and the harvester.
Verify it worked
- Open an order whose device model has linked harvest products.
- Open the device's actions menu and select Harvest parts. The harvest screen lists the linked products.
- Tick a part. The Select grade list shows your grades and the Select stock list shows the Harvested stock for that location.
- Select Harvest. The part appears as a line on the order and, once that line is dispatched, in the Harvested stock with its grade.
Troubleshooting
- "Harvest parts" is not in the device menu – the feature is not enabled (contact Fixably) or the user's role lacks Harvest device parts.
- "Harvest" is not in the stock type list – the feature is not enabled yet.
- The harvest screen is empty – no product of type Harvested is linked to this device's model. Link one (Step 4b) or create one from the screen.
- No stocks in "Select stock" – there is no Harvested stock at the order's location (Step 5).
- No grades in "Select grade" – no enabled grade exists (Step 3).
- "Grade doesn't match with stock grade" – the Harvested stock is locked to one grade. Choose a matching grade, a different stock, or clear the grade on the stock.
- "Create New Harvesting Part" is missing – the user lacks the Create product permission.