Advanced Planning add-on
Table of Contents
Overview
The Advanced Planning add-on extends the Cropster functionality with material planning capabilities focused on the non-coffee side of your production: packaging materials and other consumables. It gives you control over the materials you use every day. You can see when stock is running low before a packaging run, avoid buying more than you need, and keep all material usage recorded in one place.
The add-on currently includes two features:
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Raw materials help build a catalog of your non-coffee consumables (bags, labels, boxes, cans, flavorings, and more), track stock levels through a complete transaction history, and set reorder points and lead times so that you always know when it's time to place a new order.
- Bills of materials (BOMs) define which raw materials, and in what quantities, go into each of your finished goods (live now). Cropster then deducts raw material stock automatically when you save a packaging execution, alongside the roasted coffee deduction (coming soon!). This makes sure that your material stock and costing stay accurate with no manual work.
How it works
The two features work together across your packaging workflow:
- Define your materials. Create your raw materials with units, supplier, lead time, and reorder points. See Raw materials.
- Link materials to products. Build a BOM for each sellable product variant, listing the materials and quantities needed to produce one unit. See Bills of materials.
- Run packaging as usual. When you save a packaging execution, Cropster deducts the roasted coffee and the mapped consumables automatically (coming soon).
- Review and adjust. Monitor stock levels and status indicators, record deliveries and corrections, and review the full usage history of each item.
For example, you package 100 units of a 250 g retail espresso. The BOM lists one bag, one label, and one valve per unit. Therefore, Cropster deducts 100 bags, 100 labels, and 100 valves from your raw material stock the moment the execution is saved, and records each deduction in the item's transaction history.
Get started
- Go to Commerce > Raw materials and add your consumables. Start with the items you use in every packaging run. Bags and labels are a good first step. See Raw materials.
- Go to Commerce > Bill of materials and create a BOM for each product variant you package. See Bills of materials.
- Save your next packaging execution as usual, Cropster takes care of the deductions.
If you don't see Raw materials or Bill of materials in your navigation, the Advanced Planning add-on isn't enabled for your account yet. Contact your Cropster representative to learn more about availability and pricing.
FAQ
Is raw material inventory separate from my roasted coffee inventory?
Yes. Raw materials cover your non-coffee consumables and are tracked separately from your coffee inventory. The two come together at packaging: when you save a packaging execution, Cropster deducts the roasted coffee and the mapped raw materials at the same time, driven by the BOM.
Can Cropster track supplier lead times and reorder automatically?
Lead times and reorder points are part of each raw material's setup, and Cropster shows a low stock indicator as soon as an item drops below its reorder point so that you know exactly when to act. Placing the order itself is currently a manual step. Automated purchase planning is on the roadmap.
Do I need BOMs to use raw materials?
No. You can use the raw materials catalog on its own to track stock with manual receipts and adjustments. BOMs add the automatic deduction at packaging. We recommend setting them up to get the full value of the add-on.
How do I get the Advanced Planning add-on?
Contact your Cropster representative for availability and pricing for your account.