Overview

The Inventory module tracks every powder, primer, consumable, and supply item your shop uses. Each item has a current stock level, a unit cost that feeds into job pricing calculations, and a reorder point that triggers a low-stock alert when stock drops to or below it.

Keeping inventory accurate matters for two reasons. First, your job and quote pricing is only as accurate as the unit costs stored in inventory — outdated costs lead to under-pricing. Second, knowing how much powder you have on hand before a job starts prevents the frustrating situation of running out of material mid-job.

You can find Inventory under Inventory › Items in the left sidebar.

Adding Inventory Items

To add a new item to your inventory:

Go to Inventory › Items and click New Item.
Fill in the item details:
- Item Name — a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Gloss Black Powder — Tiger Drylac 49/90005").
- SKU / Part Number — the manufacturer's part number or your internal SKU.
- Category — Powder, Primer, Consumable, Shop Supply, or other category as appropriate.
- Unit of Measure — lbs, kg, each, litre, etc.
- Unit Cost — your purchase cost per unit. Used in quote and job pricing calculations.
- Current Quantity on Hand — the number of units you have right now. This becomes the opening stock level.
- Reorder Point — the quantity at which you want to be alerted to reorder. See the Reorder Points section below.
- Vendor / Supplier — the vendor you purchase this item from. Linking a vendor lets you quickly see who to call when stock runs low.
For powder coatings, the Coverage Rate (sq ft per lb) and Transfer Efficiency % default to 30 sq ft/lb and 65% respectively — typical starting values for most powder and application setups. Adjust these to match your specific powder and equipment. Both values are used when calculating powder needed on quotes and jobs.
Click Save Item.

When you save a new item with an opening stock quantity greater than zero, the system automatically records an Initial transaction for that quantity. This gives you a clean audit trail from day one without any manual entry.

Catalog Lookup & Label Scanner

When adding or editing an inventory item, you don't have to type every field manually. Two shortcuts let you auto-fill product details in seconds:

Smart Catalog Lookup

Click the Lookup button next to the SKU/Part Number field. Type a color name, SKU, or part number and the system searches a built-in catalog of thousands of Prismatic Powders and other manufacturer SKUs. Select a match and the form fills in automatically — item name, manufacturer, color code, finish, coverage rate, SDS/TDS links, and cure specifications.

The catalog only shows products not already in your inventory, preventing duplicates. When editing an existing item, its own catalog entry is always shown.
If no catalog match is found, the lookup falls back to AI Lookup — Claude searches the web for product specs and fills in whatever it can find.
If a vendor name is selected in the Vendor field before searching, results are scoped to that vendor first, then broadened automatically if nothing matches.

Label Scanner (Camera)

Click the camera icon next to the Lookup button to open the label scanner. Point your phone or webcam at the QR code printed on a powder bag or manufacturer label. The scanner reads the code and attempts to identify the product:

If the QR code matches a product in the platform catalog, the form fills in automatically — same as a manual catalog lookup.
If no catalog match is found, the AI analyzes the label image and fills in whatever details it can extract (color name, SKU, manufacturer, finish).
If the scanned product is already in your inventory, a prompt appears to Add Stock to the existing item instead — enter the quantity received and an optional updated unit cost, then save. No duplicate item is created.

The label scanner works best on a phone. If you're on iOS, open the page in Safari for reliable camera access. For persistent camera permission (no prompt each session), add the app to your home screen.

Stock Levels and Reorder Points

The quantity on hand for each item is updated automatically whenever a transaction is recorded — a purchase receipt increases stock, a job consumption decreases it, and a manual adjustment sets it to the corrected count.

The reorder point is the safety threshold below which you do not want your stock to fall. When the quantity on hand reaches or drops below the reorder point, the item appears in the low-stock alerts section on your Dashboard and is flagged in the Inventory list. Think of it as the signal to place a new order with your vendor.

Setting a good reorder point

A good reorder point accounts for two factors:

Lead time — how many days it typically takes for your vendor to deliver after you place an order. If lead time is 5 days, your reorder point should cover at least 5 days of usage.
Daily usage rate — how much of the item you typically consume per day based on your job volume.

For example, if you use 3 lbs of a powder per day and your vendor takes 5 days to deliver, a reorder point of 20 lbs (3 × 5 + a small safety buffer) ensures you never run out while waiting for the delivery.

Stock Adjustment

Use the Stock Adjustment button on any item's Details page to quickly correct the quantity on hand without going through the full edit form. This is the fastest way to record a physical count correction, log a waste event, or add stock received outside of a formal Purchase Order.

Click Stock Adjustment in the Actions panel and choose one of three modes:

Add Stock — increases the current quantity by the amount you enter. Use for received goods, returns, or found stock.
Remove Stock — decreases the current quantity by the amount you enter. Use for waste, spillage, or damage write-offs.
Set Exact — sets the quantity on hand to the exact number you enter, regardless of the current value. Use after a physical inventory count to correct the balance.

A reason is required for every adjustment. Common reasons are listed in the dropdown (received from PO, physical count correction, waste, etc.). Add optional notes for additional detail. The modal shows your current stock and a live preview of the new balance as you type.

Every stock adjustment is automatically recorded as an Adjustment transaction in the item's activity history, including the reason and notes you entered. You can review all past adjustments on the Inventory Activity page.

Transaction Types

Every stock movement is recorded as a transaction with a date, quantity, and running balance, giving you a complete audit trail. Transactions are created automatically by the system (when you create an item, edit a quantity, receive a PO, or record powder usage on a job) and manually through the Stock Adjustment modal.

Transaction Type	When it is recorded	Effect on stock
Initial	Opening balance when an item is first created with stock on hand.	+ Increases
Purchase	Stock received from a vendor via a Purchase Order receipt.	+ Increases
Return	Stock returned to inventory from a job or returned from a vendor.	+ Increases
Adjustment	Manual correction via the Stock Adjustment modal, or any direct change to Quantity on Hand through the edit form.	+/−
Transfer	Stock moved between locations or storage areas.	+/−
Job Usage	Powder consumed during a job — recorded automatically when actual usage is entered on a job coat.	− Decreases
Sale	Stock consumed or sold outside of a job.	− Decreases
Waste	Material scrapped, spilled, or otherwise lost and cannot be used.	− Decreases

Always add a note when recording a Waste or Adjustment. Notes make it much easier to understand your stock history during audits or when investigating discrepancies between physical counts and the system.

Inventory Activity

The Inventory Activity page (Inventory › Inventory Activity in the sidebar, or click View Activity History on any item's Details page) gives you a complete view of all stock movements and powder usage across your shop.

It has two tabs:

Stock Transactions — every transaction recorded against your inventory items, showing date, type, quantity (green for additions, red for deductions), unit cost, total cost, running balance after the transaction, and a link to the source Purchase Order if applicable.
Powder Usage by Job — every instance of powder being consumed on a job coat, showing the job number (linked to the job), customer, color applied, estimated vs actual pounds used, and the variance. A totals row at the bottom summarises the full filtered selection.

Use the filter bar at the top to narrow results by item, date range, and transaction type. Summary pills above the tabs show total lbs received, total lbs used, and net adjustments for the current filter.

To see the history for a single powder, open its Details page and click View Activity History — the Inventory Activity page will open pre-filtered to that item.

QR Code Labels & Mobile Usage Logging

Every inventory item has a printable QR code label. Stick it on the bag, bin, or shelf and shop floor workers can scan it with their phone to log how much they used — without ever touching a desktop.

Printing a label

Open the inventory item's Details page.
Click Print QR Label in the Actions panel — the label opens in a new tab.
Click Print Label and send it to your printer. The label is sized for a standard 3.5″ label and includes the item name, SKU, colour, finish, and manufacturer.

Scanning and logging usage

Point your phone camera at the QR code on the label. Your browser opens the Log Usage page for that item.
Select a job (optional but recommended):
- My Jobs — active jobs assigned to your account appear first.
- Other Jobs — any other open job in the system.
- No Job — log usage without a job reference (e.g. a waste event).
Enter the quantity used. A live preview shows what the new stock balance will be.
Choose a reason: Job Usage, Waste / Spillage, Correction, or Transfer Out.
Add optional notes, then tap Save Usage Log.

After saving

The success screen gives you two options:

Log Another Item for This Job — returns to the scan page with the same job pre-selected, so you can quickly log the next powder without re-picking the job.
Back to Inventory or View Item Details — returns to a neutral state.

Every scan-based usage log is recorded as a JobUsage or Adjustment transaction and immediately reduces the item's quantity on hand. You can review it on the Inventory Activity page. The first time a worker scans on a new device they will be asked to log in — after that the browser keeps them signed in.

Stock Status and Alerts

Every inventory item displays one of three stock statuses:

In Stock Quantity on hand is above the reorder point. No action needed.
Low Stock Quantity on hand is greater than zero but at or below the reorder point. This is your signal to place a reorder with your vendor.
Out of Stock Quantity on hand is zero. Jobs using this powder cannot proceed until stock is replenished. An alert banner is shown on the item's Details page prompting you to use Stock Adjustment to add inventory.

Low Stock and Out of Stock items appear in the Inventory Alerts section on the Dashboard and in the Operations Report. Use the Low Stock filter on the Inventory list to see only items needing attention.

An item continues to show as Low Stock or Out of Stock even after you have placed a Purchase Order, until the goods are physically received and the PO is marked as Received in the system. This is intentional — it reminds you that stock has not yet arrived.

Powder Insights

Powder Insights (/PowderInsights) is an AI-powered analysis of your powder usage patterns, efficiency trends, and cost optimization opportunities. It is accessible from the Equipment section of the sidebar.

Requires at least 10 jobs with powder data to generate basic insights.
Predictive and cost-optimization features unlock at 150 jobs.
Shows usage trends by powder color/type, efficiency benchmarks, and suggestions for reducing waste.

The more accurately you record powder usage and efficiency on your inventory items, the more useful Powder Insights becomes over time.

Inventory Categories & the "Is Coating" Flag

Every inventory item belongs to a category (e.g. "Powder Coatings", "Primers", "Shop Supplies"). Categories help you organize items in your list, but one setting on a category has a direct effect on what appears in your quote and job workflows: the Is Coating flag.

Only items whose category has "Is Coating" enabled will appear in the powder color dropdown when building a quote or job item. If a category does not have this flag set, all items in that category are treated as general supplies and are excluded from the color picker.

Blank powder color dropdown? This is almost always caused by the inventory category for your powder coatings not having Is Coating checked. Follow the steps below to fix it.

How to enable "Is Coating" on a category

Go to Company Settings › Data Lookups › Inventory Categories.
Find the category that contains your powder coating colors (e.g. "Powder Coatings").
Click the edit icon and check the Is Coating checkbox.
Save. Items in that category will immediately appear in the powder color dropdown on all quotes and jobs — no restart required.

Which categories should have "Is Coating" enabled?

Only categories that contain actual powder coating colors — the materials that go into the oven and bond to the part. Do not enable this on categories for primers, masking supplies, consumables, or equipment. Enabling it on non-coating categories will pollute the color dropdown with irrelevant items and make it harder to find the right powder.

The "Is Coating" flag also controls where the sample panel toggle appears on an item's Details page. The toggle — "I have a swatch/sample of this color" — only shows up for items in a coating category, and those items are the ones tracked on the Sample Panels page.

Powder Usage on Jobs

When a job item uses a powder coating from your inventory, the system calculates how much powder will be needed before the job begins. This estimate is based on three values:

Surface area — the total square footage to be coated (entered per item in the job or quote wizard).
Coverage rate — how many square feet one pound of the selected powder covers (set on the inventory item).
Number of coats — selected when you add the coating to the item.

The Powder Needed figure appears in the item wizard as you build the quote or job, and is shown in the Coatings column on the Job Details page. Use it to quickly verify that you have sufficient stock on hand before scheduling the job for production.

Coverage rates vary by powder type, application equipment, and operator technique. Use a conservative (lower) coverage rate in your inventory settings to build in a safety margin. It is better to order slightly more than to run short mid-job.

AI Catalog Price Check

The AI Price Check reviews every active, priced item in your Catalog Items list against your shop's actual operating costs. It estimates a realistic surface area and processing time for each item, calculates a cost floor, and compares that to your current price — flagging anything that may be losing money, leaving margin on the table, or priced above market rates.

Verdicts

Below Cost — price is at or below the estimated cost floor. The shop loses money on every sale of this item.
Thin Margin — price covers costs but falls below your target margin percentage.
High — price appears significantly above typical market rates, which may cost you work.
OK — price is within a reasonable range given your costs and market context.

How to run it

Make sure your operating costs are up to date — stale rates produce inaccurate verdicts.
Go to Catalog Items and click AI Price Check in the top-right.
Click Analyze Catalog with AI. A progress overlay appears while the analysis runs (allow 7–10 minutes for large catalogs).
Review results sorted by severity — Below Cost items appear first. Click Edit Price on any item to update it directly from the results page.

Things to know

Run limit: Analysis can be run once per quarter (90 days). The button shows the next available date when a recent run exists.
Confidence levels: Each result shows High, Medium, or Low confidence. Vague item names like "Custom Part" will be Low — verify those manually.
Category paths matter: The AI uses the full category path (e.g. "Cerakote › Firearms") to determine the coating type. Make sure specialty items are in the correct category.
$0 items skipped: Placeholder items and category headers with no price are automatically excluded from analysis.

Results are estimates based on industry knowledge and your shop's rates. Always apply your own judgment before changing prices — especially for items flagged as Low confidence.