Why Materials Matter for Ship Operations

Procurement: When creating a requisition, you select materials from the catalog. The catalog drives what you can order.
Inventory: Every journal line references a material. The material's tracking settings (Serial, Batch, Space) determine how you enter it.
Maintenance (PMS): Spare parts are materials. Knowing the part number and catalog location helps find the right item quickly.

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Material Catalog — Overview (Ship Side)

The Material Catalog is the master database of every item that can be ordered, stocked, or tracked on your vessel. From the ship side, you use it primarily to look up materials when creating requisitions or journals.

Path: ⊞ Menu → Inventory Management → Materials

[!NOTE] You can browse and search the full catalog, but cannot create or modify materials. All catalog changes are made by the head office.

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Accessing the Catalog

Click ⊞ in the top-left header
Select Materials under *Inventory Management*
The material list opens, showing all materials available to your vessel

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Browsing the List

Columns

Column	What it shows
Code	System-generated catalog code
Part Number	Manufacturer or catalog part number
Tags	Labels: HAZ (Hazardous), DC (Deck), MARPOL, etc.
Catalog	Which catalog group (e.g. Consumables, Fuels & Waters, Spare Parts)
Category	Sub-group within the catalog
Type	Material classification (e.g. Fluid, Mechanical, Provision)
Name	Full material name
Description	Extended description
Status	Active (usable) or Inactive (not orderable)

Sorting and Filtering

Sort: Click any column header to sort ascending/descending
Filter: Click the filter icon (≡) next to a column header to apply a column filter
Search: Use the 🔍 search icon in the toolbar for a global text search

[!TIP] If you can't find a material by name, try searching by **part number**. Partial matches work — you don't need the full name.

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Searching for a Specific Material

The most common use case is finding a material to add to a requisition or journal.

Best search strategies:

What you know	What to type
Part of the name	At least 3 characters of the name (e.g. "boiler" finds "Boiler Treatment 79L")
Part number	Full or partial part number (e.g. "634-NF")
Catalog	Filter the Catalog column first, then search by name within that group
Category	Filter the Category column to narrow to a specific material group

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Catalog Groups Available on Ship

Your vessel's catalogs are set by the head office and vary by vessel type. Common catalog groups you may see:

Catalog	Typical contents
Consumables, Fuels & Waters	Cleaning chemicals, lubricants, fuels, water treatment
Spare Parts	Engine room spares, deck spares, mechanical components
Provisions	Food, beverages, pantry items
Medical	First aid, medications, medical supplies
Safety Equipment	PPE, fire safety, life-saving equipment

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Using the Catalog When Creating a Requisition

When creating a Purchase Requisition, you select a Material Catalog for the entire requisition (this locks after the first line). Then you browse that catalog to add lines:

In the Lines grid → click + Add
A catalog browser opens — search within the assigned catalog
Tick materials → Add to Cart → Import

See [Procurement → Requisitions](../Procurement/02-requisitions.md#adding-lines) for full details.

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Using the Catalog in Inventory Journals

When adding a line to an Arrival or other journal, you search the catalog directly in the line's Material cell:

Click the Material cell on the line row
Type at least 3 characters of the material name
Select from the autocomplete dropdown

If a material doesn't appear, it may not be in your vessel's assigned catalog. Contact head office.

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Material Detail (Ship Side)

When you open a material from the catalog list, you see its full detail record. This page is read-only — all fields are set and maintained by the head office.

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How to Open a Material Detail

Navigate to Materials list (⊞ Menu → Inventory Management → Materials)
Click the material name in the list, or click the ⋮ → Details from within a journal line

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Identification Panel (Left Side)

The left panel shows the core identification fields:

Field	What it means
Name / Title	The full material name
Part Number	Primary manufacturer/catalog part number
Code	System-generated code (e.g. MAT 000001)
Description	Extended notes about the material
SKU	Stock-keeping unit identifier
GTIN	Global Trade Item Number (barcode standard)
Tags	Labels like HAZ, DC, MARPOL — indicate special handling
Variation Type	Single (one variant) or Multi (multiple variants)
Status	Active (orderable) or Inactive (not orderable)

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Classification {#classification}

Field	What it means
Material Type	e.g. Fluid, Mechanical, Electrical, Provision
Catalog	The catalog group this material belongs to
Category Group	Department or broad grouping
Category	Specific sub-group within the category group

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Units of Measure

Field	What it means
Inventory Unit	How stock is tracked internally (e.g. kg, pcs, L)
Purchase Unit	Unit used when ordering from suppliers
Sales Unit	Unit used when issuing/selling (usually same as inventory)

[!NOTE] Unit conversions are handled automatically. If you order in boxes (Purchase Unit) but stock in pieces (Inventory Unit), the system converts on receipt.

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Tracking Dimensions

Shows which tracking methods are enabled for this material — determines how you enter this material in inventory journals:

Dimension	If enabled...
Space	You must specify which storeroom/bin when receiving
Batch	You must enter a batch/lot number when receiving
Serial	You must enter a unique serial number per individual item
Owner	Ownership must be assigned when receiving
Status	Quality status (Available, Quarantine, etc.) must be assigned

[!IMPORTANT] If a material has any tracking dimension enabled, you **cannot enter quantity directly** on the parent journal line. You must expand the line (˄ toggle) to enter tracking sub-rows.

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Content Tabs

Relationships Tab

Links to related materials, substitutes, or components.

Coverage Tab

Shows stock levels by inventory location — useful for checking what's on board across the fleet.

Column	What it shows
Location	Vessel or warehouse
On Hand	Current available quantity
Minimum	Minimum stock level (triggers reorder alert)
Optimal	Target stock level
Coverage	Days of coverage based on consumption rate

Reason Policy Tab

Shows which reason codes are required when this material is moved or adjusted.

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Right Sidebar Panels

Panel	What you'll find
Comments	Notes about the material (read-only for ship)
Attachments	Attached datasheets, certificates, drawings
Events	Full audit history of all changes made to this material

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Left Sidebar Panels

Panel	What you'll find
On Hand	Stock levels across all locations (same as Coverage tab)
Transactions	Full history of inventory movements for this material
Price History	Historical purchase prices (if visible on ship side)

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Finding Alternatives When a Material Is Inactive

If a material shows Inactive status:

It cannot be added to a new requisition or journal
Check the Relationships tab for substitute materials
Contact head office to confirm the correct replacement

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