Crate Pro 6 offers multiple options to make your crate design process extremely fast and accurate.  The ultimate goal is to reduce labor time and help avoid mistakes.


Using the example of house construction plans, think about your crate designs as crate construction plans. Each time you create a new unique design for a house, you save the plans into your 'filing cabinet'. When you build the same house in a new location, you go to the cabinet and pull out that plan versus spending time to create a new design plan.


You do the same thing in Crate Pro 6. Each time you create a new crate design, its added to your Design 'filing cabinet'. When you need the same design, you go to your design "filing cabinet' [Summary List] and select that design. No need to start all over.


There are multiple options for using existing designs which also include making modifications,

  • Templates
  • Stock design
  • Duplicating an existing design


To be the most effective and efficient, designs should always be added to a Project .



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Reasons for creating a Template or a Stock Design


If your design will have multiple modifications or additions that require manual entry from your default settings for that Style Template it can be time consuming to create a new design and add the same items every time. Examples:

  • Adding many items to Packing > Other such as you would use for interior structures, blocking and bracing, labels, strapping, etc.  Crate Pro doesn't auto calculate interior packaging, it allows you add each component and add in the Notes how that material will be applied.
  • Your design has Pictures and/or Attachments that will be used for additional designs. The images may be to show users how the Packing > Other materials are implemented. Or might show what modifications you made from the defaults
  • You change how the dimensions of a component are calculated: An example would be that your style calculates the length of the Skids to be based on the Width of the Outside Dimension of the crate (WOD), but you want to add an additional 4 " (100mm) to the skid length. You can either just manually add 4" to the Skid Long field or you can change the field code from 'WOD' to 'WOD + 4'  . By changing the actual code, if you change the crate dimensions the new formula will be applied.




Template versus Stock Design:


  • When a template it created you select NEW in the Design module and click on Templates at the top of the screen to see a list of your templates. When selected, Crate Pro 6 will create a copy and give it the next design number. You are now able to modify that design without touching your original template. This protects the information on the template.
  • If you create a Stock design you need to ensure the Description field clearly states its a Stock design with enough information to help users know when to select it.  When you want to use a Stock design, users can select it from the Summary List view or through a FIND - then click on DUP at the top of the window to create a duplicate of that design. Changes can be made to the new design. 
  • Stock designs can be added directly to a Project if no changes are desired. Templates can not. Note: Any locked design in your design list can be added directly to a Project if you don't wish to make changes ( excludes templates)



Disadvantages of Templates and Stock Designs:

  • If you're using Projects module - Templates can not be directly added to a Project. A design must be created from the template first then on the Project it can be selected.
  • Stock designs can be accidentally modified simply by unlocking them. If you don't have clear process on using Stock designs, your users might open a design you designated as Stock, make changes in that design. This will over-write any previous settings and there is NO back button to reverse it.







Note:


Any design can be duplicated and the new design modified by selecting the design and clicking on DUP at the top of the window. You don't have to create Templates or make Stock designs. 


If your company preferences are set up and you are making few changes to the design once created,  it may be faster to just create a NEW design. 


Using the UNLOCK / LOCK icon will refresh the designs pricing, weight and times as shown in the Inventory module so its not necessary to create a new design to get the updated costs and pricing.