Exchange orders

You use exchange orders to return an unserviceable, repairable part to a vendor and receive a new, working part in return.

When a part request cannot be filled locally or be shipped from another location, you can repair an unserviceable part or purchase a new part to fill the demand. However, if you do not wish to purchase another part because it would increase the pool of repairable parts, and there is not enough time to repair an unserviceable part, you can obtain a new part using an exchange. In this case, the vendor sends you a new part in advance with the expectation that you will send the unserviceable part to the vendor after it is removed from the aircraft. The price of the exchange order takes into account the value of the part being exchanged.

You can create an exchange order from an existing purchase request or from an open part request. You can also create an ad hoc exchange order if there is no purchase request or part request initiated.

When you create an exchange order to receive a replacement part, you must also select the unserviceable inventory that you want to return to the vendor to complete the exchange. You can manually select the inventory to be returned to the vendor, or Maintenix attempts to select the inventory automatically. When you install a serialized inventory item from an exchange order, Maintenix searches for the unserviceable part that was removed on the same task or work package. If an unserviceable part is found, Maintenix marks that part as the inventory to be returned, and creates an outbound shipment.

You become the owner of newly received replacement parts when inspected, and the returned unserviceable part becomes owned by the vendor.

Note: You cannot create an exchange order to exchange a kit. If you have received a kit that cannot be used, you can return the kit to the vendor, which automatically creates a new inbound shipment to receive a replacement kit.

Financial transactions for exchange orders

Normally, when you inspect inventory as serviceable, a INSP financial transaction is triggered, you own the inventory, and the total quantity and value increases. But for exchange orders of consumable class tracked and serialized parts, financial transactions aren't triggered until the exchange is complete. This is because both the financial transactions triggered for the outbound and inbound parts need to use the average unit price of the outgoing part – and the outbound shipment often happens after the inbound shipment is received. An exchange isn't complete until the inbound inventory is inspected as serviceable and the outbound shipment is sent.

At the moment when the exchange is complete, the financial transactions that apply to both parts in the exchange are triggered:

Inbound received part is inspected as serviceable

An INSP transaction is triggered using the average unit price of the returned part (not the part just received) as the credit value. If an alternate part is received, the INSP financial transaction uses the the average unit price of the returned part (not the part just received) as the credit value.
Total quantity for part increases and the total value for the part is updated. In the case of an alternate part, the quantity increases for the alternate part number and the total value for the alternate part is updated.
The average unit price of the received part is re-calculated by dividing the new total value by the new total quantity.
Ownership changes to local owner.

Outbound shipment sent

An ARCHIVE transaction is triggered using the average unit price of the returned part as the debit value.
Total quantity for part decreases and total value for the part is updated.
There is no change to the average unit price for the part.
Ownership changes to vendor.

The INSP and ARCHIVE financial transactions are not triggered for exchanges of rotable parts.

The financial transaction for batch is different. When batch parts are exchanged, the ownership change (CHGOWN) financial transaction is triggered and quantities, including for alternate parts are adjusted.

If you convert a purchase order to an exchange order after receiving and inspecting a part as serviceable, then a UNDOINSP financial transaction is triggered to reverse the INSP transaction that initially occurred. When the return part is selected for the exchange order and the outbound shipment is sent, both the inbound and outbound transactions are then triggered using the average unit price of the outbound part.

In a situation where you receive a part on an exchange order that you can't accept and you return that same part to the vendor (using the Return to Vendor button), the transactions that fire depend on whether the exchange is complete - in this case, on whether the outbound shipment for the exchange (not the Return to Vendor shipment) was sent.

If the exchange is not complete: No financial transactions have been triggered at this point. When you return the just received item, financial transactions and quantity updates are not triggered.
If the exchange is complete: If the received item was inspected as serviceable, then a RTVEN transaction is triggered for the received item which decreases the quantity by 1 or by the quantity sent out in a batch. This transaction uses the same average unit price as was used for the INSP transaction. When the Return to Vendor shipment is sent, ownership reverts to the vendor.; Later when another part is received to fulfill the exchange, an INSP transaction occurs using the average unit price of the part that was returned on the exchange order.