About Components

Learn how Components work in Craftybase.

A component is a way to create a new material from other raw materials. This component material can then be used in other products. In manufacturing situations, this is also commonly known as a sub-assembly.

Inside this article:

• Component materials
• Multi-level components
• Automanufacturing components
• Componentizing a product
• Productize a component

When you create a component, a material will automatically be created and linked directly to the component. This is called a component material.

Components can have recipes of other materials in exactly the same way as products. When a manufacture is created for a component, the quantity of the component material is increased. The component doesn't hold stock and acts like a "factory" to produce more component materials.

Example: For a baker, a component could be Buttercream Icing, as a single batch could be prepared for use on all the cakes made that day. For a jeweler, a component could be clasps prepared in advance and used in various products.

Unlike materials, components can not be increased in stock by creating purchases as they cannot be directly purchased. The only way to increase a component's stock is to create a manufacture or set a starting adjustment (if you are bringing forward stock from a previous tracking system).

To find a component detail page:

1. Click on the Component tab in the top menu bar

2. Click on the name of the component you wish to view.

Components are available for STUDIO and above plans.

Component materials

A Component Material tracks the amount of a material you have manufactured from your component. When a component is first created, a linked material is also created. Unlike materials, Component Materials cannot be increased in quantity through material purchases. Instead, whenever a Manufacture is created for a component, the quantity of the component material will be increased.

Multi-level components

This feature is available in our INDIE and above plans.

The Multi-level component feature allows the creation of more than one level deep of components. This means that your component can have a recipe that uses another component.

Multi-level components are useful if your workflow involves several steps to create your final product or if you want to use both components and product bundling simultaneously.

If necessary, you can automate the manufacture of components via the Auto Manufacture Components feature ( How do I set a component to auto manufacture itself?).

Some examples of multi-level components using bundling are:

1. You make buttercream used in a cupcake product, which can then be combined into different cupcake bundles.
2. You make felt, which is then used to create a pincushion, combined into different product bundles.

Some examples of multi-level components that do not use bundling are:

1. You make your butter, which is then included in buttercream and used to create a cake.
2. You make chocolate. Your raw cocoa beans are processed into roasted cocoa beans, crushed into nibs, and combined with milk and sugar. These sub-processes can be tracked via multi-level components.

Automanufacturing components

Components can be configured to automanufacture themselves when included in a product manufacture. This is particularly useful for bundling and kitting situations.

This can be done on any recipe that includes the component or on each manufacture that consumes the component.

Directly underneath the material on the recipe form, a small wizard wand icon with a checkbox will appear. Check the box if you would like each manufacture to set the component to auto manufacture.

On the Manufacture form, for each component in the material list, a similar icon will appear:

Suppose the auto manufacture checkbox remains selected and the manufacture is saved. In that case, the required component quantity will automatically be manufactured and assigned to the manufacture as the Lot Number. 

Removing Automanufactured Components

This feature is available on INDIE+ plans.

If you'd like to have automanufactured Components removed automatically for canceled orders, the removing automanufactured components setting for canceled orders should be enabled. If an order is imported with a "canceled" status, Craftybase will not create an auto manufacture for that order. Also, if an existing order is updated to "canceled," Craftybase will automatically remove any associated auto manufactures. This maintains accurate manufacturing records and prevents unnecessary manufactures, keeping inventory accurate and up-to-date.

Componentizing a product

This feature is available on INDIE+ plans.

Using the Componentize feature, you can create a component directly from a product. This is useful if you need to restructure your existing products to be used in product bundles.

To componentize a product:

1. Navigate to the product you wish to copy (How do I find my product details page?)
2. Hover your mouse over the vertical ellipsis ⋮ to the left of the product name.
3. Select the Componentize option that appears in the menu.

This will instantly create a component with the same name as your product. It will also move the existing recipe (if one exists) to the component and then replace your product's recipe with a reference to the component.

Productize a component

Due to the complexities of how components and products differ, it is not currently possible to convert a component into a product.