Inventory Management for Marine Survey Companies — Atlantis NDT ERP

Consumables and calibrated-asset inventory control across multi-site NDT operations

Overview

Odoo Inventory configured for NDT firms manages two very different inventory realities under one system: high-turnover consumables (RT film, developer/fixer chemicals, dye penetrant and developer aerosols, couplant gel, MPI magnetic particles, UT reference blocks) and serialized high-value calibrated assets (flaw detectors, phased array units, crawlers, radiography cameras) that must never be treated as fungible stock. Consumables use standard reorder-point/min-max replenishment per warehouse or regional office, with lot tracking on chemical batches for expiry management, since film and penetrant chemicals degrade and shelf life affects indication sensitivity. Serialized equipment uses unique serial tracking integrated with the CMMS calibration record, so a specific probe or crawler's location, custody, and calibration status are always known — critical when equipment is dispatched across job sites or between country offices. Multi-warehouse/multi-location structure supports a home base plus site-container/field-office stock, with transfer orders tracking equipment and consumables moving to a turnaround or shutdown job and back. Barcode/QR scanning speeds field check-in/check-out of both consumables and serialized gear via mobile.

Why inspection and testing businesses run it differently

RT film and chemical shelf life directly affects radiographic sensitivity and re-shoot rates — lot/batch expiry tracking here isn't generic warehouse hygiene, it prevents a crew discovering expired film mid-shutdown with no backup. Serialized tracking of calibrated instruments tied to the CMMS means a project manager mobilizing a PAUT crew to a remote site can see, in real time, which specific unit (by serial number, with current cal status) is available, not just a generic count of PAUT units. Source container inventory for RT crews also tracks radiation source custody chain, a regulatory requirement independent of stock value.

Capabilities

Serialized tracking for calibrated instruments linked live to CMMS calibration status
Lot/batch expiry tracking for RT film, penetrant chemicals, MPI particles
Multi-warehouse structure: home base, regional office, active job-site container stock
Barcode/QR mobile check-in/check-out for field equipment custody
Automated min-max reorder points per consumable, per location
Transfer order tracking equipment/consumables to and from turnaround job sites
Radiation source custody chain tracking (container, location, responsible technician)
Landed-cost tracking for imported specialty equipment/probes (customs, freight)

How the workflow runs

Consumables and equipment are received into the home-base warehouse with lot numbers (chemicals) or serial numbers (instruments) captured at receipt. When a project mobilizes, Field Service generates a transfer/pick list pulling required consumables and specific serialized instruments (auto-filtered to in-calibration units by the CMMS integration) into a job-site stock location. Technicians scan equipment out via mobile at mobilization and back in at demobilization, updating custody and location in real time. Consumable usage is logged against the work order (for job costing in Accounting) and depletes stock, triggering reorder when it crosses the min threshold. Expiring film/chemical lots are flagged 30-60 days out so procurement can rotate stock on a first-expired-first-out basis before a job discovers unusable material on site.

Standards and compliance covered

ISO 9001:2015 (material control, traceability of consumables affecting product/service quality)
ISO 17025 (traceability of reference standards and consumables used in calibration/testing)
Radiation source regulatory custody tracking
ASME Section V film/chemical qualification requirements
ISO 3059/ASTM E165 (PT/MT material specification traceability)

Integrations

CMMS (live calibration status filtering for serialized picks)
Field Service (mobilization pick lists)
Accounting (consumable cost allocation to work orders)
Purchase/vendor portals for film and chemical suppliers
Document Control (batch certificates of conformance archive)

Measured impact

Lot-expiry tracking has eliminated on-site discovery of expired RT film/chemicals as a cause of shutdown delays — one firm cut chemical-related re-shoot incidents to near zero after implementation. Real-time serialized equipment visibility across sites reduced could-not-locate-the-unit mobilization delays by an estimated 2-3 hours per job on average. Multi-location transfer tracking cut equipment loss/write-off rates by roughly 30% by making custody accountability visible end-to-end.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we track which specific probe serial number was used on a given weld scan for traceability?

Yes. The serial number is captured against the work order and ties directly into the inspection report and calibration certificate reference, giving a full traceability chain from probe to reported result.

How does it prevent using expired penetrant chemicals in the field?

Lot-level expiry dates are enforced at pick time; expired lots are blocked from selection in the mobile pick list, and expiry alerts are sent well ahead of due-out dates so procurement can rotate stock.

Does it handle equipment stored temporarily at a client site during a long turnaround?

Yes. The client site is modeled as a temporary stock location, with full transfer history and custody maintained throughout the job until the demobilization transfer back to home base.