Table of Contents
- Add a product form
- PIC Product Categories
- PIC Default Categories
- PIC Other Categories
- Adding Materials by Weight
- Bulk Upload
- Resources
Add a product form
There are now over 250 new product categories to choose from when adding products to PIC. This increase in the number of supported product categories allows:
- A new way for users to select categories from the Add Product form.
- More default categories to choose from.
- Products to inherit default assumptions from higher tiers.
In the Add Product form, the Product Category section has been updated to show an expandable/collapsible category tree that shows visual hierarchy among each product category.
The category expansion is organized into three levels, Primary, Subcategory, and Final Category. For example, Athletic Shoes would be categorized as:
- Primary: Footwear
- Subcategory: Shoes
- Final Category: Athletic Shoes
In addition, there is a one-to-one mapping for all old categories, which means all old categories have been mapped to their respective new category.
- For example, Sweaters, Hoodies, and Sweatshirts is now mapped to Sweaters.
Expand to show screenshot
You can also use the search bar to look for a specific product category.
- For example, if you weren't sure which category to expand for a jacket, you can use the search bar which will automatically filter down to all possible jackets in PIC.
Expand to show screenshot
PIC Product Categories
When adding a new product to PIC using the Add a Product form, enter the materials, composition, and weight. In addition, select from the following product categories:
- Apparel & Accessories
- Footwear
- Furniture
- Home Decor
- Home Textiles
- Kitchen & Dining
- Sports & Outdoor
Expand to show Decorative Bowl example
For example, let’s say you’re adding a decorative bowl to PIC.
Enter One Size for the size, and select Custom under materials.
For this example, we’ll use Cork as the custom material. Set the composition to 100%, while Net Use defaults to 75%.
Since this does not have a default model available, you must enter in the weight of the product. Enter 0.5 kg and select Save.
PIC Default Categories
If you don’t have exact details for your product, select a Default category which will pre-populate the form with associated weight, materials, and material composition.
Notice the green Default label next to the product category. These are visual badges showing which Final Categories have PIC default models.
Default product models have the Default label attached to them since they have associated weight, materials, and material composition.
When you select an item with the Default label, this means the default model is automatically populated with product weight, components, and packaging.
However, the furniture category (along with other categories such as kitchen, home decor, etc.) does not include the Default label because you must add the materials yourself.
Expand to show Athletic Shoes example
For example, select Athletic Shoes, followed by the size Adult.
From the Materials drop down menu, select Default.
Once you select default, the weight and unit of measure is pre-populated for the Athletic Shoes.
The system will also automatically pre-populate the Packaging field, under the Advanced Details section, with a shoebox.
A note on Customized Materials
- Let's say your existing default product has customized materials, components, or packaging. Even if you update the category, any previously made customizations will stay the same.
- Conversely, if you select a default category and decide to change the default materials/add new materials for that product, it will overwrite the pre-populated materials and change to a Custom material.
Expand to show Sweater example
PIC Other Categories
If you don’t see your product within the product category list, use the Other product category to model your product. The Other category is different from a Default product due to the fact that products in general cannot be created without a bill of materials.
In the list of product categories, notice the Other option along with the two subcategories below it.
- Other with Assembly: A product that transforms a material and adds components to it through cutting, gluing, sewing. The purpose of this subcategory is to categorize products that may not already be available in the category tree.
- Other without Assembly: Products such as a silicone ice tray, ping pong ball, or anything else that is poured into a mold. Selecting this option excludes the final assembly assumptions for that particular product.
Other categories include products without a bill of materials, such as furniture. In order to upload products in these categories, you must add the product materials into the platform.
Adding Materials by Weight
Another update included with the category expansion is the ability to add materials by weight.
In the Materials section of the Add a Product form, use the toggle to switch between % and Weight.
- Toggle to % to enter in materials by percentage of composition.
- Toggle to Weight to enter in materials by weight.
- Notice how the Net Material Weight field updates if you change the weight or net use of the material.
- Lastly, the platform also converts between Composition % and Weight once the product has been saved.
Expand to show Sofa example
Let's say you're uploading a sofa to PIC. Recall how we previously discussed that the furniture category does not have a default label due to requiring users to add materials.
In this scenario, you can add materials by searching for the material type and entering in the material weight. The Net Material Weight field is greyed out because the system automatically generates this field by calculating the sum of material weight x net use %.
For any products under the furniture category, the packaging pre-populates with Box, Shipping (Extra Large).
There are also updated product assumptions for furniture where the use-phase is removed since furniture cannot be cleaned in a washing machine.
- In contrast, pajamas and underwear have a use-phase since they are washed more often.
Lastly, add any final details to your product before selecting Save.
Bulk Upload
With the new category expansion, there is a new field called Is Material Weight that is used to bulk upload materials by weight.
- Setting Is Material Weight to True means you don’t have to enter in product weight.
- Setting Is Material Weight to False means you enter in composition percentage and product weight.
This new field is applicable to the following workbooks:
- Product Impact Calculator: Bulk Upload Workbook
- Product Impact Calculator: Bulk Upload - BOM Workbook
- Product Impact Calculator: Bulk Upload - Overwrite Products Workbook
Resources
Download the files below to see:
- Default Categories with their respective materials, packaging, and components
- Other Categories
- A comprehensive list of category mapping