Recovery Modes
When you reject a build, you choose a recovery mode that tells Partsemble what happened to the consumed components. This determines whether materials are returned to stock, written off as waste, or a mix of both.
Full Recovery
All materials can be recovered and returned to stock.
Choose full recovery when the components are still usable — the build failed but the ingredients, parts, or materials themselves are fine. They can go back into inventory and be used in a future build.
What Partsemble does:
- Restores stock on hand for every consumed component back to its pre-build level
- If lot tracking is enabled, reverses the lot consumptions (lot quantities are restored and lot statuses updated)
- Creates recovery stock transactions for each component (visible in the product's transaction history)
- Sets the build status to Rejected — no waste export is needed since nothing was lost
Example: You built 10 mounting bracket sets but labeled the boxes with the wrong part number. The brackets, bolts, and washers are all fine — you just need to re-label. Full recovery returns everything to stock.
Total Loss
No materials can be recovered. Everything is waste.
Choose total loss when the components were consumed, damaged, or contaminated and can't be reused. The materials are gone.
What Partsemble does:
- Does not restore any component stock — quantities remain consumed
- Moves the build to Pending Export status so the waste can be exported to your accounting system
- The waste export records the cost of lost materials against your configured waste/scrap account
Requires: A waste account configured in Settings → Integrations. See Waste Account Setup.
Example: A batch of welded frames failed pressure testing because of internal porosity in the welds. The steel is too damaged to salvage and must be scrapped. Total loss writes off the entire batch.
Partial Recovery
Some materials can be recovered, others are lost.
Choose partial recovery when the outcome is mixed — some components survived and can go back to stock, while others were damaged, consumed, or contaminated.
What Partsemble does:
When you select partial recovery, a table appears showing each component that was consumed. For each component, enter the quantity you recovered. The difference between what was consumed and what was recovered is the loss.
- Restores the recovered quantities to stock
- If lot tracking is enabled, reverses lot consumptions in LIFO order (last consumed, first recovered) for the recovered amounts
- Creates recovery stock transactions for recovered quantities
- Records per-component loss in rejection lines (consumed vs. recovered vs. lost)
- If any component has loss: moves to Pending Export for waste export. If everything was fully recovered: sets status to Rejected
Requires: A waste account if any component has loss. See Waste Account Setup.
Example: You built 20 industrial enclosures but the powder-coat cure was defective. The primer and powder-coat material are waste (total loss for those components), but the welded frames, door assemblies, and mounting brackets inside each enclosure can be stripped and reused. Enter the recovered quantities for the reusable sub-assemblies and zero for the finishing materials.
How Recovery Affects Costs
Full recovery has no cost impact — materials return to stock at their original cost, and no waste is recorded.
Total loss records the full cost of all consumed components as waste. This shows up in your accounting system against the waste/scrap account.
Partial recovery records only the cost of lost materials as waste. Recovered materials return to stock at their original cost. The waste export reflects only the lost portion.
Choosing the Right Mode
| Situation | Recovery Mode |
|---|---|
| All components are reusable | Full Recovery |
| Nothing is salvageable | Total Loss |
| Some components are fine, some aren't | Partial Recovery |
| Unsure about specific quantities | Start with Partial Recovery and enter your best estimates |
When in doubt, use partial recovery. It gives you the most control — you can specify exactly how much of each component was recovered. Even if everything was recovered, partial mode with full recovery quantities has the same effect as full recovery mode.