9. Factory setup

Factory setup #

Introduction #

A work cell is a location where work is carried out. A route consists of a number of steps, each step taking place at a certain work cell. So when a routed operation is executed, it will queue at each cell on the route until taken into work at that cell, then completed and passed to the next step. A cell can appear multiple times on a route, in the case that there is a loop, for instance if a product has to return multiple times to a testing cell.

Each cell can have capacity. Capacity is defined as the ability to consume one or more work or machine type items in a certain period of time. Note that capacity is not specified for a single machine but for a cell. Of course a cell can contain one or more machines or people. There are two kinds of capacity in the system. “Rough cut capacity” is based on one single unit of measure through out the factory, and each product is allocated a number of for this unit. The unit name is specified in the system settings. “Item capacity” is the detailed capacity on each cell for individual work and machine time items as entered into a manufactured items product structure.

Capacity analysis is done on the production planner. The system will not automatically reschedule due to capacity restraints, but the user can view and adjust capacity on cells from the production planner. See the separate help topic for the production planner.

If multilocation is in use, then a cell can also be specified at a partner, i.e. a subcontractor. In this case routing can take place across a wide geographical location, even internationally, and partners can have restricted access to view only operations routed through them.

By default the system has one cell named as the company id, and each manufactured item has a route with one step on that cell. To access routing the optional Routing module is required.

Licensing #

Cells #

Cells have a physical location which can be linked to an address by creating a Partner for it. A cell can be considered a machine, a person, a group of machines and people or a whole factory. A cell is a step along a route where work can be done and work can be queued. A cell can optionally have a capacity for work time or machines time items. The planning and allocation system does not limit allocation to capacity. Capacity is used for reporting and trending factory and cell loading. The optional production planner allows the user to manage loading against capacity.

A route is a sequence of cells, each cell being a step on the route. See the production work order section for how work is queued and transferred at cells. Every manufactured item will have a route. If routing functionality is not otherwise required, a default route of one cell (the whole factory) will be used. This default route will exist then the system is first setup.

When routing between subcontractors, the cells must be linked to the subcontractors address and user names linked to the subcontractor. In this way personnel at the subcontractor can be given rights to update work queues in real-time for only their own factory.

Routes created in this section are templates that can be connected to multiple (manufactured) items. Thus the same template can be used for several different products, no matter what the precise quantity of workers and machines will be. Routes can be edited later on a sales order line (if dedicated work order feature is in use) or on the work order itself after it is opened.

The following can be defined:

• The route of the process from one work cell to another (steps)

• Transfer times between steps

• The work instruction used at each the step.

It is possible that one cell is receiving materials from several cells. This is a join. It is not possible to split a route going away from a cell, in which case a separate template should be created and two routes used.

Routing can also be defined so that the same cell is on the route more than once. This is why a route consists of a sequence of steps and not a sequence of cells.

Different options for routing. In picture (1) Cell 4 receives material from cells 1,2 and 3. And there are multiple start cell. Cells 5 and 6 are located on subcontractors site. In picture (2) route makes circle so the steps 2 and 4 are done in the same cell.

Creating a new work cell #

Select Cells from the Factory setup dashboard of the Production main menu. Click ‘New’ to proceed to the page where the basic data for the new work cell is entered.

The data includes:

If the work cell is located in your own site, leave the location blank. If it is located in your subcontractor’s site, select the correct company from the menu. This data (except the work cell name) can be edited later. After entering the data press [Save] on the upper left corner of the screen. When the new work cell is created, you can add the work and machine items, with their capacity information, to the work cell.

When a new cell is created this page is empty. Entering capacity is optional. Work, machine or subcontract items are added to the work cell and their capacity information is updated. Old capacity information remains when new values are entered, the value used being determined by the valid date.

Checking a work cell’s work queue in an Info window #

When there is a work queue for the work cell you have now created, you can check the work queue by clicking the work cell name. Move the cursor on the work cell name so that a question mark appears next to the arrow and click the name. A new window opens that shows the work orders in the work queue.

Deleting a work cell #

To delete a cell press the delete button. A cell can not be deleted if it is in use in any routes or previous work orders.

Routes #

Creating a new route #

Select Routes from the Factory setup dashboard of the Production main menu. Click ‘New’ to proceed to the page where the basic data for the new route is entered. To create a route that is almost similar to an existing route, copy the existing route and then edit the copy. In this case, select the route to be copied, give the copy a name and then press [Create].

This leads to the ‘Workflow Route Template’ page, where the steps of the route are recorded. Unless you have created a copy of an existing route, the page is blank at this point.

Adding and editing steps in a route #

To add a new step, enter the step number then specify the next step and check the start box if appropriate. Then press add to add the new step to the list.

It is common practice to create step numbers by tens such as 10, 20, 30 etc. This means it is possible to add intermediary steps without renumbering the whole route.

Information recorded for each step:

To delete a step, click check box on the left of the grid and press the red cross.

To view the manufacturing templates that use this step, then select the ‘Used in’ tab. This page also shows the number of currently open work orders for each manufacturing template that uses this route.

Saving a route #

Press [Save] in the upper left corner of the screen to save the changes.

If the data is inconsistent an error message will be displayed:

• a route with no start step(s)
• an infinite loop,
• illogical sequence of steps

It is possible to save routes with these logic errors so that you can continue working on them. It is highly recommended not to leave routes in the system without fixing all the logice errors.

Deleting a route #

To delete a route, press the Delete button. If the delete button is not shown in the menu bar, it means the route can not be deleted because it is in use by products.

If the workflow route is in use, it can not be deleted. In order to delete the route, you first have to change the route from all items that use it.

Operators #

This is the list of people for whom time can be allocated to a work order. It is separate from a user login. So one user login can be used to manage the time bookings of many different operators, for instance if there is one screen in a work cell.

To collect work (labour) costs to a work order, first create a work item in the Warehouse section – Items tab. This is the item that sets the value of one kind of work and is always for one time period. The time period is set in system settings and is typically one minute. Some companies use alternatively one hour, but the choice is yours. It is important that the cost of labour for that time period is correct. Do not create work items with a person’s name, but rather the skill type, e.g. “welding”, “painting” and use different items only if the cost between different people is significant. As necessary create overtime records with different costs e.g. “Welding – Overtime 1”.

When creating an operator, then allocate the work item that will be used by this person to set his cost for any time that is booked to work orders. The overtime item is used after 8 hours have been booked in a day. The overtime 2 item is used for after 12 hours in a day. Saturday and Sunday rates can also be set.

The ID field is used to enter a numerical id (often from an employment system) that can be used to indentify this person using barcode on the work cell screen.

The login and work cell settings are currently for information only.

The PIN code is used the clocking in and clocking out if the time clock extension is in use.