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
| Multistep routing | If more than one cell is needed. |
|---|---|
| Multi location | If cells are to be linked to subcontractor locations. |
| Production planner | If capacity planning is to be managed by cells, and many other features. |
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 latr 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:
| Work cell | Name of the cell, which must be unique |
| Description | Free form description |
| Location | Optionally select a partner. The list contains only those partners who are marked as Subcontractors on the Grouping tab of the Partner card. |
| Rough cut daily capacity | If rough cut capacity tracking is in use, mark the daily capacity of this cell in the units that you use for rough cut capacity. |
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.
| Work/Machine | Select a work time or machine time item from the drop down list. |
|---|---|
| Date of Change | The first date that the capacity you are now entering is in use. When there is going to be changes in the work cell capacity, you add the same item with a different capacity and state here when the new capacity will come into use. |
| Days per Week | The number of working days in a normal week. The number concerns only the item whose capacity line you are now adding. |
| Periods per Day | Normal workday length in periods. Again, this concerns the item you are now adding. |
| Multiple | If you have, for example, several similar machines in use, the multiplier is the number of these machines. |
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:
| Step number | Step identification, usually but not always the sequence. |
| Description | Text to describe the work at this step |
| Work instruction | Text or more usually a hyperlink to the work instruction needed by the operator at this step |
| Work cell | The location where this step is to take place. Work cells are created separately and are usually linked to a partner id. |
| Print out upon completion | Links to a direct printing feature for printing e.g. a barcode label for the product. Print definitions are set up in the system settings and need specific coding for the printer. They also only work with Microsoft browsers as they use ActiveX technology. |
| Start | Check this if there is no preceding step to this one. There can be several start steps. |
| No queuing | Check this if work orders will not queue at this step. This means that when a previous step is completed then the work order will be immediately under work at this step. For the first step it means the work order will be immediately under work when the work order is completed. If using dedicated work orders and creating work orders automatically this can be used to set a work order directly to a work cell immediately that the sales order is activated. |
| Percent of throughput | The percentage of the total throughput time expected for completion of this step. The last step should be 100. The throughput time is set on the individual product's manufacturing tab. |
| Next step | The next step in the route. If several steps can have the same next step, then there is a join in the route. |
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.