- Reduces Production Costs
- Simplifies Shop Floor Feedback Reporting
- Improves Inventory Accuracy
- Improves Visibility of Customer Orders In Production
- Improves On-Time Fulfillment of Production Due Dates
- Minimizes Clerical Effort Required For Work Order Generation
- Provides Accurate Work Order Status Tracking
- Provides Cradle-to-Grave Lot and Serial Number Traceability
This modules provides Manufacturing Management with the necessary mechanisms to efficiently release, maintain, and track all production orders in the system. This includes the ability to track and maintain all component order requirements and work order routing operations.
The module also controls the movement of all component material to and from the shop floor. A variety of transactions are available for issuing component material from inventory to production orders, including the ability to both “push” and “pull” material from inventory.
The Work in Process module allows you to maintain the following work order types, each of which can be marked as ‘firm’, if desired:
- Add a planned order
- Release a planned order
- Add a Released order
- Add a Rework order
- Add a Family order
Order Release
Using the Trial Order Release capability, production planners can review component material availability before releasing an order to the shop floor. The trial order release screen displays the simulated impact of releasing a work order on its component’s inventory. Orders can be released as planned by the Requirements Planning module, or the planned orders can be manually adjusted by the planner. New planned and open orders can also be entered into the system.
When an order is released, all component requirements (allocations) for the order are separately recorded by the system using the standard Bill of Material. Similarly, the standard routing for the item is separately generated and prioritized with a scheduled start and complete date at the corresponding work center where each operation is to be performed.
For cost collection and historical variance reporting, a separate Order Summary record is generated and updated during the life of the order and saved after the order is reported complete. This Order Summary is also used to re-open an order that was accidentally closed.
For each released order in the system, a hardcopy Bill of Material, router, inspection sheet, and Pick List document can be generated. Stockroom personnel can use the pick list to record the quantity picked and location of each component. An alternate approach to generating pick lists by order is to print a Consolidated Pick List via the Material Pull transactions described below.
FAMILY ORDERS
The DMACS Work in Process module also allows the release of family work orders. A family work order is basically one formal work order used to produce multiple end items. Family orders are particularly relevant in repetitive manufacturing environments where the same steps are used to produce similar items, and in environments that produces multiple items from the same mold, tool or die.
Each end item can have its own unique Bill of Material, but each must be produced using the production routing that is assigned to the family order. All material and labor costs are accumulated at the family order level and then automatically distributed to each end item produced by the family order.
Order Maintenance
At the time of work order and family release, the system copies the selected Bill of Material and routing for the order from the Bill of Material and routing tables to the Work in Process routing tables, respectively. The WIP Bill of Material table actually contains the component allocation records for each component in the bill. By copying these tables to corresponding WIP tables, you can change the component allocations and routing for an order without changing the engineering Bill of Material and routing from which they originated.
Information generated for each order can be updated as required. Component allocations may be altered if custom or repair work requires a deviation from the Bill of Material assigned to the order.
Operations and operation descriptions can be maintained separately for the same reason. All maintenance to component allocations and operations affect the planned costs calculated for the order.
Orders can be closed over or short, or they can be canceled if necessary. An order can also be completely deleted from the system if no cost has been charged against the order. Orders can be firmed to prevent rescheduling by Requirements Planning, or the firm status can be removed. Rescheduling of all incomplete operations is automatic when the due date of an order is changed.
ORDER TRACKING
A variety of on-line inquiry transactions display all relevant information regarding summary and detail information about each order. The issue status (required vs. issued) of all component allocations can be reviewed for expediting backordered material. The status of each operation can be retrieved for locating the order on the floor. Material, labor, and outside processing variances can be retrieved during the life of the order and after the order is closed.
A Work Center dispatch list shows the foreman a prioritized detail status of orders and operations scheduled or in-process at a specific work center.
A variety of additional on-line inquiries are also available to review all inventory (see Inventory Control) and labor transactions (see Labor Collection) processed for an order. In essence, the order tracking capabilities enable you to monitor and measure the entire performance of the production process.
Material Movement
The Work in Process module also provides a series of sophisticated inventory transactions that control movement of material to and from production orders. When implemented properly, these transactions greatly enhance the shop-floor feedback process in an on-line environment.
A Floor Issue transaction performs two transactions at once – an automatic receipt to stock of an item on a component order and then an immediate component issue of that item to a parent order. This transaction is useful in continuous processing environments where finished sub-assembly material is not returned to the stockroom but is immediately delivered to the next step in the production process. Purchased material can also be floor issued from the dock to the shop floor.
A Component Transfer transaction is also a two in one transaction. It provides an automatic component return to stock against one order then an immediate issue of that same component item to another order. In addition to keeping component allocations in sync, this transaction also transfers material costs. This transaction is normally used when expediting is necessary to compensate for unexpected shortage conditions; thus, requiring the transfer of component material from one order to another.
A Backorder Issue transaction provides the ability to browse through all WIP backorders for an item on the floor and issue the item wherever appropriate. Backorder issues are usually performed when material arrives late from the vendor or unexpected delays in the production process occur. Inventory personnel use this transaction to immediately fill selected open backorders for the item on the shop floor.
Material Picking provides a method of issuing material in a continuous or repetitive manufacturing environment. This method utilizes a “pull” philosophy for inventory withdrawal rather than the “push” philosophy found in job oriented shops. This is accomplished by allowing the person in charge of a production or assembly line to browse through the list of material required at an assembly area and selecting those components they wish to have delivered. Stockroom personnel then periodically request a Consolidated Pick List of all outstanding material requests. Inventory is relieved by the system when it automatically backflushes the Consolidated Pick List. A Breakout Report is also provided to distribute the consolidated pull to the assembly areas.