To plan a production order effectively over the medium and long term, it's necessary to access the planning page, choose the production shifts, set the key dates, and assign sections and machines to each stage, ensuring optimal resource use and a smooth production flow.

Step 1: Accessing Production Order Planning

After the production order is created in the system, go to the Production Order page and locate the desired order in the PO table. Right-click the production order and select "Production Order Planning" from the context menu.

Accessing Production Order Planning

Step 2: Choosing Production Shifts

Select the production shifts that will be assigned to the production order. This step lets you optimize the use of available working hours and ensure a continuous production flow.

Choosing Production Shifts

Step 3: Setting the First Available Production Date and Delivery Date

On the PO planning page, it's essential for users to set two key dates that serve as the time boundaries for order planning, particularly for medium and short term scheduling:

• Start Date: Users must specify the earliest date the order can start on. This date marks the beginning of the production process and is essential for coordinating the manufacturing steps that follow.
• Delivery Date: Users must also set the date by which the completed production order should be shipped to the customer. This deadline is essential for customer satisfaction and for aligning the production schedule with delivery commitments.

By setting these two dates, users can effectively manage and streamline the production workflow, ensuring that every phase of order planning is carried out within the defined timeframe, from initial fabric preparation to final delivery to the customer.

The system lets you estimate the hourly throughput, start date, or end date required to complete the production order. Enter any two of the three inputs (hourly throughput, start date, or end date), and the system will calculate the remaining input based on the available time and production requirements. The estimate takes the previously selected shifts into account.

Setting the Start Date and Delivery Date

Automated Date Change Tracking: The system automatically creates a chronological log entry whenever a change to the "Production Start Date" or "Production Delivery Date" is saved. This ensures that no change is lost, accurately documenting the timeline from the creation of the production order until its completion.

Production Order Planning Logs

Step 4: Assigning Sections to Stages

To effectively plan the production process, you can assign sections to stages. This allocation of resources lets you streamline the workflow and ensure efficient use of available resources. The order cannot start being worked on inside a section until it has been assigned to that section. Once assigned, line and section supervisors can see the order in the orders queue on their monitoring app, so they can start working on it on the production floor.

Assigning Sections to Stages

Step 5: Assigning Machines to Processes

Select the machines you want to assign to each process within the production order. The required number of machines is calculated based on the section's efficiency and the production time. The system compares the required machines with the assigned machines and displays the difference. If the difference is positive, the order can be completed within the specified timeframe. If the difference is negative and shown in red, additional machines are needed to meet the deadline.

Assigning Machines to Processes

By using the functionality available on the production planning page, you can effectively allocate resources, estimate throughput and dates, and assign machines to each process within the production order. This ensures optimal planning, increased efficiency, and the successful completion of production orders within the system.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

• What's the difference between the start date and the delivery date?
  The start date marks the earliest point production can begin, while the delivery date is the date by which the completed production order should be shipped to the customer.

• Can an order start being worked on before it's assigned to a section?
  No, an order cannot start being worked on inside a section until it has been assigned to that section. Once assigned, it appears in the orders queue for line and section supervisors on their monitoring app.

• What happens if fewer machines are assigned than required?
  The system shows the difference between the required and assigned machines in red when it's negative, meaning additional machines are needed to meet the deadline.

• Does the system track changes made to the production dates?
  Yes, the system automatically creates a chronological log entry whenever a change to the production start date or delivery date is saved, accurately documenting the timeline from the creation of the production order until its completion.

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