This feature is helpful for customers with a line-type scheduling approach
We've encountered certain customers who follow a line-type scheduling approach. Through collaborative sessions with these customers and their partners and a deep understanding of their processes, we've identified specific requirements that posed challenges with our initial VAPS design. This process revealed a plethora of potential features that could enhance the VAPS for more effective production line scheduling.
Recognizing the substantial amount of work involved, we opted to begin with a minimum viable set of features that would enable these customers to benefit from the VAPS immediately. Naturally, we plan to gradually expand this functionality with future releases.
As a first step in this direction, here's what we've implemented (and what we haven't):
Business Central setup
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Define the line as work center
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Define each “workstation” (i.e., each process step) as a machine center
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Flag the work center as “Production Line (VAPS)”
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Example:
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Work center = line 1
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Machine centers of that work center
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Step 1
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Step 2
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Step 3
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Step 4
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Step 5
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...
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Scheduling: We take the “line dependency” into account
Example:
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2 work centers flagged as “production line”
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Both with 5 machine centers: step 1 … step 5
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If the first operation of a production order is assigned to the machine center “step 1” within work center 2, all subsequent operations will also get assigned ONLY to machine centers within that same work center 2
Visualization: We also monitor the “physical dependency”
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Once production order 1 is on a certain line, it cannot be overtaken by production order 2
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Hence, on each machine center in that work center, the operations of production order 1 must start and end earlier than the operations of production order 2
How to cope with the limitations
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Two new color schemes
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Production Line Assignment -> gives a visual warning if the “line dependency” restriction is violated (e.g., multiple operations from one production order flipping between lines)
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Production Line Sequence -> gives a visual warning if the “physical dependency” restriction is violated (e.g., one production order overtaking the other)
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Recommendations
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Set your default routings in a way that the line assignment is granted
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Set alternate routing sets so that you can efficiently “fill” all your lines
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When doing line scheduling, trust the automatic scheduling
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Avoid drag & drop as much as you can
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If there are issues (sequence or line assignment violation), move the production order to standby and reschedule -> all line restrictions will be taken into account again
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