Routing

A routing is associated with a single item or bill of material that you build or maintain at a site. A routing defines the sequence of shop floor processes that are needed to build or maintain the item or bill of material, referencing each machine, operator and tool involved.

The shop floor processes in your business can change. You can create multiple alternative and supersession shop floor processes to build, or to maintain the item. You can also change the stage in the production process at which the item can be received into stock.

The cost of producing the item is calculated and displayed for each individual routing based on the costs in the routing.

When used with work orders, the routing provides powerful planned and reactive control over your shop floor process. You can switch resources used in your production operations on or off and suspend and reactivate the routing as required.

Create a routing

1. To add a new routing you can:

   1. Select Create from the main view or the split view.
   2. Select an existing routing, then select the Duplicate icon.

2. Leave the Status on the shop floor of the routing as In development. If you are duplicating a routing, Sage suggests you set the new routing to In development.

   Change an In development status to Available to use when the routing is complete and the coherence of the production operations has been confirmed.
3. Enter the routing Name.
4. Enter or select the Item or bill of materials the routing will be used to build or maintain, then enter or select the production Site.

5. Enter or select the most appropriate Time unit for building or maintaining the item.

   Building and maintenance costs are costed per hour.

6. Leave the Batch quantity as the batch quantity defined for the item-site or enter the batch quantity to build or maintain using the routing.

   The Batch quantity should be the optimal size of the production batch to be made using the routing.

7. Save the routing details.

   If you are duplicating a routing, the sequence of shop floor processes is displayed in the operations grid. Clear the checkboxes for any production operations that are not required. The operation resources are not displayed but they will be duplicated for the selected production operations. Select Duplicate. The duplicated routing is displayed. Go to Add business rules if serial numbers are managed for the item, otherwise go to Finalise a routing.

Add production operations

1. From the Operations grid, to add a production operation select Add.

2. Enter the Operation number.

   Use a number that provides a starting point for sorting an ascending sequence of shop floor processes. The increment should allow for operations to be inserted into the sequence if necessary. For example, start with Operation number 10 and use increments of 10 for subsequent operation numbers.

3. Enter the operation Name.

   The name could describe what the operation involves.

4. Enter or select the most appropriate Capability level the resource needs to perform the operation.

   The level should reflect the expected behaviours, practices and processes required to reliably and sustainably perform the operation.

5. Leave the default Setup time unit and Run time unit. This is defined as the most appropriate Time unit for costing the routing.

   You can enter or select a different Setup time unit and Run time unit that is more appropriate for the operation.

   Building and maintenance costs are costed per hour.

6. Leave the Production step switch OFF.

   Change the switch when the routing is complete and the coherence of the production operations is confirmed.

   One production operation needs to be switched ON. This indicates the operation at which the item being built or maintained can be received into stock.
7. Enter instructions appropriate to the production operation and links to any supporting documentation for building the item.
8. Save the operation details.

9. Repeat steps 1 to 8 until you have defined all the production operations that make up the sequence of shop floor processes needed to build or maintain the item or bill of materials.

   Alternatively, skip this step and assign a resource to the operation.

Add operation resources

A resource is a machine, an operator, a tool or a group of similar resources such as a set of operators that perform the same sort of work.

1. You assign a resource to a production operation. From the More actions icon for the operation, select Add.

2. Enter or select the individual Resource or resource group that will perform the operation.

   If you select a resource group, the resources assigned to the resource group are displayed.

3. Enter the Setup time needed to prepare the resource or resources assigned to the resource group before production actually starts.

   The time is expressed in the Setup time unit defined for the production operation.

4. Enter the actual Run time the resource or resources will take to produce a single Batch quantity of the Item.

   The time is expressed in the Run time unit defined for the production operation.

5. Switch the resource or resource group ON.
6. Save the resource details.

7. Repeat steps 1 to 6 until you have assigned all the resources to the operation that are needed to build or maintain the item or bill of material, that is, at this stage of the production process.

   Only one resource or resource group can actually perform an operation. Only one resource or resource group can, therefore, be switched ON.
8. Now add another production operation or Save the routing.

Add business rules

If serial numbers are managed for the item, select the Pregenerate serial number for work order checkbox if an operation in the routing uses or physically applies a serial number to the item as part of the production process. Serial numbers can then be generated as soon as an assembly line or production line order that uses the routing is approved for full production as a firm work order.

Generating serial numbers in advance of production is controlled from the work order. If you select the checkbox, serial numbers need to be generated for the work order before the finished goods can be received into stock.

Finalise a routing

1. When the routing is complete and the coherence of the production operations is confirmed:

   1. Check that one operation is set as the Production step.
   2. Set the routing Status as Available to use.
2. Save.

Edit a routing

You can control availability of the routing using its Status. For example, you can suspend a routing if it has become obsolete or the item it's used to produce is temporarily outsourced. You can progress existing work orders for a suspended routing however you cannot create a new work order for it.

Remember to recalculate the item-site costs when you change the Status to Available to use in case the costs have changed.

You can edit all other routing detail fields as necessary. If you are duplicating a routing, check the routing is correct and edit any fields as necessary.

See Create a routing, steps 2 to 7.

Insert a production operation

You can build and maintain an item in different ways from the Operations grid. To change the sequence of shop floor processes you need to insert new production operations into an existing routing.

1. To add a production operation, select Add.

2. Enter the Operation number.

   The increment used for existing operations should have allowed for operations to be inserted into the sequence. For example, increments of 10 have been used for the first and subsequent operation numbers.

3. Enter the operation Name.

   The name could describe what the operation involves.

4. Enter or select the most appropriate Capability level the resource needs to perform the operation.

   The level should reflect the expected behaviours, practices and processes required to reliably and sustainably perform the operation.

5. Leave the default Setup time unit and Run time unit. This is defined as the most appropriate Time unit for costing the routing.

   You can enter or select a different Setup time unit and Run time unit that is more appropriate for the operation.

   The costs involved in building or maintaining the item or bill of materials are costed per hour.

6. Leave the Production step switch OFF.

   Change the switch when the routing is complete and the coherence of the production operations is confirmed.

   One production operation needs to be switched ON. This indicates the operation at which the item being built or maintained can be received into stock.
7. Enter instructions appropriate to the production operation and links to any supporting documentation for building the item.

8. Save the operation details.

   Now assign a new resource to the operation.

Edit an operation

1. From the More actions icon, select Edit.

   • You can edit the fields that characterise the operation: Name and Capability level.
   • You can edit the time units assigned for costing the operation: Setup time unit and Run time unit.

   • You can switch ON the Production step. This identifies the operation at which the item being built or maintained can be received into stock.

     Set the switch when the routing is complete and the coherence of the production operations is confirmed.

   • You can edit the operation instructions and any links to supporting documentation.
2. Save the routing.

Edit a resource

1. Expand the operation to display the resource or resources assigned to the operation.

2. From the More actions icon, select Edit.

   • You can edit the Setup time needed to prepare the resource or resources assigned to the resource group before production actually starts.

     The time is expressed in the Setup time unit defined for the production operation.

   • You can edit the actual Run time the resource or resources will take to produce a single Batch quantity of the Item.

     The time is expressed in the Run time unit defined for the production operation.

   • You can switch the resource or resource group ON.

     Set the switch when the route is complete and the coherence of the production operations is confirmed.

     Only one resource or resource group can actually perform an operation. Only one resource or resource group can, therefore, be switched ON.

3. Save the resource details.
4. Save the route.

Delete a routing

You can delete resources, operations and a complete routing. You can only replace an obsolete routing with a new routing when the obsolete routing is deleted.

Consider the structure of the routing and the deletion hierarchy, for example if you delete an operation, the resources are also deleted.

• You can delete a resource or resource group from an operation:

  1. Expand the operation to display the resource or resources assigned to the operation.
  2. To delete the resource, from the More actions icon, select Delete.
  3. Save the routing.

• You can delete an operation from a routing.

  1. To delete the operation, from the More actions icon, select Delete.
  2. Save the routing.
• To delete a routing, select Delete.

Working with routings

Refer to the list of questions in this section for guidance on how to use your Sage Distribution and Manufacturing Operations solution to carry out day-to-day production tasks.

• Can I create an alternative or supersession routing?
• I need to make the item a different way. Can I change the sequence of operations in the routing?
• The coherence of the routing operations is in doubt. What should I do?
• I have several operators with the same skills. Do I have to specify just one of those operators to perform an operation?
• Can I change an operator, a machine or a tool?
• Can I optimise production by indicating which of the operators, machines or tools are more efficient?
• Can I optimise production by indicating when an operator, a machine or a tool resource is not available?
• An operation in the routing physically applies a serial number to the item being built. How do I obtain a serial number to use in the production operation?
• I need to provide specific instructions for the production team. Can I do this?
• Can I see costs involved in producing a particular item?

Can I create an alternative or supersession routing?

No. A single item can only have one routing defined to build or maintain the item, per production site.

You can duplicate a routing at a site, however the duplicate routing needs to be for a different stock item.

To build and maintain an item in different ways, you need to insert new production operations into an existing routing to change the sequence of shop floor processes.

I need to make the item a different way. Can I change the sequence of operations in the routing?

Yes. You can add and delete operations as required.

• Add or insert a new alternative operation with a unique Operation number.

• Delete the original operation if the change to the routing is a permanent change.

  Select Delete from the More actions icon.

The coherence of the routing operations is in doubt. What should I do?

Change the Status of the routing to Suspended. New work orders cannot be created for suspended routings however existing work orders can be progressed until they are complete and closed. When the order of the production operations has been corrected and the coherence of the routing is confirmed, change the Status to Available to use.

I have several operators with the same skills. Do I have to specify just one of those operators to perform an operation?

No. You can assign multiple operators to a resource group. You can then assign the resource group to an operation.

1. Assign each operator to the same resource group.

   An individual labour resource can only be assigned to a single resource group.
2. Switch the operators ON.

3. Assign the resource group to the operation.

   Adding a resource group to a routing operation fixes the list of resources in the resource group. You can switch each resource in the resource group ON or OFF in the resource record.
   To display new resources that have been added to an existing resource group you need to delete the resource group from the operation then add it to the operation again. All resources in the resource group are then displayed.

Can I change an operator, a machine or a tool?

Yes. A resource is an operator, a machine, a tool or a group of similar resources such as a set of operators that perform the same sort of work. You can assign individual resources, and a group of resources to perform or to be used for an operation. Only one resource can be active per operation. The active resource can be an individual resource or the resource group. You can:

• Switch the active resource OFF in the Labour resource, Machine resource or Tool resource record then switch an alternative resource ON.
• Switch an individual resource assigned to an operation ON. This automatically switches the active resource OFF.

Can I optimise production by indicating which of the operators, machines or tools are more efficient?

Yes. There are several ways you can do this. You can:

• Set an Efficiency percentage in the resource record for each operator, machine and tool.
• Set a Capability level in the resource record for each operator and machine. The level should reflect expected behaviours, practices and processes to reliably and sustainably operate machinery.
• Enter or select the most appropriate capability level the resource needs to perform the operation. The level should reflect the expected behaviours, practices and processes required to reliably and sustainably perform the production operation to produce the finished item.

Can I optimise production by indicating when an operator, a machine or a tool resource is not available?

Yes. There are several ways you can do this. You can:

• Set the Active from and/or Active to date in the resource record for each operator, machine and tool.
• Assign the appropriate weekly shift in the resource record to each operator, machine, tool and resource group. The weekly shift should be attributed to a daily shift which considers shift overlap, shift change times and incidents that regularly affect a shift such as training, holidays and machine downtime.
• Edit the routing to switch the individual resource assigned to an operation ON. This automatically switches the active resource OFF.

An operation in the routing physically applies a serial number to the item being built. How do I obtain a serial number to use in the production operation?

If serial numbers are managed for the item to build with the routing, you can select the Pregenerate serial number for work order checkbox in the Business rules block. As soon as an assembly line or production line order for the item is approved for full production as a firm work order, serial numbers can be generated from the work order for the planned production quantity in preparation for the start of production.

I need to provide specific instructions for the production team. Can I do this?

Yes. You can enter instructions for individual production operations when you add a new or edit an existing operation. The operation instructions are free-format and can include links to supporting documentation for building the item or bill of materials. The instructions are added to new work orders. Existing work orders are not updated with new or edited instructions.

Can I see costs involved in producing a particular item?

Yes. The costs involved in building or maintaining an item are displayed in the Routing cost summary grid.