Routings

A Routing in the Deacom system is a series of predefined processing steps, listed in order of sequence, necessary to complete a Part. Each Routing step indicates the Work Center, the Operation that will be performed, and the processing rate for the item in units per hour. Each Routing step has a cost per unit based on the standard operation Labor rate, the Work Center’s hourly cost, and the processing rate. The sum of all the Routing step costs is the total Labor Cost per piece, which is stored in the "Current Labor" field of the Item Master Costs tab. Routings are attached to individual BOM Revisions, which allows for different manufacturing processes for different BOMs.

In addition to the Routings section in Inventory Maintenance, Routings can be created and maintained on the Routings tab in the Bills Of Material or the Item Master areas of the system. The security setting "Item master -- edit routing" controls access to this transaction in all locations. For information on how to configure Routings, refer to the Managing Routings Best Practice page.

Additional notes regarding Routings include:

  • If modifying a Routing via the "Routings" button on the Job, any changes are made for the Job only and do not impact the Routing group. These changes will be a variance from the standard cost.
  • If an item is a Feature part and modified by the Configurator after the Job is created, Routings are not automatically updated, but can be manually updated if needed.
  • Jobs must be saved before users can modify their Routings.
  • Operations for Jobs due on a certain day that are not scheduled are shown at midnight on the Planned On Hand Calendar view.
    • Example: A Job is created with Routings that are not scheduled, but the Job is due 5/29. On the Planned On Hand Calendar, these Routings will show at midnight on 5/29 for both "Date Based On" of Start and End.
  • When automatic scheduling of routings occur, the system will sort the routings by line number then by routing sequence. In addition, the system will check to see if the next line in the routing uses the previous line in its BOM. If it does, the system will pull in the route time so it does not conflict.

System Navigation

  • Inventory > Maintenance > Routings

Edit Routing form

Opened via the "New" or "Modify" buttons on the Routings form, the Edit Routing form lists all Operations that are assigned to the selected Routing along with several details, such as the associated Work Center, Units, and Hours (specified via the Edit Routing Sequence form) and the following:

  • Machine Cost - Calculated as Work Center Hourly Rate (ce_rate) * Routing Hours (r2_hours).
    • If r2_batch is true and ro_size <> 0, then use ro_size; Otherwise return 0 for the whole calculation.
    • If r2_batch is false and r2_pieces <> 0, then use r2_pieces; Otherwise return 0 for the whole calculation.
  • Labor Cost - Calculated as Operation Cost ($/hr) * Sequence Hours (hr) / Sequence Units (unit).
  • Piece Cost - Cost associated with manufacturing one Unit of the selected item.

Note: Documents attached to the Routing can be printed when using Document Groups by selecting the "Routing" option in the "Print Attached" field on the Document Group master record.

Button/Flag

Description

Add

Opens the Edit Routing Sequence form, which is used add a Sequence to the Routing.

Modify

Opens the Edit Routing Sequence form, which is used to modify the details of the selected Sequence.

Delete

Deletes the selected Sequence from the Routing.

Sort

Allows the user to sort the order of the Sequences for this Routing.

Same As

Allows the user to copy an existing Routing as a starting point, which can then be modified and saved as a new Routing.

Copy Seq

Allows the user to copy the currently selected Routing Sequence.

  • The new Sequence will initially be added to the bottom of the list, but may be sorted as desired.
  • The Edit Routing Sequence form will automatically be opened to modify or confirm the information for the newly created Sequence.

Copy Routing User Fields

If checked, when using the Same As feature the user fields on the routing sequence get copied over; if not checked values will not copy.

General tab

Field/Flag

Description

Name

Displays the name of the Routing, which must be unique.

Batch Size

Indicates the typical number of units produced using this Routing.

Facility

Indicates the Facility for which this Routing is used.

Active

If checked, this record is active. Only active records may be used in the system.

Recalc Batch Std. Labor and Burden by Planned Quantity

If checked, and "Inventory Costing" in System > Options > Inventory tab is set to "Standard Cost" or "FIFO Cost", labor and burden postings are re-calculated based on the Job's planned quantity (lj_planquant) as opposed to the batch size entered on the routing.

  • Allows a Routing to be setup with no Batch size, then when selected on a Job, scale to the Job quantity and appropriately relieve the Operation costs evenly, regardless of the amount of finishes being performed.
  • The formula with this flag checked should be the sum of the costs for each Sequence, calculated as follows:
    • For Sequences that are not flagged as "Batch": Operation rate + Work Center rate * Sequence Workers * Sequence Hours / Sequence Units * amount of Part that was planned.
    • For Sequences that are flagged as "Batch": Operation rate + Work Center rate * Sequence Hours * Sequence Workers.
  • Jobs that do not have Routings will have labor costs equal to the Item Master accounting labor cost times the amount produced.

Schedule Continuously

If checked, indicates this sequence should be scheduled together with other sequences on the same routing and without any gaps. A gap might be another routing sequence, blackout, or open space. This field applies when scheduling routing sequences manually or automatically (earliest, latest, etc.).

  • The "Allow Sequences To Shift" field in Production > Options must be unchecked in order to make this field selectable.
  • Once this field is checked, the "Lead Time" field on the Edit Routing Sequence form will be grayed out, reset to "0", and unavailable for entry since this feature will not work with lead times on sequences.
  • The scheduling of continuous routings will very depending on the setting in the "Lead Time Based On" field.
    • When scheduling the sequence after a sequence with a lead time based on start, both sequences must start at the same time.
    • When scheduling the sequence after a sequence with a lead time based on end, the end time of the first sequence must match the start time of the second sequence.
  • Earliest Available, Latest Available, and Optimize logic: When scheduling jobs automatically, if a place on the schedule can't be found for all sequences while maintaining the continuous logic the jobs should will not be scheduled.
  • See the Scheduling Continuous Routings help section for additional information.
  • This field was added in version 17.02.010.0000.
  • Note that shifting may cause many sequences to move.

MRP tab

 

Field/Flag

Description

Use MRP Settings

If checked, the system will adhere to the values on this record when this Routing is selected on Jobs when running MRP.

Job Minimum

Used in conjunction with the "Split MRP Jobs By Job Quantity" flag on the Item Master Properties tab to define the default minimum batch size, in Stock Units, for produced materials.

  • If the "Split MRP Jobs By Job Quantity" flag is not checked, this value will not be enforced.
  • If a quantity is entered below the value defined in this field, a prompt will appear asking the user if they wish to continue.
  • Users with the security setting "Jobs -- allow quantities less than job minimum" will be permitted to enter non-incremental quantities on Jobs.

Job Maximum

Used in conjunction with the "Split MRP Jobs By Job Quantity" flag on the Item Master Properties tab to define the default maximum batch size, in Stock Units, for produced materials.

  • If the "Split MRP Jobs By Job Quantity" flag is not checked, this value will still be enforced.
  • If a quantity is entered above the value defined in this field, a prompt will appear asking the user if they wish to continue.
  • Users with the security setting "Jobs -- allow quantities greater than job maximum" will be permitted to enter non-incremental quantities on Jobs.
  • If the "Use MRP Settings" flag is unchecked, the Job Maximum field in Item Master will be used instead in a Work Center Capacity Report.

Incremental Job Qty

Used in conjunction with the "Job Minimum" and "Job Maximum" fields to define the increment at which Jobs for this Part/Routing combination must be created and therefore constrain Job quantities to a multiplier.

  • Users with the security setting "Jobs -- allow non-incremental quantities" will be permitted to enter non-incremental quantities on Jobs.
  • Example: If the suggestion for a manufactured item is truly "247", the "Job Minimum" is set to "300", and this field is set to "50", the suggestion will be "300".

User Fields tab

Deacom allows the creation of user-defined fields that, once created, are available on various master data records such as items, Vendors, and Ship-to Companies. These fields allow companies to enter and store information outside of the fields provided in the system. User fields may be added via Tools > Maintenance > User Fields. 

Edit Routing Sequence form

Opened via the "Add" or "Modify" buttons on the Edit Routing form. When editing a Routing for a specific Job via the "Routing" button on the Job, several additional fields are available:

  • Due Date and Due Time - Define the date and time the materials are due for the Job.
  • Pieces - Defines how many outputs or pieces are needed to complete the Operation.
  • Planned Hours - Indicates how long the task should take to complete, which allows the system to compare the actual hours/dollars to the planned hours/dollars.
    • The Job Reporting "Job Cost Summary" report uses this field to calculate the standard labor.
    • When modifying an existing Job Routing, this field is read only.

General tab

Field/Flag

Description

Operation

Search field used to select the Operation, which supplies the standard hourly labor cost, for which this Routing is used.

  • Each Operation has a separate GL account for posting labor and overtime expenses.

Restrict To Work Center

Pick list used to determine if the selected Operation should be restricted when a user attempts to manually modify the Work Center on a Job Routing Step from the Job header. Options are:

  • None - User is allowed to select from a list of all Work Centers.
  • Work Center - User is only allowed to select from the list of Work Centers directly attached to the Routing Step.
  • Work Center Type - User is allowed to select from a list of all Work Centers that have the same Work Center Type as any of the Work Centers attached to the Routing Step.

Units

Defines how many outputs or pieces will be completed by the Operation in the time specified in the Hours field. If the "Batch" flag is set, this field will be grayed out.

Hours

Defines the amount of time required to complete the Operation. If the "Batch" flag is set, this operation will take the same amount of time for all jobs. Batch size or job size will not be considered.

Crew Size

Defines the number of Workers required to complete all Units within the Hours entered on the Sequence.

  • This field may contain up to two decimals.
  • This field is not required by the Deacom system but may be required based on individual customer requirements and SOPs.

Lead Time Based On

Pick list used to dictate if the "Lead Time" will be based on the Start or End of the Job.

Lead Time

Used in conjunction with the "Lead Time Based On" selection and the Master Production Calendar to indicate the lead time, in hours, for this Sequence.

  • Example: Assume there is Job with a "Planned Start" date of Jan 12 and one of the Job's Routing steps has a three day Lead Time (represented in hours). The system will indicate a "Due" date of Jan 15 on the Routing Calendar Detail form for this Job Routing Sequence.
  • Decimals and negative numbers are not permitted in this field.
  • If the "Schedule Continuously" check box on the General tab of the Routing form is checked, this field will be grayed out and unavailable for entry and the entry in this field, if set, will be reset to "0".

Unavailable For Next Sequence

If checked, the Work Center using this routing sequence on the Master Production Calendar will be unavailable for scheduling based on where and when Operations on subsequent sequences occur. 

Notes

Memo field used to store processing notes specific to this Sequence.

Batch

Used to indicate if the Operation being performed takes a set amount of time regardless of the "Batch Size" defined on the Routing.

  • When calculating labor cost
    • If checked, the system will divide the "Hours" specified on the General tab by the "Batch Size" on the Routing.
    • If checked, the "Units" field on the Edit Routing and Edit Routing Sequence forms will be grayed out.
    • If not checked, the system will use the normal calculation of "Hours" divided by "Units".
      • Example: Cleaning a machine after use takes 1.5 hours regardless of the "Batch Size".

Finishing

Used to indicate if this Routing Sequence is a finishing step.

  • When finishing Job lines, labor and burden costs for the sequences flagged as "Finishing" are totaled separately and stored in the new "Finishing Labor" and "Finishing Burden" columns available to the Job Reporting "Job Cost Detail" report.
  • Useful for customers looking for more labor tracking detail in the "Job Cost Detail" report.

Schedule Around Blackouts

Checked by default. When checked, routing sequences will be scheduled on the Master Production Calendar over non-maintenance blackouts. Routing sequences will be scheduled to start before a blackout and then continue thereafter.

  • The "Process Jobs Over Non-Maintenance Blackouts" field in Production > Options must be checked in order to use this field.
  • If this field is unchecked, the system will either move the sequences forward or backward on the calendar depending on the scheduling method and continuous logic below:
    • If any sequence on the routing is unable to be scheduled without crossing a blackout/unavailability period the system will not schedule the entire job.
    • When manually re-scheduling an already scheduled sequence or placing a sequence on the calendar from the list of sequences in the bottom grid of the calendar, and the user places the sequence in a spot that would result in crossing a blackout/unavailability period, the following prompt: "This sequence can't be scheduled across scheduled across black outs." will be display and the system will put the sequence back where it was, and not move any others.
    • When manually re-scheduling a sequence to a valid Work Center and the user answer yes to move earlier/later/unscheduled sequences the system will check the setting in this field to ensure schedule around blackout setting is considered.
  • Added in version 17.02.010.0000.

Include in Optimization

Used to indicate if the sequence is susceptible to the Optimize function in the Master Production Calendar. Defaults to True. When set to False, the selected sequence will remain in its initially scheduled time even if the Optimize function is used. 

Zero Cost

When checked, all machine, labor, piece, etc. costs will be set to zero and not appear in any labor cost roll ups.

Operation Complete

Only available when editing/adding Routing Sequences in Job Reporting. Used for reporting purposes to indicate that this operation, for the selected job, is complete.

  • Once checked, can only be unchecked by navigating directly to the specific routing sequence on the job and un-checking it.
  • In order for this flag to activate for selection, the user will need to select a Work Center and Operation that match those on the job's routing.
  • When the "Operation Complete" checkbox on the Edit Log On/Off Job form is checked for a Job Routing Sequence that matches the Job/Work Center/Operation then this filed will be checked.

Work Center tab

The Work Center tab lists all Work Centers and pertinent information to which the selected Sequence covers. At least one Work Center must be added to a Routing to save it.

Edit Routing form

Field/Flag

Description

Work Center

Search field used to select the Work Center, typically a specific machine within a given Shop Area, to which this Routing and the values below apply.

  • Only Work Centers with Shop Areas that belong to the Facility selected on the Edit Routing form will appear in the list as available to select.
  • Min Job Line Qty and Max Job Line Qty are available to set on the Work Center.

Units

Defines how many outputs or pieces are needed to complete the Operation for the selected Work Center. If the "Batch" flag is set, this field will be grayed out.

Hours

Defines the amount of time required to complete all Units for the selected Work Center.

Crew Size

Defines the number of Workers required to complete all Units within the Hours entered on the Sequence for the selected Work Center.

  • This field may contain up to two decimals.
  • This field is not required by the Deacom system but may be required based on individual customer requirements and SOPs.

Lead Time Based On

Pick list used to dictate if the "Lead Time" will be based on the Start or End of the Job.

Lead Time

Used in conjunction with the "Lead Time Based On" selection and the Master Production Calendar to indicate the lead time, in hours, for this Sequence for the selected Work Center.

  • Users can schedule overlapping Routing Sequences within the same Work Center. See Scheduling overlapping Routing Sequences for more information.
  • Users can schedule concurrent Routing Sequences for different Work Centers. See Scheduling concurrent Routing Sequences for more information.
  • Decimals and negative numbers are not permitted in this field.

Notes

Memo field used to store processing notes specific to this Sequence for the selected Work Center.

Inherited

If checked, will inherit the units, hours and crew size from the values on the General tab.

Default

If checked, this is the default Routing when this Operation is performed on the selected Work Center.

User Fields tab

Deacom allows the creation of user-defined fields that, once created, are available on various master data records such as items, Vendors, and Ship-to Companies. These fields allow companies to enter and store information outside of the fields provided in the system. User fields may be added via Tools > Maintenance > User Fields.