Scheduling Production Jobs

There are many resources and inputs for Production Jobs that must be configured prior to scheduling. Once one or more Jobs are ready for scheduling, there are multiple methods available. The primary method for scheduling jobs in DEACOM is handled via the Job Calendar. Three different calendars are available: Jobs Calendar, Jobs Inventory Calendar, and Master Production Calendar (MPC). The Jobs and Jobs Inventory Calendars show a single box per Production Job and display the Job based on either the Job’s planned start date, planned finish date, or the job’s due date (original planned completion of job), depending on the selection made in the "Date Based On" field on the pre-filter. The MPC allows users to schedule Production Jobs based on inventory and resource availability and due dates for Jobs. Calendars benefit users by offering a visual representation of production needs and available resources, including the availability of inventory.

Configuration

Production resources and availability schedules must be defined in DEACOM prior to utilizing the features in the MPC. These resources include:

Facilities - Facilities in DEACOM represent specific divisions, plants, or locations. In regards to production, all jobs must be assigned to a specific Facility. Facilities are created and maintained at Inventory > Maintenance > Facilities. In addition to general information such as address and phone numbers, the Facility master record may contain General Ledger overrides (optional) that allow for posting to facility/division/location specific sub-accounts.
Shop Areas - Shop Areas represent a collection of similar machines or Work Centers. Shop areas are created and maintained at Production > Maintenance > Shop Areas. Shop Areas must be assigned to a Facility, which may contain several Shop Areas. To setup a Shop Area:

Navigate to Production > Maintenance > Shop Areas.
On the Shop Areas form, click the "Add New" button.
Fill in all required fields, marked in blue, on the Edit Shop Area form.
Ensure the "Active" box is checked.
Click the "Save" button to save the Shop Area record.

Production Jobs - Production Jobs need to be entered in order to schedule.

Optional Configuration

Schedule Around Blackouts - This field, located on the Routings form (and available beginning in version 17.02.010) may be used to allow or prevent sequence scheduling during calendar blackouts.
Schedule Continuously and Allow Sequences To Shift - The Schedule Continuously field, located on the Routings form and the Allow Sequences To Shift field, located in Production >Options, (both available beginning in version 17.02.010) allow companies to use the Continuous Routings feature.

Process

Configuring the necessary resources and inputs

What are the resources necessary prior to scheduling?

Availability, Availability Exceptions, and Reporting - In order to use the MPC, it is necessary to define the hours that a resource type is available and, if necessary, exceptions to those hours. There is also reporting available for Shop Schedules via Job Reporting.

Operations, Routings, Lead Times, and Sequences - The MPC's scheduling capabilities are based on Routings since they indicate the sequence of Operations or steps and the associated resources that will be required to complete the Production Job. Prior to creating the Routing, it is necessary to define the Operations that can be performed in each Work Center.

What are the different scheduling inputs?

Schedule Sequencers - Scheduling Sequencers are used by the optimization wizard located on the toolbar of the DEACOM Master Production Calendar and provide planners with an option to prioritize how items on active production jobs should be scheduled.

Schedule Changeovers - The Schedule Changeover feature allows users to leverage the "Schedule Seq 1" field on the Item Master record and the operations listed on job orders to define what and when changeover steps or maintenance are required when jobs containing these sequences/operations are scheduled on the Master Production Calendar (MPC) in the system. Once a Scheduled Changeover is defined and Jobs containing items with the selected sequences and operations are scheduled, the system will search to find matching sequences/operations on the Schedule Changeover form. If a match is found, the system will automatically schedule a changeover/maintenance job on the MPC.

Configuring Safety Days - When items are configured for use in MRP, a value can be input in the "Safety Days" field of the MRP tab in Inventory > Item Master. If a number is specified in this field, the system will take the due date from the job and subtract the safety days to calculate the job's planned finish date. This field is particularly useful for scheduling purposes when using the DEACOM Job Calendars. Note that if an item contains a lead time (used in Routings) and safety days, both fields will be factored for calendar scheduling purposes.

Managing Job Schedules

What are the different scheduling methods?

Using the Master Production Calendar - The Master Production Calendar (MPC) allows schedulers to schedule production jobs based on inventory, resource availability, and due dates for jobs. It provides the flexibility to allow an experienced scheduler to manually manipulate the production schedule or for a user to quickly optimize the schedule using a number of different system driven inputs.

Using the Job Calendar - The primary method for scheduling jobs in DEACOM, the Job Calendar displays Jobs based on either the planned start date, planned finish date, or the due date, depending on pre-filter selections. The user may also adjust the desired job quantities as desired. User Calculations may be added and displayed on the Calendar. The calendar is displayed at the top of the form with unscheduled production jobs on the bottom. Users may drag and drop jobs from the list to the appropriate date on the calendar as necessary.

Using MRP - MRP (Materials, Requirements, Planning) is a production planning and inventory control system used by companies to manage their manufacturing processes. MRP systems are designed to ensure materials are available for production and to ensure products are available for delivery to customers. In addition, MRP helps companies maintain the lowest possible material and product levels, plan manufacturing activities, and manage delivery schedules. DEACOM’s MRP approach is to provide a filtered list of only those items requiring action by the user. These items include those that are purchased from outside suppliers and subassemblies that are components of other items produced internally.

Using Just-in-time scheduling - Just-in-time scheduling/production is a method used to reduce waste and increase efficiency. Goods are received only as they are needed in the production process. Using this method means that forecasting must be done very accurately. In addition, production runs stay short and costs stay down. This is because less money is spent on raw materials and less materials are ordered and stored for extended periods of time.

How can scheduling be prioritized and performed more efficiently?

Using the Optimization function - The Optimization wizard, located on the DEACOM Master Production Calendar toolbar, is used to automatically prioritize the order in which Production Jobs are scheduled, based on all necessary inputs and resources. Note that jobs with the Include in Optimization flag unchecked in Routings will not be changed.

How can a schedule be modified?

Routing sequences can be moved on the calendar three different ways:
- A scheduler can manually drag and drop the routing sequences on the calendar. If a multi-sequence job is being moved on the calendar, the user has the option to move individual sequences or automatically move all sequences when a single sequence of the job is moved. If a job's routing sequences are moved on the MPC, the Shop Area on the job header will be updated with the new shop area if all the routing sequences are now scheduled in the same shop area. Note that routing sequences may be scheduled across days on the production calendar if necessary. This allows for scenarios where production processes - for example, the drying or setting of paint or adhesives - will occur even when the plant is closed for normal production.
- The optimizing wizard in the toolbar can be utilized to automatically optimize the production schedule when major changes need to be made.
- The scheduling method, due date or planned start date are changed on an individual job.
Unscheduled routing sequences are shown in the grid at the bottom of the calendar. These sequences can be dragged onto the calendar by a scheduler.
Maintenance time can be managed through maintenance jobs. Maintenance jobs can be scheduled on the calendar by setting up a non-stock item with the routing for the time it takes to clean the work center. Non-stock jobs will appear on the calendar and can be manually managed by the scheduler.
When all changes to the calendar have been made, click on the "Save" button at the top of the form. The changes are reflected in the Date fields on the job.
The system allows all routing sequences for a job line to be moved from one work center to another on the Master Production Calendar. When a user moves a routing sequence from a job line, the system will display the following prompt: "Would you like to move all routing sequences for this job to this new work center?" If the user clicks yes, the system moves the routing sequences to the new work center.
- Notes:
  - If there are already other sequences scheduled on this new work center during the same time period that the new ones would be scheduled for, the system will not display the prompt.
  - Beginning in version 16.04.027, moving same-job routing sequences, where one or more sequences in the job are in different Work Centers, users will have the option to move all routing sequences as a group. In this case, users will be presented with the following yes/no prompt: “Would you like to move this job’s routing sequences in this work center to the new work center?” If yes is clicked, the system will only move the sequences on the current work center where the sequence is being moved from for that specific job. If no is clicked, the system will not move all sequences.

Diagnostic Tips

How are routings sorted when routings are automatically scheduled?

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.

Tip: The time between the current time and the planned finished time is included in the "elapsed time'' in the Master Production Calendar and Routings pushed past the current time do not have their suggested hours increased.