5. Planning
Planning is one of the most important building blocks of FlowOpt. We provide a real time planning, which shows the current status of planned and pending orders or projects.
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In FlowOpt, planning is based on the end product that is determined via the sales order line or project. Of course we also support make-to-stock, where there is no relationship with a customer order.
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The entire Flow is planned under a Master Job ticket (the final product) according to the principle described below, based on a capacity limitation or without a capacity limitation, where any overload will have to be managed by the planner. The principle is always that we schedule up to 80% of the available capacity, but this can be set flexibly.
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Because the entire Flow is planned in one go, it can also be moved very easily from or to the point where the order is currently located. An order can be changed to a rush order, so that it is given absolute priority during execution, or an activity can be given priority. Cells or machines can be changed and activities can be outsourced and monitored. The capacity can be temporarily increased/decreased and the lead time of an activity can be extended or shortened.
The planner always gets a clear insight into the details of the orders to be executed and the status of the execution of the orders. Through a specially designed dashboard, proactive action can be taken by warning of upcoming problems or problems to be solved.
The planning principle in FlowOpt
The total Flow of the activities to be performed is determined based on Job Tickets, which are generated based on the process times defined in the Process Map or Product Bill of Process.
Each Job Ticket must begin at its scheduled start time and is scheduled to be completed at its scheduled end time.
The processing or touch and non-touch time is estimated by using the required capacity clusters per unit time in relation to the total defined process time. By convention, the touch time is displayed at the end of each Job Ticket and is scheduled accordingly.
When the Job tickets are scheduled with capacity constraints, gaps can arise between the scheduled end time (SCC in the schedule) and the determined end time of the job (SCD) (this is the time that the process must be completed in order for the start of the job). not jeopardize the next downstream Job Ticket). When planning without capacity limitation according to the classic backward and forward planning method, the planned start time is determined by default at the latest possible start time and there will be no gaps between the planned end time and the planned end time are (they remain the same).
The critical path is defined by calculating the planned start time of the earliest process and comparing it to the (earliest) start time of each branch. Only when the start time of the branch of which the Job Ticket is part is equal to the authorization time of the earliest process, the Job Ticket is on the critical path. The critical path depends on the net available capacity in the allocated cell, so this means that the critical path will not always be the same when planning a specific end product.
When planning with capacity constraints, there is no classic slack because only backward planning is used and therefore no earliest start/end times are calculated (only latest start/end times). But because WIP is introduced at the end of some Job Tickets, a new kind of slack is defined. This is the waiting time that will be created before moving to the next downstream Job Ticket because the Job Ticket has been moved to earlier, due to lack of capacity.
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Downstream in FlowOpt means the next Job in the process. In the drawing, the process (the flow) starts at the bottom and ends at the top, so an inverted representation.
How does this work in FlowOpt ?
What are the options in FlowOpt
The planner is given the option to schedule orders or projects himself and to change/replan existing orders. In addition, the planner can use simulations to see the impact of new orders or urgent orders and temporarily reserve capacity for expected orders. Through the capacity monitor we provide insight into the existing alloation and all details of the jobs.
The planner can use the dashboard to monitor current orders and intervene where necessary.
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The training is divided into the explanation of the following functionality:
Simulate and Plan
In the explanation below we show how you can simulate assignments, how to reserve capacity and how to actually schedule them.
In order to plan, you need ERP products, Planning Products and the Process Map or Bill of Process. Of course, the complete basic set-up must also be in order. The explanation about this can be found on the page System setup.
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simulation
FlowOpt supports the possibility to simulate orders or requests before committing a date to the customer. This function is also available to the scheduler, directly from the capacity monitor. Simulation can determine a possible delivery date or verify the feasibility of a desired delivery date. Simulation is performed based on a generic or specific Bill of Process, in which the process of a comparable or the requested product is recorded.
The slides below explain how the simulation can be executed.
Scheduling
FlowOpt supports real-time scheduling of production orders based on a requested or specified delivery date or start date. The planner can directly schedule orders for several products simultaneously with or without capacity limitation of the different cells or machines. If desired, a sales order can be generated so that customer specific production orders can be followed up by both the planner and the salesperson and the salesperson can inform the customer directly if there are changes in the planning.
The slides below explain how the planning can be carried out.
The capacity monitor
This gives a good view of the allocation of the cells/machines plotted over time. This indicates a possible overallocation and the planner can see in detail what is causing it and take the necessary measures. Measures include temporarily expanding capacity, rescheduling or reassigning the job to another cell/machine, or possibly outsourcing the activity.
If desired, the effect of using a rush order or reworking products/activities can be seen. The scheduler can also simulate orders for stock products or schedule and reserve capacity for potential orders.
The slides below explain what the options are and how they can be used.
Tracking the Jobs (MCT Map)
The follow-up of the planning and execution of the jobs can be done via the Manufacturing Critical Time (MCT) map. The map shows the complete flow of jobs as a Gantt Chart or as a QRM map and shows the current situation in relation to the planned flow. It is also indicated where we are late, how much spare time we have and what the critical path of the order is. The planner can immediately take measures from here and replan the jobs or give them extra time, so that the required capacity for the order can be taken into account and the customer can be informed about the status.
The slides below explain what the possibilities are and how the maps should beinterpreted how to intervene in case of issues.
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Follow-up of production and rescheduling of jobs​
This is a section showing how you can monitor production with FlowOpt for all cells/machines or for specific cells/machines. We use this to show what the problems or impending problems are and indicate what should be done to solve the problems. Here you can also learn how to reschedule and what its effects are.
scheduling
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reschedule