I have 4 machines that can run item A, B or item C.

Item A can run on 2 molds
Item B can run on 2 molds
Item C can run on 3 molds

I am trying to figure out how to setup the # machines for the routing. My original thought was to use the # of molds = to the # machines in Baan

So, I could create 1 work center where machine occupancy = 1
I could create 1 machine and 1 task
I could then create a routing for each of the items above
Item A would have the machine occupation = 2 (2 molds)
Item B would have the machine occupation = 2 (2 molds)
Item C would have the machine occupation = 3 (3 molds)

There are 2 problems with this:

1- now my total # machines (2+2+3 = 7), when I actually only have 4 machines physically available

2- for each item, the system will plan on the maximum # of molds to be available. Lets say today I run all 3 of item C's molds, and one mold for item B. The system would still think Im running 2 molds for item A, when I cannot, because all 4 of my machines are occupied with the other molds.

How can I get around this?

Hi Bryan,

is capacity planning your problem?
Then let me suggest another view on the problem:
as far as I understand the number of molds is equal to a production rate. In case one sequence lasts 1 hour we have:

Item A: production rate 1
Item B: production rate 2
Item C: production rate 3

When each machine has a daily runtime of 8 hours your workcenter has a total capacity of 4 x 8 = 32 hours. So capacity planning will be ok anyway.

Hi, thanks for the reply. Maybe this will clarify my problem...

Lets say Item A has 2 molds, and if both molds are running, I can make 100 units per hour.

So I set up item A as having 2 machines (molds), and having a run rate of 100/hour, or .6.

Now, lets say today, on the 4 available machines, I run 3 molds for item C, and only 1 mold for item C.

Now, planning assumes I am running 2 molds for item A, therefore my leadtime for the item will be based on 2 availailable machines (molds), when I am only running 1.

Baan thinks my run rate is still 100 per hour (.6 minutes each), when it is only 50 per hour (1.2 minutes each).

Dear Bryan,

Scheduling will always be headache in BaanERP simply because it's not designed to have finite scheduling. You'd have to buy BaanSCS Scheduler for that.

You can change the production rate per production order in the session Production Planning. I know this is not automatic but at least you can record it in the system

Rgds,
Paul

Bryan,

In BaanERP there are the Man- and Machine Occupations.
Together with that you need to change the Production Rate.

If you know for example for one week in advance the number of machines you want to use for each Item, then you could do the following:
- In Routing Operations (tirou1102m000) you copy 5 instances for each task (with SAME operation number and INCREASING sequence number)
- then adapt the effectivity dates for each of the 5 instances.
1 for monday, 1 for tuesday etc.
- and adapt the Man/machine occupations and the Prod. Rate related to the occupations. (doubling the occupation halves the rate..) for all instances.

When creating the production order, the Reference Date is important then. You should fill it with Monday, if you need the "monday-rate" etc.
Small drawbacks:
1. if you want to move the order to Tuesday, you need to change the Reference Date and regenerate the order.
(Regenerate will be done automatically, when you save the prod.order.). If you adapt the Start (or Requested End) Date before you save the prod.order, then this is not much slower than moving the prod.order.
2. You need to modify the Effectivity Dates of all operations each week.

I did not test the above approach, but I think it should work..!

To solve the capacity planning issue, you may either:
- check the Utilisation session, which can tell you per workcenter and per Day, or per Week what the planned capacity usage is.
If it is too high you may shift operations or production orders manually in order to level the capacity.
- and indeed SCS Scheduler (available for BaaN 5.0c) is able to take care of this automatically. With this you won't need to create all the routing operation instances.

Hope to have informed you
Regards Eddy

Never posted on my own reply....

Maybe there is a solution that works even more flexible:
Just define Quantity dependent routings.

I guess, that you want to use more machines in case the ordered qty is high, not.
So If you define for each Item 2 routings, one having machine occupation=1 and a slow Rate. And a second routing, for the larger production quantities, with machine occupation is 2 and a doubled Rate (halved Cycle Time).

Thus the number of machines it plans depends on the order qty.

Still you have to play with figures.
You should not plan orders with large order qties for each Item in the same time frame then of course.

If you overplanned a certain workcenter, you may either:
- force selecting the "slow" routing for that prod. order.
- or shift the prod. order

Succes - Eddy