The fourth essential process for manufacturing efficiency is to coordinate your work centers.so that sequences are run in job priority order so that jobs are automatically expedited to meet their required dates.
All manufacturing companies have the same challenge
All manufacturing companies have the same challenge when it comes to running the shop – what job sequence should be run next in each work center? With lots of work centers and lots of jobs, this is not easy to do, which is why most shops rely heavily on manual expediting to get jobs through the shop.
Job sequences are assigned in the Work Center Schedule screen
Assigning job sequences to workers is done in the Schedule tab within the Work Center Schedule screen.
Job sequences are limited to Started, Ready, and Next status
Job sequences are listed by work center and are limited to those with a status of Started, Ready, and Next, which are described as follows and listed in this order:
Started
This status identifies job sequences that have been assigned to workers and are in progress.
Ready
This status identifies job sequences that are finished in the previous work center, but have not yet been started in this work center. These job sequences can be considered “on deck.”
Next
This status identifies job sequences that are in progress in the previous work center, but are not yet finished. These sequences are listed to accommodate situations where a job sequence can overlap and be run in parallel with a previous sequence.
Sequences are sorted by Priority within status
Within each status, sequences are sorted by ascending job Priority, which is calculated as follows:
Shop Days to Required – Remaining Sequence Days = Priority
A negative number means that remaining production time exceeds available shop time and therefore the job is trending late relative to its required date. Conversely, a positive number means that available shop time exceeds remaining production time and therefore the job is trending on schedule. Sequences are sorted lowest to highest Priority value so that jobs trending late automatically get greater priority without need for manual expediting.
Assigning sequences by priority optimizes shop workflow
When job sequences are assigned in priority order across all work centers, overall shop workflow is optimized so that jobs get finished on schedule without need for manual expediting.
Boosting your manufacturing efficiency
Coordinating work centers is an essential element in boosting your manufacturing efficiency. Instead of running the shop by guesswork and expediting, you run work center sequences in job priority order so that jobs are automatically expedited to meet required dates.
What to Do
Change status to Started when worker assignment is made
Assigning job sequences to workers is done as follows. Within Ready status sequences you always select the job sequence at the top of the list, which has the greatest priority. After the assignment has been communicated to the appropriate worker, click the button in the Status field to change the status from Ready to Started. This lets you know that the sequence has been assigned and is now in progress.
Update job labor as sequences are finished
Work centers can only be coordinated when job labor is updated as sequences are finished, which updates job priority values and work center queues.
Link:
Essential #6 - Track Job Labor
