The manufacturing processes that comprise your custom and standard manufactured items are defined in the Routing tab of the Bills of Manufacturing screen. Each routing process is assigned to the work center in which it is performed or to a subcontractor who performs the process outside your shop.
Most work center activities can be defined with standard processes
Most work center activities can be defined as a set of standard processes. A machine, for example, is capable of performing various processes that can be applied to many different items. The same principle applies to assembly type work centers where common tasks can be applied to many different items. Standard processes can be created on the Processes tab within the Work Centers screen.
Most subcontractor activities can be defined with standard processes
Subcontractor processes such as painting, plating, and heat-treating can be defined as standard processes on the Processes tab within the Subcontractors screen.
The Routing Generator enables rapid selection from standard processes
The Routing Generator in the Bills of Manufacturing screen enables rapid selection of standard processes from each work center or subcontractor used in the item’s process workflow. So instead of painstakingly creating each routing process from scratch, standard processes are selected and then edited as needed to suit the item being made.
Each standard process can be extensively documented
Standard processes enable you to extensively document production details, all of which eventually flow through to the job traveler for the benefit of workers out on the shop floor. Within work center processes you can define setup time, cycle time, job traveler notes, and you can break the process into discrete tasks. Within subcontractor processes you can maintain the supplier price, lead days, traveler notes, and PO notes that eventually flow through to the PO that gets generated in the Job Subcontracting screen.
Use standard processes to reflect machine cycle time variations
With some machines you can define a set of standard processes that reflect all the possible cycle times that vary according to material size or other characteristics.
Standard processes provide mass maintenance capabilities
Using standard processes enables you to compare and maintain identical or similar processes across multiple items. In the Processes tab within the Work Centers or Subcontractors screen, you can click the Process Where Used button to view all the items where a process is used. You can use the Process Replace screen to replace a process with another process across all items that use the process.
Standard processes provide consistency to your routings
Using standard processes helps impose a consistency to your process descriptions, task breakdowns, and job traveler notes.
Developing standard processes takes time now, but saves in the long run
Before you rush into creating item routings, spend as much time as possible developing a library of standard processes because it will save you a great deal of time in the long run with routing generation and maintenance. Not only will you save time, but you will have consistent and thoroughly detailed job travelers and purchase orders that enhance efficiency out on the shop floor and with your subcontract suppliers.
