IFS Part Configurator and Part Serialization

Hi yperez!

These are really two separate topics, and within Part Configuration, a few more topics.

For serialization:

Consider why you’re serializing, and make sure you’re not confusing serialization with lot/batch.

A serialization need may be because of a purchased manufacturer’s warranty, and you need to track serialized parts that you sold to your customers, whether by the part or assembly.

Once you make a part serialized, it’s serialized throughout the system, and all parts really become a “part number-serial number” combination. If it’s a Purchased part, each part is received as a part/serial combination, inventoried, sold, and aftermarket serviced and warrantied as that combination.  Serial parts also have a caveat that if they are components going into a manufactured part, then the manufactured assembly ALSO needs to be serialized, and if that assembly goes into another parent assembly, it too, has to be serialized, and so forth to the end item.

Configuration is another topic:

 IFS has a pretty robust configuration rule engine, allowing you to create multiple manufacturing structures, generally tied to Orders within a Dynamic Order Processing (DOP) structure that maintains the configured build.  On top of that, there’s a Sales Configurator rule engine that limits sales configurations, (If you pick “red” you can choose option “A” or “B”, but if you pick “blue” you can choose option “C” or “D”.) These configuations tie, then, into the DOP configurations to get you to a custom build. (Red paint, option A has assembly A1, A2, and A3… etc.)

Bottom line, you can serialize without having configurations, and vice versa. So I’d separate the two, and build your processes individually.

This might come in handy as well, we have made a “CTO for Dummies” step by step setup instruction. Not really advanced but this is considered a good starting point.

Anbouk.. I have question “Can a part that has been serialized be un-serialized later?”