Question

How to work with length materials on Shop Order?


Userlevel 4
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IFS Product Structure Components has a field “Qty per Assembly”. This is converted into “Qty per Assembly” on Shop Order Materials. The Shop Order can have a Lot Size and this leads to a “Qty required” on Shop Order Materials. This is OK for UoM PCS, but how would this work with UoM meters?

Example: Component UoM = “m” and “Qty per Assembly” = 0,2 m. Lot Size = 5 so my “Qty required” = 1 m, but Shop Order doesn’t need 1 m. It needs 5 x 0,2 m!


12 replies

Userlevel 4

I can see the issue, but where this is problem?
Worker can see from system or paper, that it need’s 5x0,2, I assume.

From store that is roll etc and from there it’s needed as 1m.

I had same thing earlier, but that was configured product, and there is possible to add several lines on strucutre and create rules for those.

One option could be custom event, what will multiple some lines and adjust qty’s.

Userlevel 7
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How are these components stored in inventory? Are they stored as pre cut pieces of 0.2 m? If so I think they should have UoM pieces. So you will issue 5 x pieces of 0.2m component. 

If they are stored in other lengths and cut to 0.2m pieces on the shop order maybe it is correct to issue 1m from inventory and then just have a work instruction connected to this material line to clarify they should be cut and assembled into lengths of 0.2m

Userlevel 4
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Component is cable on a role. Problem is on the Pick List for the Warehouse as they are supposed to deliver 5 x 0,2 m. to (Clean Room) Assembly.

Userlevel 7
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Okay, thanks for the clarification. That means it's basically a matter of communicating this information to the warehouse. The pick list XML file should have the Qty per Assembly information available to include on the pick list print out if you configure the layout. In apps 10 pick list only half of the information available in the XML file is actually included in the default layout.

Maybe also a document text or similar can be used to make this information flow through on the pick list to the warehouse personnel. 

Userlevel 2
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I am facing this problem often. My answer is always: the information must be transported outside of IFS. Because the problem is not only the information about the needed quantity, but also about the reservation and disposition.

Example: You have coils with rope in your storage. Some coils have 100 m and some 500 m. The parts are handled with lot/batches. Therefore you have two lines in your inventory: one with 500m and one with 100 m. The batch with 100m is the oldest batch. You always cut the rope from the coil if you need it. After a few days you have one coil with 30 m and one coil with 500 m. If you create now a shop order which needs 40 m per assembly, you cannot take the first batch, you must take the second batch. But the automatic reservation is going to reserve 30 m of the first batch and 10 m of the second batch. This means someone must cancel the reservation manually or you must use pick by choice with pick list. But it gets worse. If the second coil also only contains only 30 m, IFS would not create a purchase order requisition after the MRP, because the MRP thinks, that you have enough quantity in stock (30+30 > 40).

One idea was to set an availability control id for batches which are lower than the common needed quantity per assembly. In that case you could control that no one can reserve/pick automatically and that the quantity is not seen for disposition. But this is also a lot of manual work…

Userlevel 7
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@SAFIDE  The scenario described where 30 m of one batch and 10 m of another batch is reserved can be avoided by setting the Component Lot Rule in Part window to One Lot Allowed. Then system will reserve the entire quantity of 40 m from the 2nd batch of 500 m in your example.

Userlevel 2
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@Björn Hultgren  This would mean, that only one component lot per shop order is allowed, right? I am searching for: onky one component lot per parent assembly. Because if I produce 2 pieces of parent part I need 2 ropes with each 40 m. The 2 ropes can be from different lots.

Userlevel 7
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That is correct @SAFIDE . So having lot size over 1 PCS would not be solved by this. I think you should create a request for future development to be able to limit reservation logic to only reserve in multiples of the component quantity per assembly!

As for the information requirement to provide the warehouse information on how to cut the component I think a phantom level can be used. So, you create a phantom part like “40 m Rope” with UoM PCS that consist of the real component part “Rope” measured in meters. Shop Order of 2 PCS would then be created with exploded phantom to require 80 m Rope, but you would have the phantom part information available on the pick list line providing the warehouse information to cut the rope into 40 meter pieces. Note that in the default layout phantom part is not visible. But it is available in the XML.

 

Badge +2

We are trying to find a solution for similar situation.  In our case, we cannot mix lots of raw material.  For instance, we have two lots of the same raw material in stock ABC and XYZ.  Both have 50 mg, so we have a total of 100 mg in inventory BUT we cannot mix the lots to make product.  If Planning creates a shop order that required 80 mg of material, there is enough total inventory, but it cannot be used because we cannot mix lots.  How can we set this up so that our planning folks can see that the job cannot be completed with the current inventory and they don’t release the job?  We would also want our purchasing group to see the demand for more material.

Userlevel 4
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Hello, we are facing the same issues as described by @Safide with different types of items handled in uom "m" like electric cables, hydraulic hoses... 

In the in-house cutting scenario, there is another limiting factor. Most metal profiles have a standard length of 6 m. If you have low demands with various length like 3, 4 or 5 m already the purchasing needs to manually match demands and supply to make sure enough supply is guaranteed. The longer the lead time or the higher material cost, the more relevant. @Björn Hultgren: What solution do you propose to handle this scenario? Batch balancing? 

As an additional requirement, we purchase  metal type raw material cut to length from our sub suppliers. In this scenario the demand is directly defined by the shop order line. (could be a customer order line demand with an intercompany scenario as well). So the information about x times length of y needs to be transported to the supplier. (3rd party or intercompany) 

When receiving to warehouse, the material needs to be reserved for the demand as it is only usable for the original specific demand. 

At Doppelmayr we have done a customisation to handle this. I would be happy to share with RnD to support cut to length material in future versions of IFS standard. 

Userlevel 7
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@BJHnatkovich  

You can try to setup the manufactured part with Component Lot Rule = One Lot Allowed. This will ensure the shop order will not reserve from more than one batch. However MRP will still believe you have sufficient material though.

What you potentially use is the shortage handling. (Select Shortage Notification for the component part.) when the full quantity cannot be reserved I believe the line should be marked as shortage and visible in Inventory Parts with Shortages window.

 

Userlevel 7
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@JohannesWittwer  Yes Batch Balancing could be an option. It is useful when you have a supply of a component part that you want to distribute so that it is used up completely by parent demands. Typically the lot sizes of the parent demand shop orders would be adjusted to match the available component quantity available on a purchase order line. 

You second scenario with the metal type that is cut to specific lengths by the supplier sounds like a configurable part might be required. And the length is defined as a configuration characteristic. A DOP order would be required to ensure the purchased part is automatically reserved to the correct parent demand.

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