The following answers some frequently asked questions regarding Process Execution.
The following answers some questions regarding firm planned orders in Process Execution.
Can the firm planned order be used as a material planning tool?
Yes. Although the firm planned order does not commit onhand inventory, it is a useful planning tool, since it serves as both a reminder of future production events and can be used to create batches. The pending supply and demand from a firm planned order is visible to and used by Oracle Process Manufacturing Process Planning applications.
Using the Firm Planned Order as a Planning Tool
A firm planned order is similar to a production batch in that it creates a time phased supply and demand of material . However, the firm planned order itself does not commit current onhand inventory. This distinction separates medium and long range demand from close range production batch demand. Inventory cannot be reserved against a firm planned order. However, the firm planned order can be converted into multiple, simultaneous, or consecutive batches. Therefore, it is possible for firm planned orders to be used for aggregate production planning or as a multi-batch entry tool.
Can you reschedule a firm planned order?
Yes. Firm planned orders can be rescheduled and subsequently modified using the Reschedule window available from the Firm Planned Order: Details window.
Reschedule or Modify Firm Planned Orders Quickly
The Reschedule window is used to change the Planned Start date or Planned Completion date fields. The application recalculates the field that was not changed. You can also scale firm planned orders that are not yet converted to batches.
Can you reroute a firm planned order?
Yes. A firm planned order can be rerouted using the Reroute option from the Actions menu of the Firm Planned Order: Details window.
When you select Reroute, the Recipe Validity Rules Summary dialog box displays and is used to select a validity rule with a different routing.
Can you scale a firm planned order?
Yes. A firm planned order can be scaled using the Scale Batch window.
The Scale Batch window enables you to scale a batch or firm planned order by a percentage or a specific amount.
The following answers some questions regarding Batch Creation in Process Execution.
Is it possible to get a list of all completed batches for a plant by financial period?
Yes. Use the Workbench Find Batches dialog box to list all completed batches in the defined financial period.
Display Batches Completed in a Financial Period
The Find Batches option on the Workbench can be used to find all completed batches in a defined financial period. Using the Advanced region on the Find Batches dialog box, enter the Actual Start Date with a Condition greater than or equal to the beginning of the financial period. Tab to the next row, and enter the Actual Start Date with a Condition less than or equal to the end date of the financial period. Click Find to list all batches in the defined period.
Does the application allow using up material that is near expiration?
Yes. By creating a batch with a defined input quantity, it is possible to scale a batch to use up ingredients before they expire.
Create Batches by Recipe, Product Output, Total Output or Total Input
The Create Batch/Firm Planned Order window provides the following methods to enter a batch or firm planned order:
Enter a recipe when a default output quantity is required.
Enter product output when a specific quantity of a single product is required.
Enter total output when a total quantity of all products and byproducts yielded by the batch is required.
Enter total input when the total quantity of all ingredients that need to be consumed is required.
Does the application support consuming ingredients in multiples rather than fractional units?
Yes. It is common for raw materials to be consumed in fractional quantities, but the Process Execution application also allows scaling and consuming ingredients in whole units.
Scale Batches by Increments
Ingredients are often consumed in full units of a specified size. For example, granulated sugar is available in 30-pound bags. When large production runs make relatively small variances in an ingredient virtually imperceptible, the application supports scaling to the closest integer quantity. Rather than specifying 87.2 pounds, integer scaling plans for 90 pounds, or three 30-pound bags.
Can a process be modeled on a process flow rather than material consumption basis?
Yes. By assigning an individual status to each batch step and interrelating steps with step dependencies, the application automatically maintains the in process status of each step based on the status of the steps dependent on it.
The following answers some questions regarding Batch Materials in Process Execution.
Does the application support automatic ingredient reservation?
Yes. The application can reserve ingredients automatically or manually.
Reserve Ingredients Automatically or Manually
Use automatic reservation to select lots without your intervention. Make manual reservations using the Item Reservations window and Select Available Inventory window. The Picking Rules engine provides the appropriate input parameters like Batch, Product, Ingredient, and Material Requirement Date for reservation suggestions that indicate the lots from which the material can be picked.
Can inventory shortages be managed from the shop floor?
Yes. The Inventory Shortages window displays a line by line summary of materials that have a planned quantity greater than available inventory.
Manage Inventory Shortages from the Shop Floor
Inventory shortages display in the Inventory Shortages window. Production Operators can determine the shortage and act on it immediately from the shop floor.
The following answers some questions regarding Ingredient Picking Workbench in Process Execution.
Can you automate the process of material staging to production?
Yes. Ingredient picking lets you automate, manage, and control the gathering of required materials for proper staging at their points of use. For some businesses, this process may not be required or may be unmanageable. The application lets you use the Ingredient Picking feature optionally.
Is the ingredient picking process available for non-Warehouse Management Systems organizations?
Yes. The Ingredient Picking process is available for both Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and non-WMS organizations. Inventory picking rules are used for non-WMS enabled organizations. When WMS is not used, some advanced features such as cross docking, rule based allocation, and warehouse picking task management are not available.
Does the Ingredient Picking process consider reservations?
Yes. The Ingredient Picking process considers the detailed level reservations. The system can be configured so that, if a detailed (subinventory/locator and lot/sublot are specified) reservation is found for an ingredient, then it is used to create the transaction and the picking rules are not used.
The following answers some questions regarding Batch Production in Process Execution.
Does the application keep inventory current for ingredients that are consumed incrementally in the production cycle?
Yes. Incremental backflushing provides a convenient method to keep inventory current for batches that consume ingredients incrementally throughout the time production occurs. Incremental backflushing is used to model continuous flow type production.
Keep Inventory Current with Incremental Backflushing
Incremental backflushing provides a simple method to record ingredient consumption and production yield as it occurs prior to batch completion. Incremental backflushing enables the timely entry of material transactions of ingredients for batches with a status of WIP, and eliminates the need to enter ingredient consumption quantities.
Does the application show batch production progress at a glance?
Yes. The Process Execution Workbench window provides a consolidated view of batch products, byproducts, ingredients, and steps. You can also view the batch progression from the Batch Details window by choosing Batch Progression from the Tools menu. If you install the Oracle Manufacturing Execution System for Process Manufacturing application, then this option is available.
Totally Integrate Batch Process Management
The Oracle Process Manufacturing Process Execution application manages the total batch production process from the material and nonmaterial resources. The Process Execution Workbench window displays batches in a single consolidated view. This allows viewing products, byproducts, and ingredients at both a summary level and at the individual step level.
The following answers some questions regarding Batch Completion in Process Execution.
Can a batch be reopened if someone accidentally closes it?
Yes. The Reopen Batch command is available from the Actions menu to reopen a batch that is closed accidentally. If the financial period for a batch is closed, then it cannot be reopened.
Reopen Closed Batches
When a production batch does not require additional processing, it is complete and must be closed to calculate actual production costs. If batches are closed accidentally, then they can be reopened by authorized users.
The following answers some questions regarding Inquiries in Process Execution.
Can a production schedule differentiate between pending and WIP batches?
Yes. The Production Schedule Selection Criteria window lets you select batches by pending or WIP status.
Production Schedule Inquiry Differentiates Pending and WIP Batches
The Production Schedule Selection Criteria dialog box enables the selection of the type and status of a production schedule. Production Supervisors can display firm planned orders and batches scheduled for production. The inquiry allows differentiation by status.
Is it possible to display all current work in process for the plant?
Yes. The Work in Process Inquiry searches for batches with a status of work in process.
Work in Process Inquiry Displays Specified Batches in Production
The Work in Process Inquiry Selection Criteria dialog box enables the search of batches by plant, document number, start date, and formula or routing used. The Work In Process Inquiry Details window displays relevant information about planned and actual dates for each batch step as well as required completion dates, so that the Production Supervisor can gain an overview of all work in process.
Is there an application tool to monitor variances in material production and consumption?
Yes. The Material Variance Inquiry enables the Production Supervisor to monitor processes outside expected production tolerances.
Material Variance Inquiry Shows Discrepancies Between Actual and Planned Batch Quantities
Production Supervisors use the Material Variance Inquiry to monitor material consumption. When a process is outside expected production tolerances, the inquiry assists in the troubleshooting of specific problems in batch production.
Can variances be viewed at the step level?
Yes. The Batch Step Variance Inquiry enables the display of variances at the step level.
Batch Step Variance Inquiry Displays Step Variances
Step Variances are a valuable diagnostic tool used to troubleshoot process flow issues. Failure to close batch steps or the inability to complete them in an allowable time helps Production Supervisors optimize work processes at the batch step level.
Is it possible to view bottlenecks in the production process?
Yes. The Resource Variance Inquiry enables the Production Supervisor to display variances in actual versus planned hours for each resource utilized in the batch.
Resource Variance Inquiry Identifies Resource Consumption Problems
The Production Supervisor runs the Resource Variance Inquiry to identify variations in resource consumption during batch production. By investigating planned versus actual hours used for each resource, it is possible to troubleshoot production bottlenecks and remove contentions for resources in a production run. The Resource Usage window enables management to examine relative efficiencies for a process.
The following answers some questions regarding Reports and Concurrent Programs in Process Execution.
Can materials be picked prior to release of a production batch?
Yes. Ingredients can be picked prior to batch release and is facilitated by the Batch Pick List report. The report identifies lots that must be picked and their individual warehouse locations.
Batch Pick List Report Identifies Lots Picked for Production
The Batch Pick List report helps the Production Operator identify picked materials prior to releasing a batch and serves as a guide to picking materials reserved for use.
Can you pick ingredients for a group of batches at once?
Yes. The Ingredient Picking concurrent program lets you pick ingredients for a group of pending and WIP batches that have open ingredient requirements.
Can you substitute ingredients in a batch with substitute ingredients?
Yes. The Item Substitution for Batches concurrent program lets you substitute ingredients in a batch with substitute ingredients that are effective in a given date range.
Does the application print a batch ticket?
Yes. The Batch Ticket report enables the Production Operator to sort batches by document number or by start date and batch number.
Batch Ticket Report Identifies a Sequenced Item Material List for All Batch Components
The Batch Ticket report lets the Production Operator list batches by document number or by start date and batch number. Each batch component is listed in sequence by item, planned quantity, and UOM. All steps associated with the batch are provided with batch operation and version, step quantity, and UOM.
Can you view production activities by recipe and start date for a specific time period?
Yes. The Planned Production Activity report shows all scheduled batch and firm planned orders activities for a defined interval.
Planned Production Activity Report Displays Batch and Firm Planned Order Activities Scheduled for a Specified Interval
The Planned Production Activity report lets the Production Supervisor review plant utilization by listing all batch and firm planned order activity for a specified time period including document numbers, start dates, end dates, and recipe usage are identified.
Can yield variances be monitored by batch document number?
Yes. The Batch Yield Variance report provides an analysis of accounting value and accounting yield for batches selected by batch document number or start date.
Batch Yield Variance Report Enables Evaluation of Total Value Variance
The Batch Yield Variance report calculates the sum of all value variances in a batch. Value variances are individual differences between the accounting value and actual value of planned or formula costs of product produced by a batch.
Can unusual usage variances be identified for production batches that have undergone material substitution?
Yes. The Material Usage and Substitution Variance report provides a comparison of all batches over a defined interval.
Material Usage and Substitution Variance Report Enables Evaluation of Material Substitution
By comparing total usage variance to total subvariances that result from ingredient substitution you can identify the impact of material substitutions on batch costs. The accounting unit cost must be current for this report to help Production Supervisors evaluate substitutions based on batch size and actual usage of material.
Problem
When transacting product completion using mobile, the pending product quantity does not updates according to the quantity entered.
Solution
For pending product quantity to get updated while using mobile, you must set the TXN_MODE parameter in the Application Developer responsibility to transact existing ingredient reservations.
To set the TXN_MODE parameter:
Navigate to the Form Functions window.
Query the function GME_MOBILE_CMPLT_PROD.
Click the Form tab, and in the Parameters field, check for the TXN_MODE parameter.
If the parameter TXN_MODE exists, set the value for this parameter as shown below:
TXN_MODE=PEND_LOT_ONLY to transact only existing pending lots
TXN_MODE=BOTH to create new transactions and transact the existing pending product lots.
If the parameter TXN_MODE does not exists, add the parameter, separating it from other parameters with a space.