Synchronize Feeder Line Flow Schedules with the Main Production Line

In flow manufacturing environments that apply lean principles, feeder lines are often employed to deliver raw materials and subassemblies directly to the main production line when they are required for the parent assembly production. The timing is driven by the line rates and flow schedules for a set of products.

You can create child flow schedules for the dependent demand derived from the parent flow schedules of the parent assembly. Use the Sync Feeder Lines action for the parent production line to create child flow schedules for the specified period.

The scheduled process for feeder line synchronization initially determines the items to schedule based on the pull components with their own work definitions. The logic then generates subassembly schedules according to the sequence of the parent assembly schedules to be produced on the line. The need by date of the child flow schedule on a feeder line is determined by taking into consideration the parent assembly flow schedule slot for a specific day, the total number of operations for its work definition, the operation at which the component is needed, and the line capacity of the parent production line.

For example, the tablet assembly line makes a set of tablet products. The feeder line synchronization logic identifies the flow schedules of the tablets on the tablet assembly line and generates the flow schedules for the motherboards that come from a feeder line.

To sync feeder lines for a production line:

1. In the Work Execution work area, select Manage Flow Schedules from the Actions menu.
2. On the Production Lines page, click the Actions menu icon for the parent production line and select Sync Feeder Lines.
3. Select a date range by specifying the From Date and To Date.
4. Click Submit.
   The request to synchronize the feeder lines is submitted.
5. To view the flow schedules created for a feeder line, click the Actions menu icon for the feeder line and select View Flow Schedules Summary.
6. Click a date to see the flow schedules for that day.
   Each flow schedule row has a reference to the parent schedule for which it was created.

What to do next

You can re-run the feeder line synchronization scheduled process to re-create the flow schedules for subassemblies after resequencing or rescheduling a flow schedule of the parent assembly. You can also manually reconcile any resequencing or rescheduling changes to subassembly flow schedules that impact the parent flow schedule.