PPC Production Control for Shop Floor   

 

Our solution portfolio focuses on functions to improve the quality of planning in production and the supply chain. There is often a fluid transition from planning to the actual production execution in the workshop or at the manufacturing line. In addition, any scheduled or unscheduled production activity can influence the planning situation and require the intervention of the planner.

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Therefore, a complete separation of planning and execution is not mandatory.

In general, features for planning and execution are strictly separated. In many scenarios, this is dictated by a separation of responsibilities. But it can be useful to carry out both activities on the same or a similar platform.

The module “PPC Production Control” is particularly attractive for customers who are concerned with the issue and looking for synergies between planning and execution solutions:

During confirmation:


It is easier to find and edit the correct order to be confirmed with a tool that offers a transparent overview of the planning situation (e.g. the exact sequence of scheduled orders on a production line). This is particularly useful when planned values are also used for confirmation, for instance in backflushing. If the planned figures accurately reflect reality, then actual activities can be equated with planned activities to spare the high costs of entering every deviation in detail.


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Basic confirmation from the overview of the production plan

Functions:

  • Implementation of time event and activity confirmations
  • Booking of scrap and material consumption
  • Visualisation of occurred confirmations
  • Projection of the impact of confirmations on yet open, dispatched operations

During material staging:

The material staging can be regarded as the final step of planning. Despite a feasible sequence in the detailed planning with component availability checked on stock, shortfalls in the material supply to the production site can still occur during execution. Making such cases transparent and drawing consequences for planning (in this case the change of the order sequence) is vital for sustaining production without unnecessary delays.

An important aspect is the easy handling of the module: the staging of material is triggered from the planning representation (order sequence) through a simple click or with a few intuitive steps. The user benefits as well from easily accessible information about existing control loops that specify the supply location and type.

The material staging by kanban control according to the just-in-time/just-in-sequence principle is effectively performed with the PPC Production Control.


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Material staging via kanban from cockpit


Functions:

  • Determination of component availability in production: production storage locations and bins, production supply areas (PSAs)
  • Finding control cycles for the replenishment of component stocks according to the kanban or JIT/JIS principle
  • Initiation of stock transfer for the material staging to produce the planned operation sequences without undue delay
  • Documentation of occurred material staging

During rescheduling in the short-term horizon:

Detailed display of the situation on the shop floor via the current production status (released, confirmed) on order and operation level; integrated alerts indicate problems or difficulties concerning the predefined production plan:
  • in tabular form with traffic lights
  • in graphical form on the timeline with colour control for exceptions

Key figures are determined dynamically. For example, the range of available components for capital binding stocks in production is recalculated with a change of sequence. In the comparison of planned and actual data, the effects of plan variations for activities of the orders yet to be performed are established.


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Current status information of scheduled orders in the production plan on order and operation level

Due to the increased transparency, exceptional situations are easily recognised, and actions can be easily triggered (graphically or in tabular form):

  • Rescheduling to other resources/machines, e.g. in case of machine failure
  • Change of sequence to avoid set-up times
  • Deallocation (undispatch) of operations with problems
  • History and analysis of executed rescheduling


The following points can be clarified with the help of the PPC Production Control:

  • Which orders are scheduled next on which production lines/work centers?
  • What is the work progress of the orders and which confirmations have been booked?
  • Are the orders up to now included in the production plan or have some variations influenced further production (e.g. the orders already processed had excessive scrap or delays)?
  • Has the material staging occurred yet
    • If not: Which components must be transferred and how will they be provided?
    • Are problems during the material staging expected (e.g. stock too low, components at the wrong storage location)?