Work Centers and Routings
Utilizing Odoo manufacturing module, one can produce a product in two different ways. One is via creating a manufacturing order via following simple default stages and complete the production or via customizing the work order by setting up work center and routing mechanisms. To use this advanced manufacturing procedure, one needs enable the routing and planning in the manufacturing settings.
WORK CENTERS
As the name indicates, Work centers are the Physical place situated in one’s business firm, where different manufacturing processes can be done. One can create their work center details with all its performance indices. Later they can use this data to analyze the efficiency and other details of each work center.
Configuration
Manufacturing->Configuration ->Settings-> Operations->Work Orders
One needs to activate the option work orders. Click SAVE to mark the changes. The change will be reflected in the dashboard as you can see below.
One can manage the work centers directly from dashboard. The user can perform actions and take reports directly from this dashboard.
One can either add the work centers via directly clicking the button WORK CENTERS in the configuration menu or via going to Manufacturing->Master Data->Work Centers
One can create a new work center via clicking the CREATE button.
A creation form includes the following fields: -
- Work Center Name: The field defines the name of the work center.
- Alternative Work Centers: Alternative Work Centers that can be substituted to this one in order to dispatch production.
- Code: The field defines the code for particular work center.
- Working hours: Define the schedule of resource. One can either change or modify the working hours via clicking the modify button.
Under General information tab
- Time Efficiency: The field is used to calculate the expected duration of the work order at this work center. For example: If a work order takes one hour and the efficiency factor is 100%, then the expected duration will be one hour. If the efficiency is 200%, however the expected duration will be 30 minutes.
- Capacity: Number of pieces that can be produced in parallel.
- OEE Target: Overall Equipment Effectiveness Target in percentage.
- Time before prod: Time in minutes for the set up.
- Time after prod: Time in minutes for the cleaning.
- Cost per hour: Specify the cost of work center per hour.
- Analytic accounting: Fill this, only if you want automatic analytic accounting entries on production orders.
- Description: Description of the work center.
So, once you start using this work centers, we can analyze what is happening in the work center via clicking any of the buttons shown below.
This helps in knowing on what’s going on and how efficient actually the work center is.
ROUTING
Routing have the records of the production operations or stages that one must follow in order to produce the finished product. During so, it enables the end user to record the time spend on each manufacturing action and know what the next step is. More than that, it adds a new view in which the end user can add different instructions related to the work, so that one can avoid any mistakes possible. This steps are usually done by the engineering manufacturing department. Thanks to Odoo features, that one can go into the details and keep track of everything, they did and what they need to do next, in order to make the process better. With an easy to use, intuitive interface, Odoo enables to set everything in few minutes and manage the manufacturing process.
Configuration
Manufacturing->Configuration ->Settings-> Operations->Work Orders
One can either create a new routing via directly clicking the button ROUTINGS or via going to Manufacturing->Master Data->Routings.
Each production process will have its own routes. That means each production will go through many work centers prescribed by the route and finally the product is completed. Every company will have their own manufacturing route for each product. They can configure it in Odoo and carry out their operations.
Click CREATE button, to configure new route.
- One can provide a name for the routing.
- Click “Add a line” to add operations to work centers and time frame.
Under the wizard, you can enter the operation name, select the work center and company.
Here, the duration of the operation can be set in two ways:
- Duration computation: In this method, one can calculate the time duration based on previous work orders.
- Default Duration: in this method, one can enter the duration manually.
Start Next Operation: Set to schedule the next work order after the previous one. By default, there are two types: Once all products are processed and once a minimum number of products is processed.
Description and Worksheet Tab
Under the ‘Description’ tab, one can explain the process involved with each operation. And under the Worksheet, one can upload the process flow as an attachment file.
Linking ‘Route’ to a Manufacturing order.
Linking a created route to a product is done in BoM. Under the Bill of Materials (BoM) one can add the ‘routing’ for a particular product.
Since the manufacturing order is based on the BoM, the system will follow the route specified in, during the manufacturing process. See the figure of a routing enabled manufacturing order.
Check the availability of raw materials via clicking on the “Check availability” button. And click ‘Work orders’, button to create all the work orders according to the routing.
Upon clicking the work order button, one can see the work center specified in the routing.
Click the work order to execute it.
Click ‘PROCESS’ button to start the production.
Click Mark as Done to start a new work order.