Defining specifications for Process Manufacturing

Use the Process Manufacturing Specifications form to combine the formula with other production information, such as the route item, to define the finished goods that are produced.

A manufacturing specification (spec) is a combination of any formula, bill of material and route. The manufacturing spec can be called at batch creation and supersedes the use of the default formula, route or BOM. Additionally, you can complete cost rollups to calculate standard cost, replacement cost, etc. using any existing manufacturing spec.

For any finished good, you can have multiple specifications. For example, you can run the process on Production Line 1 or Line 2, with different machine run rates, different costs, etc. Therefore, different specifications are required for each production line. When you decide to process the formula using Production Line 1, the specification is used to automatically set all the values that are needed for processing on that line rather than Line 2.

To set up a specification:

  1. Open the Process Manufacturing Specifications form.
  2. In the header, provide an ID and a Version level for the specification. We recommend that the specification ID should match the formula name. Specify this additional information in the header:
    Description
    Provide a description of this specification. For example, the description could indicate the finished amount of the product as 12/16 OZ COPACK.
    Warehouse
    If you want to limit this specification to a single warehouse for pulling ingredients, production and packaging, select the warehouse here.

    Alternatively, you can specify different warehouses in different steps in the Processing grid.

    A warehouse is required when you create a production order, but it is not required when you create a specification.

  3. On the Parameters tab, you can customize the specification by overriding some of these values that are set in the formula:
    Manufacturing Class
    Select a class to associate with the formula. For example, if the formula is used to produce chamomile tea, you could associate it with the BEV class. Classes are defined on the Process Manufacturing Classes form.
    Manufacturing Subclass
    Select a subclass to associate with the formula. For example, if the formula is used to produce chamomile tea, you could associate it with the TEA subclass of the BEV class. Classes and subclasses are defined on the Process Manufacturing Classes form.
    Approved for Production
    This field must be selected before the specification is available for selection in production batches. The Approved By and Approved On fields are populated automatically when this field is selected. Authorization to update this field might be limited to certain users.
    Effective Start Date / End Date
    You must specify a start date. Specify an end date if, for example, this is a seasonal item where production ends, or the packaging changes, on a certain date. If the current date falls outside the range of the effective start and end dates, the specification cannot be selected for a production batch.
    Formula ID / Formula Version / Description
    Select the formula and the revision to use for the specification. The description is displayed.If you need to modify the formula, you can click Edit Formula to open the Process Manufacturing Formulas form.
    Revision Type
    This field shows the revision type for the formula. You can select a different option:
    • R&D Formula: Select this option to use the current active formula that is marked as Approved for Production. Only one version of each formula is the R&D revision.
    • Specific Revision: If you select this option, the Specific Revision field is enabled. In that field, select the formula revision number. Only Approved for Production revisions are listed.
    • Highest Approved Revision: This option automatically selects the highest revision number formula that is marked as Approved for Production.
    Override Formula Warehouse
    Select this option if you want to override the default warehouse from the formula.

    If this field is selected, then when a batch is created, the warehouse selected for the formula is overridden by the warehouse that is selected on the specification.

    Require Spec Sizes
    Select this option if you have equipment that can only handle the defined batch sizes, so the batch cannot be scaled up or down. This forces the user to select a predefined batch size when each batch is created. You can specify batch sizes in the Batch Sizes tab of this form.
    Route Item Override / Description
    If you want to override the default route item, select the routing item to use for this specification. The description is displayed. The specification uses the operations that are set for the route item.

    See Setting up routing items for Process Manufacturing.

    Route Item Source
    Specify the source of operations for the Route Item: Current or Standard. This value defaults from the Route Item that is set on the formula. You can override it for the specification.
    Default Staging Location
    Specify the default location for WIP transactions.
    WIP Item Override
    If Override Formula Warehouse field is selected, specify the override item here. This also overrides the warehouse defined for the formula.

    Then click Update WIP Cost BOM to update the cost definition for the WIP item.

    See Updating cost definitions for a WIP item or job order in Process Manufacturing.

    Formula Route Item
    This route item is defaulted from the selected formula ID and version.
    Formula WIP Item
    This WIP item is defaulted from the selected formula ID and version.
  4. Use the Processing tab to determine which finished goods – both co-products and by-products – can be produced using this spec for a batch of the formula.
    Note: You do not need to produce every co-product and by-product each time you use the specification for processing the formula. This tab provides information about what is possible.

    You might have a multi-step process, with several levels of WIP before the final packaging, or you could simply have a blend in a pack.

    Each of the lines in the grid has its own separate BOM and operations structure, as defined in the base application.

    This Processing tab also defines the standard quantities of each finished good. When you create a batch using the specification, you can change these quantities. The quantities on the spec are used as a template for the expected quantities that will be produced. These quantities can be scaled at production.

    Specify this information for the spec:

    Sequence
    This field shows the system-generated sequence number for batches that include multiple production ordered lines.
    Item / Description
    Specify the finished good, co-product or WIP item to be defined. The description is displayed.
    Warehouse
    Select the warehouse associated with this process step. This can be a different warehouse than the warehouse from which the raw materials will be consumed.
    Line Type
    Select one of these options:
    • Primary Product: The primary product is being produced.
    • WIP: A WIP item is being produced. This type of job typically has a formula associated with it. WIP is used for standalone items attached to a job that do not affect the formula.
    • Co-Product: This option is used for any co-product jobs that were defined during production batch creation. Co-products are scaled based on a percentage of the primary products.
    Default Order Quantity / U/M
    This is the expected output quantity for the finished goods. This value is set as the default value on the Process Manufacturing Create Production Batch form.

    The U/M is the standard unit of measure for the order.

    BOM Item
    Optionally, use this field to reference an item whose BOM will be used to produce this order. This field is used with the BOM Item Source field, to reference a common BOM that is used in packaging. When a batch is created, this information is used to override the production job, not the item's BOM.
    BOM Item Source
    If a BOM Item is specified, select one of these options to indicate the type of BOM referenced for this order line: Current or Standard.
    Base Weight
    This field shows the calculated Default Order Quantity in the system base weight.
    Base Volume
    This field shows the calculated Default Order Quantity in the system base volume.
  5. Use the Batch Sizes tab to define the different batch sizes that are applicable to this specification. These batch definitions are then listed in the Batch Size field on the Process Manufacturing Create Production Batch form.
    Sequence
    Specify the batch sequence. This determines the order in which the batch displays on the Process Manufacturing Create Production Batch and Process Manufacturing Production Batch Workbench forms.
    Production Sizing Method
    Select one of these methods of sizing to be performed on batches:
    • None: Do not scale or size the formula when you put it into a batch. Only the WIP item job is created.
    • Formula Gross: You must specify a quantity and unit of measure. The WIP job is scaled based on the Formula Gross field value. If the formula has any loss, the Formula Net value will be less. This method is used in cases where container size is a limitation, such as using a finite mixing vessel that is always filled completely. For example, if you have a 400 gallon mixing vessel and you always want to create a 400 gal batch, then select this option and set the Batch Size to 400 gal.
    • Formula Output: You must specify a quantity and unit of measure. The WIP job is scaled based on the formula output. This method is used in cases where you require a desired weight at the end of the batching process. This method takes into consideration the loss factors that you set up for the whole formula and for the lines in the formula. For example, you might specify that you expect a 5% loss in the formula during production, and you want to achieve, after losses, 200 gallons. The calculations increase the formula gross to approximately 210 gallons, in order to account for the loss and still achieve 200 gallons at the end of the batch.
    • Factor: This method multiplies the formula by a user-defined number. For example, if the formula is for 100 gallons and you want an output of 200 gallons, set a factor of 2. Every line in the formula is multiplied by this factor.
    • Quantity Ordered: This method sizes the formula to the production output quantity. You define the desired output on the Processing grid. The WIP job is scaled based on the requirements of the desired output.
    Batch Size
    Specify the size of the batch.
    Batch Size U/M
    Specify the unit of measure for the batch.
  6. Return to the Parameters tab and click Update WIP Cost BOM to verify whether everything you have set up so far is correct. This takes the formula and pushes it into a BOM.
    See Updating cost definitions for a WIP item or job order in Process Manufacturing.
  7. To confirm the setup, open the Items form and select the finished goods item. In the BOM View tab, drill down on the BOM View.
    If you do not see the packaging, formula and ingredients in the BOM View for the finished good item, then something is not set up correctly in your formula or specification. Typical problems can include forgetting to add an operation for the WIP item, or not setting up all the weight to volume U/M conversions correctly.

    See Troubleshooting Process Manufacturing.

  8. After a manufacturing specification is edited and saved, click Manufacturing Specification Costing Report on the form header to display the Manufacturing Specification Costing Report. This report provides estimated material and labor costing information for each unit of the production output.
After the specification is in production, you can return to the Process Manufacturing Specifications form and look at the Production History tab to see historical data about the production batch orders that have been created from a certain manufacturing specification.

If you select a batch and click Production Batch Workbench, the information about that batch is displayed in the Process Manufacturing Production Batch Workbench..

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