Defining Option Combinations

Start Manufacturing > Assembly Control > Option Combinations (tiasl1510m000).

Use this session to display option combination codes and their descriptions. An option combination is a grouping of product options, for example, color or style, that are related to an assembly order. Each option combination is either a single option or a combination of other option combinations.

To define option combination and option combination lists, complete these steps:

  1. Define an option combination. For option combinations, the following rules exist:

    • Blocking rules

      An option combination list can be used as a blocking rule. Blocking rules determine which options are not allowed to succeed particular other options.

    • Clustering rules

      An option combination list can be used as a clustering rule. Clustering rules can define multiple option combinations in a cluster, and clusters those combinations. LN attaches a sequence number to every option combination.

  2. You can define option-combination lists in the Option Combination Lists (tiasl1511m000) session.

    Select your defined option combination. Click Expressions on the appropriate menu. The Option Combination - Expressions (tiasl1560m000) session starts. Define the expression.

To build the logical structure of the expression, you can use the given logical operators.
Logical operatorDescription
( )Use brackets to nest statements. Statements within brackets are treated as separate clauses that must be calculated first. You must start and end the whole expression with brackets.
or, and, notNormal Boolean operators.
-Blank.

 

You can use relational operators to build the logical structure of the expression. Relational operators define the relationship between the feature and the Option.

To build the logical structure of the expression, you can use the given logical operators:
=equal to
>greater than
<less than
>=greater than or equal to
<=less than or equal to
<>not equal to

 

Note

Click Check Validity on the appropriate menu of the Option Combination - Expressions (tiasl1560m000) session to check the validity of the defined expression(s).

Example
( BodyColor = RED )Selects all red cars.
( BodyColor = RED _ and WheelColor = GREEN )Selects only red cars that have green wheels.
( BodyColor = RED _ or WheelColor = GREEN )Selects all cars which are painted red plus all cars that have green wheels (so 'or' means and/or).

 

Define option combination list

Start Manufacturing > Assembly Control > Option Combination Lists (tiasl1511m000).

Use this session to view lists of option combinations. You can use these lists in the Line Rules (tiasl1570m000) session to define rules stating that certain option combinations must either be sequenced next to each other (clustered), or not sequenced next to each other (blocked). You can define which option combinations are in each list in the Option Combinations List - Option Combinations (tiasl1565m000) session.

In this session, you must specify the colors to be grouped together and the sequence of grouping, for example, first group Red, next Blue, and last White. This serves as input for defining the sequence engine rules.

  1. Define the option combination list.
  2. Select the option combination list that you have defined in the previous step. Use the appropriate menu and navigate to Option Combinations.
  3. Add the desired option combinations.
Create line rule

Start Manufacturing > Assembly Control > Line Rules (tiasl1570m000).

Use this session to view or define sequencing rules to apply to assembly lines. These rules are used to calculate penalty costs in the Simulate and Create Line Sequences (tiasl4200m000) session.

Line rule definition is based on features and options which are linked to your generic item. Multiple line rules can be linked to a single line segment.

For more information, refer to Line sequencing and rule types in Assembly Control.

Link line rule to line segment

Start Manufacturing > Assembly Control > Line Segments (tiasl1540m000).

After the line rule is created, the line rule must be linked to a line segment. For this segment, the sequence engine generates an optimized sequence of assembly orders.

  1. Select the line segment. Click Line Rules on the appropriate menu. The Line Segment - Line Rules (tiasl1571m000) session starts.

  2. Select New on the toolbar and link the line rules to the line segment. Set the effective date and the expiry date.

    You can link several rules, each of which is valid for a different date range. You can also link more than one rule to the same segment for the same date range. In that case, if there is a contradiction, the rule with the highest priority takes precedence