Printing Exchangeable Configurations

An item is exchangeable with another item at a particular point on the assembly line, if at that point the two items have the same specifications. During the exchange, the physical products are exchanged. This means that the WIP that was assigned to one assembly order is now linked to the other assembly order. In LN, the serial numbers and as-built structures of the assembly orders are exchanged.

How to use exchangeable configurations

An exchange occurs according to these steps:

1. Define the exchangeable configurations, using a code, in Line Assembly Control (LAC). The code is linked to a line segment. Options are linked to the exchangeable configurations.

2. If you want to exchange two orders, LN first checks whether the configurations are exchangeable, that is, whether the options combinations of these orders are the same.

   When an assembly order on the specified line segment has the same options as those options linked to the exchangeable configurations, the order can be exchanged with another assembly order (also with the same options as those options linked to the exchangeable configurations) on this segment. Any orders with the same options that are linked to the exchangeable configurations can be exchanged on this line segment.

3. Then, if the configurations are exchangeable, LN checks whether the order content of the orders is the same up to this point

   LN first checks if the two assembly orders that you want to switch have the same exchangeable configurations. Two assembly orders can only be qualified as exchangeable if the options that are linked to the exchangeable configuration are the same. This does not mean that the assembly orders that have those options are the same up until the specified line segment. If the orders do not have the same exchangeable configurations, LN stops the process and the exchange does not occur. If the orders do have the same exchangeable configurations, LN checks the actual assembly order content up to the point of exchange. If the order content is the same, LN performs the exchange. By first matching these exchangeable configurations, you can be reasonably sure that the assembly orders are identical before going to the extra time and effort of comparing the actual order content.

4. If also the order content is the same, the exchange is performed.

   LN can also exchange assembly orders in a buffer or at a line station. To exchange orders in a buffer can prevent bottlenecks from occurring when an order is scheduled to exit the buffer at a point when the necessary materials are not available. The configurations of two assembly orders that are identical at this point in time can be switched, so the orders emerge at the time when the necessary materials are available. To exchange assembly orders on a line station involves supplying assembly lines and main assembly lines.