Shift Patterns

A shift pattern is a set of shift sequences. The shift pattern acts like a template representing one complete rotation of shifts, enabling the application to generate future shifts.

The duration of the shift pattern defines how long the schedule takes to repeat (typically one or two weeks). The duration of the shift pattern must match the total duration of all the shift sequences, plus any non-working time at the end of the pattern.

The application allows multiple shift patterns to be defined. Each shift pattern can be linked to one or more machines. A machine can only be linked to one shift pattern at a time. To change a machine from one shift pattern to another, the user must select the new shift pattern and define the exact date and time when the change becomes effective.

In most scenarios, all machines in the line share the same shift pattern. However, individual machines can operate on different shift patterns.

Each machine is assigned a location class that defines whether the machine is a production machine, or a logistics work center, such as a warehouse or a supermarket. Shift patterns and crews for warehouses and supermarkets are defined in the same way as production machines. See, Location Class.

For OEE calculations, one machine in the line must be defined as the shift default". If machines in the line are on different shift patterns, then the shift pattern used on the "Shift Default" machine is used for the OEE calculations. See, Shift Default.