About Resources

Resources are items needed to process or store what is produced in a manufacturing process or batch. No two batches should occupy the same resource at the same time. If this occurs, then it is signaled as an overlap in the planning board and can be solved using allocate or schedule process batches functions. Even though a resource does not have a type, there are generally considered three types of resources: processes, tanks (storage) and enabling resources. Resources are organized in resource groups. To be effective, they may need other resources, or enablers. For example, a packing machine may need two types of lifting trucks: one used to load and the other to off-load. Each of these lifting trucks is unique and identifiable. Because one can only load and the other can only off-load, you cannot swap them. These required resources belong to the enabling resource groups.

Resources contain many capacity-related properties. They also may have specific information on changeover, availability and claim for other resources and utilities. You can allocate process and tank batches to resources.

Process Resources

Processes are considered a type of resource. They represent the machines, or machine combinations, in your factory. In this context, it describes machines or similar means of production. For example, it may be useful to consider a packaging machine, a conveyor belt, and a tray loader in a series as a resource. A process resource may consist of a single machine or a number of machines grouped in series: generally, a machine or a group of machines is considered as one resource if no more than one batch at a time can be allocated to it. If you have entered transition matrices or transition rules, you can indicate which matrix or rules determines the changeover time for each resource. The use of a resource is indicated in the planning board as a function of time. Resources need to be grouped in resource groups before they can be assigned to stages. One process resource can be assigned to more than one resource group. A resource group may contain one or more resources, but it should contain at least one.

Tank Resources

Tanks are also treated and modeled as resources. They are critical resources used to store products in the form of tank batches between production stages. Tank describes any storage facility. Silos, buffers, pipelines and other physical inventory points are all tanks. Tanks are modeled in resource groups. Tank resource utilization is visualized in the planning board.

Enabling Resources

An enabling resource is a secondary resource that needs to be available during production or storage but does not determine the rate, duration or lead-time. Examples include molds, tools, filters and a fork-lift.

These tabs are displayed in the Resource Entry window:

General: Allows you to specify the generic information about the resources.
Sharing: Allows you to specify the users who can utilize the selected resource for scheduling activity.
Setup: Allows you to define standard setup times. Using transition matrices and transition rules, you can also define non-standard setup changeover times.
Changeover: Allows you to define changeover times. You can also define variable changeover times using transition matrices and transition rules.
Clean-in-place: Allows you to define CIP rules for the resource. If the CIP solver is enabled, then these rules can be used by the solver to schedule CIP batches. Before you can define a CIP rule, you must create the corresponding CIP process step. See About the CIP solver. You can import and export CIP rules using interfaces.
Availability: Allows you to specify the default availability of the resource for each time period in the selected timetable. Each time period has two check boxes: available and use default. The available check box is active only if the use default is not selected. If the use default check box is selected, then the time period determines the availability of the resource.
Note: If, in the Time periods window, the capacity not available during this period by default check box is selected, then the resource is not available. Because time periods can overlap, the order in which the periods are sorted in a timetable determines their mutual priority. The topmost time period has highest priority and bottom most the lowest priority.
Availability Exceptions: Allows you to identify deviations from the default resource availability. For example, use this to specify a period of time during which the resource is not available. Exceptions have priority over the default availability. Exceptional periods may overlap. In that case, the topmost period is used to determine the resource availability.
Resource Claim: Allows you to define claims for resources in this tab, but the resource must first be assigned to a resource group. A checkmark indicates that default claims are used. By default, the resource is claimed for the entire duration of the parent segment. If a process or tank batch is created, the related enabling batches are also created. The enabling batches are shown in the planning board. The Select button is used to modify the selection of claimed enabling resource groups for the resource in the currently selected resource group. What can be selected depends on the node selected at level 1 in the tree view. After clicking the Select button, the Selection dialog box opens. You cannot select an enabling resource group more than once.
The enabling resource group acts as a choice group; the batches are allocated to a single resource from the group. If a new enabling resource group is selected, then a default claim for the current resource group is also created. By default, the enabling resource group will not be claimed during any of the batch segments. If an enabling resource group is not selected, the claim for the enabling resource group will be cancelled. This means that the resource participation in the currently selected resource group no longer claims a resource from that enabling resource group during any of the batch segments.
Utility Claim: Allows you to define claims for utilities, but the resource must first be assigned to a resource group.
Custom fields: Allows you to specify the value for the Custom field.

Resource Dependent Production Rates, Offsets, and Durations

The production rates and efficiencies of resources in a resource group can be overwritten for a process batch.

Because of the resource dependent rates:

Resources in a resource group of a process step are subject to the used method. These resources can have different filling levels, filling or standing times, inflow durations, inflow rates, initial rates, outflow durations, and outflow rates.
Resource levels, rates, and durations, which are defined in the process step of the resource group, can act as the default values for resources in the group.
A resource can have different levels, rates, and durations. A resource can be in different resource groups, even for the same process step.
When allocating batches, the used levels, rates, and durations depend on the resources and resource groups that are in the process step.