Product flow

Product Flow describes the connections that can exist between processes and products. Product flow can describe the number of products that can be used and/or produced in one process step, or the various steps that are involved in producing one product. These are the levels at which the product flow is applicable:

• Stage and process step level
• Batch level

At the stage and process step level, you can distinguish these types of product:

• Main Product

  Stages result in main product, except for depletion stages, as depletion batches use main product. A product cannot always be a main product. The main product group in one stage can form the inflow product group in the next stage.

• Inflow Product

  Products that are required by a batch to create by-products and main products.

• By-product

  A by-product is produced by a process step, similar to a main product. The yield of the by-product is expressed as a percentage (yield factor) of the quantity of the main product. The quantity of by-product produced by a process batch is monitored at an inventory point. For this reason, only decoupled products can be by-products of a process step. By-product is not a property of a product. The same product can be the main product of another process step. Unlike a main product, creating batches for the product cannot cover by-product requirements. The by-product is produced through the creation of batches for another product. Creating depletion batches can reduce the inventory of by-products. Return flow of by-products can also be modeled.

At the batch level, processing is manifested as process batches, while the products are tank batches, orders or inventory points based on the batch type. This is the flow chain of a batch level:

• inventory point => process batch => tank batch => process batch => order

At this level, the definitions of product and product flow are combined. However, you can distinguish between coupled product flow (flow) and decoupled product flow. Decoupled product flow moves to and from an inventory point. The remaining flow, whether between process and tank batches or process batches and orders, is coupled and the coupled flow leads to time links.

Coupled flow occurs between process and tank batches, which together are linked to a coupled step. The flow of a product from a tank batch to a process batch and the product flow between end-product batches and orders are also coupled. This process result in time links between batches.

Product flow also displays the flows between a particular process batch and related tank batches. You can modify the sequence in which inflow occurs from, or outflow occurs to, tank batches. When viewing the product flow of a process batch, you can reallocate the related tank batches to other resources.