The Order Module creates the orders that are used by the shop to process jobs. Work orders include the instructions, configurations, and material lists for making the items and tracking them through the shop to their completion and movement to inventory. The key features include:

A work order can be completely processed using only one screen.

Work orders can be created:

• Manually from sales orders.

• Automatically by the planning process to meet demand.

• Manually as required to meet demand.

Work orders may be mass released and mass closed when they are completed.

The material list on a work order may be edited, components added or deleted, and quantities changed. Inventory allocations are automatically updated.

Material lists for an order are created automatically based on the item being made, the BOM revision number and the active date of the BOM.

You can specify which route to use when creating a work order or automatically use the one associated with the item being made.

The projected finish quantity is automatically calculated when the starting quantity is entered.

The quantity to start with can be calculated by entering the desired finished quantity.

Entering a Start Date controls the earliest date an order will be scheduled to be begin when forward scheduling is used.

Entering a Needed By date controls the start date of an order when backwards scheduling is used.

Each order’s expected completion date is automatically updated whenever a new schedule is implemented.

Each order can be assigned one of a number of different priority levels which will be used to set the order in which it is scheduled.

Several types of orders are supported:

• Assemble

• Build

• Maintenance

• Rework

• Work Orders

You can specify that an order is to use only the work centers specified on the route or is to use alternate work centers if they will speed up the process.

Individual orders can be set to use:

• Forward scheduling techniques to complete orders as soon as possible.

• Backward scheduling techniques to start the order as late as possible and still meet the required date.

By entering an Overlap Quantity on an order, as soon as that quantity of pieces is completed on a route step the next step is started. This permits the time it takes to complete a job to be significantly compressed.

Routes may be altered on work orders that are in process.

The list of materials for a job is automatically allocated in inventory when the job is released for production.

Material staging allows material to be issued to a job without releasing it for scheduling.

A separate tab on each work order screen tracks the material that has been issued to the job and the material that is remaining to be issued.

The list of material on an order may have items added, quantities edited, and items deleted in real time with allocation support.

Any inventory item may be issued to a work order regardless if it is on the material list or not.

Any item may be returned to inventory from a work order regardless if it is on the material list or not.

An item on an order can be specially designed using the configuration capabilities built into the BOM. This permits one item number to be built in a number of different configurations.

Orders are released to manufacturing by following an FPO (Firm Planned Order) process.

The FPO process permits password control over who has permission to release orders.