TIW Technology, Inc.

ALERE Manufacturing Route Module

The Route Module is responsible for the routing instructions used by work orders to manufacture items. The key features as follows:

Master routes are stored in a library where they can be used repetitively on work orders.

An unlimited number of master routes can be maintained.

The creation and maintenance of routes is accomplished on one screen.

Date fields track when the route was created and the date it was last updated.

Routes can have revision levels.

The route and revision level can be specified on a work order.

Drawing numbers can be assigned to master routes.

Up to twenty (20) user-definable fields may be added to the master route layout to include information that is unique to your manufacturing processes but not to any particular operation step.

Up to five (5) user-definable fields may be added to the operation step layout to include information that is unique your operation steps.

The user-definable fields can be:

Characters
Numbers
Dates
Logic fields

Text can be mixed with the user-definable fields.

Each route may have up to 999 separate operation steps.

Each step is assigned an operation number.

Gaps may be left between operation numbers so that additional steps may be inserted at a later time.

Operation steps may be entered in any order and are automatically sorted each time the route is saved.

Steps can be reorganized simply by changing the operation number.

Each operation step contains the following:

The preferred work center to be used.
A shrink factor to account for increases or decreases in the WIP quantities.
A batch size to set how many of the item is processed per cycle time.
The option to overlap steps by specifying whether or not partial quantities completed on a step will be immediately started on the next step.

Unlimited space to write up the instructions for the step.
A field to record the set up time required to prepare for the job.
A field to record the cycle time to complete each item or batch of items.
The labor grades required to perform the set up work and run the job.
The ability to account for split labor when a person runs more than one machine at a time.

The advanced scheduling and planning technique, called Synchronous Manufacturing, is support by the Assign Material function within WorkShop.

The Assign Material function allows the user to take the components on a bill of material and associate them with the route steps on which they will be required.

Partial quantities of a component on a bill of material can be split among different route steps.

Changes to a bill of material that affect the materials assigned to a route generate a warning to update the route/material assignment.

All route steps, and the material assigned to them, may be viewed on one screen.

Assigning material to route steps permits the material to be scheduled, just as the route steps are scheduled, when the finite scheduler is run.

An item may be associated with a preferred route.

Work orders use the item/route association to automatically fill in the route number when an order is created for an item.

Costed bills of material use the item/route association to calculate the labor and overhead costs.

Routes may be created by selectively copying information from an existing route or from a work order.

Operation steps can be defined and stored in an Operation Library.

During the creation of a master route, steps may be loaded from the Operation Library.

Using the Operation Library speeds the creation of routes and improves product quality by standardizing the operation step information.

Master Route

Master Operations List

Operation Library

Assign Material

Assign Material List

Copy Routes

Delete Routes

Restore Routes

User Defined Route Header

User Defined Route Steps

Last modified November 07, 2008