Why Use This Procedure?
In this procedure you can create simulated manufacturing orders. These simulations can then be used during requirements planning to check what kind of material requirements you will have. It can also be used to check the loading for the affected work centers via a simulated manufacturing order. At a later point you can also generate actual manufacturing orders from simulations you have saved.
Under the Create tab, you can select what you want to simulate. You do this by linking the simulated orders to a table. It is also possible to save several simulations in the table. There you also select the simulations that you want to be current.
After you have added the simulated manufacturing orders into the table, you can start the simulation. The Requirement Calculation procedure is opened by default, allowing you to check the material requirement. That procedure will then contain somewhat different default parameters than if it were to be opened separately from the menu. Both "actual" and "simulated" orders are included. Furthermore, only parts affected by the simulation are included. Those parts must then have a shortage that falls below the safety stock, and not have any reservations. The standard default in that procedure is to only include "actual" orders, and all parts with a shortage below the safety stock.
In the Manufacturing module you will find the Loading Simulation procedure, which is the same as this procedure, except that when that procedure is opened, the default option is to open the Loading Selection procedure directly after simulation.
For example, if your company receives an inquiry regarding a "bulk order" (large order), you ca use the Requirement Simulation and Requirement Calculation procedures to check when and how large the material requirement will be in order to finish and deliver such an order in time for the configured delivery period. If you use the procedures Loading Selection and Loading / Work Center in the Manufacturing module, you can also check whether it would be possible, using the current loading and capacity, to manufacture the parts needed for this order in time for the configured delivery period. For example, you might need to take out some overtime to cover the loading.
There is also a procedure called Check Delivery Times (CDT) where you create more reasonable master plans. The CDT is more of an "actual" simulation than the one in this procedure. The CDT creates reservations shown as default in the loading plan and requirements planning. The CDT can be used to check when you can deliver a part on a customer order row. It is also possible to check the finish period for a manufacturing order. Besides the fact that you directly check the order's delivery date or finish date, you can also make a simulation that will give a delivery notice without having an order. This is used to support the work of giving a delivery notice to the customer and, at the same time, make reservations to secure that delivery notice.
Window Functions
Read more about the other Window functions under Window Functions in the MONITOR Basics guide.