What is a Preparation?
The Preparation is the most important and the most basic function in a system like MONITOR. The information that is entered in the Preparation (such as operation times, quantities, lead times, prices etc.) is important information that is applied throughout the entire system. For example, the Calculation, Requirement calculation and Loading plan use information loaded from the Preparation.
Before you can create a preparation, work centers must be registered in the Update Work Center procedure.
What Can You Do in the Preparation?
This is where you can create both incorporated operations and material for a particular part. You can create parts directly in the Preparation. You can also copy and modify preparations directly in the same window.
The system allows you to create two different kinds of preparations: a "detailed preparation" or a "summarized preparation". The term "summarized preparation" means that the middle levels of a structure are not included, and that a summarized operation and BOM list is created at a higher level.
At the top of the preparation window there is a heading row where you select the part for which you want to create a preparation. Below the heading row there is an operation list where you enter the operation rows. Below the operation list there is a BOM list where you enter the incorporated material for the operations. At the bottom of the window you will find information about who created or modified the preparation and when, the number of incorporated operations and material, and the total setup and unit time.
In the Preparation's operation list you can link to a list that shows a summary of the reported times per operation based on reported manufacturing orders. This way the times in the Preparation can be updated with actual reported times. The average setup and unit times can be loaded back to the Preparation.
You can copy preparation info from an existing part to a new part using Save as... under File on the Window menu. Read more about this function under Copying Records in the chapter called General Information in the MONITOR Basics guide.
If you have installed the supplement Warehouse Management you can create planning info for all warehouses. This is determined by the setting Create planning info for all WH when registering new parts under the Inventory tab in the Settings procedure.
Packaging
You can prepare packaging parts (G-parts), in order to create structures for packaging that consists of both inner and outer packaging. You can also create G-parts that will be used as pick instructions.
Please Note! The packaging preparation differs from a regular preparation, as the material rows have been given special meanings and each material row indicates how many of the packaging in question are included in the next row. Read more about how to manage packaging parts in the system in the Help Function under Using MONITOR Procedures.
Alternate Preparation
You can also perform alternate preparations in the system. To get an alternate preparation you can configure certain terms and conditions for operations and material rows during preparation.
Terms mean that an operation row or material row can replace the previous row, or that an extra row should be added, for example for an alternate preparation code, a particular customer or a certain period of time etc.
By using the filter feature, you can select to show operation or material rows only with certain conditions.
The terms entered for a part in the preparation procedure will be applied during order registration in the Register Manufacturing Order procedure, during calculations in the Pre-Calculation procedure and in the Consists of (Structure List) procedure, and will also be displayed in the BOM / Operation List.
In order to use alternate preparations you must configure the setting Use alternate preparations? under the Preparation under the Manufacturing tab in the Settings procedure.
Read more about alternate preparations further down in the Alternate Preparations.
Product Configurator
If you have installed the supplement Product Configurator in the system, there is a product configurator as a complement to the alternate preparation. The Product Configurator provides system support to handle and combine several variants and models of a product. With the Product Configurator you start with a minimum preparation, unlike an alternate preparation where you start with a maximum preparation.
By using a basic preparation you can, according to the rules set in the Update Configuration Group, configure or compose different variants and create different models, and then calculate prices to be able to create a manufacturing order for the different variants. By using variables, the system also allows you to compose custom-made products.
If variables are used in the Product Configurator, you can enter formulas based on these variables in the preparation. The formulas can be used to calculate setup and unit times on operation rows, to apply instructions with variable values from formulas on operation and material rows, and to calculate setup quantity and quantity on material rows.
For further description of the Product Configurator, see the Product Configurator chapter in the Using MONITOR Procedures guide.
Time Calculation
If you have the supplementary function Time Calculation installed, you can calculate setup times and unit times in the operation list. This is done in the columns Op, Setup time or Unit time by using F3 or by right-clicking in the window and selecting Time calculation in the Info menu. Read more under Time Calculation.
Time Unit
In the Info menu you can temporarily change the time unit in the columns Setup time, Unit time, OL%, Queue time and F. lead time in work days. If you change the time unit, the time unit is shown in bold font and with a red exclamation mark (
see image).
Weight Calculation
During preparations, you can also calculate the material consumption (usage) for each material row in the BOM list. This is entered in the Quantity column by using F3 or by right-clicking in the window and selecting Weight calculation in the Info menu. Read more under Weight Calculation.
Linking Tools to Operations
If the supplementary function Tool Management has been installed, you can link one or several tools to the operations in the operation list. You can also create new tools from the operation list. When a manufacturing order is registered for a part that has tools linked to an operation, those tools will automatically be reserved for that order in accordance with the operation's start and finish periods.
Moving About the Window
To move your cursor between the operation list, BOM list and the heading row using your keyboard, use the shortcut keys Alt+R for the heading row, Alt+O for the operation list and Alt+S for the BOM list. The operation lists and BOM lists are dynamic, and can be maximized or minimized. Use the mouse to click and drag the line that separates the lists.
In order to move between different levels in the structure, double-click in the Row column for the desired part number in the BOM list (see picture). That will allow you to view or create a preparation for the underlying (incorporated) part. This is a support feature for the structure preparation that exists in the window.
In order to return to the higher level, there is a button called Back to level X (where X is the level number) at the top of the window that is visible when underlying structures are displayed (see image).
Adjusting the Layout
The proportions between the window sections can be changed and this change can be saved per user.
Window Functions
Read more about the Window functions under Window Functions in the MONITOR Basics guide.
