Introduction
Welcome to this comprehensive guide on how to utilize the Capacity Planning Feature in Empress. This function is an invaluable tool for managing your production process efficiently by tracking and scheduling jobs across various workstations. By using this feature, you can ensure that your operations run smoothly, with every task planned and accounted for.
Why Use the Capacity Planning Feature?
The Capacity Planning Feature allows you to:
- Plan and schedule operations on various workstations.
- Monitor ongoing tasks and the time they take.
- Allocate production jobs to different workstations.
- Prevent overbooking of workstations by ensuring tasks are completed within specified working hours.
This function is crucial in maintaining a well-organized production process, which can translate to improved productivity, reduced downtime, and increased profitability.
How to Use the Capacity Planning Feature
Let’s dive into the steps on how to use this feature:
1. Adding Operations
Start by adding operations. Simply navigate to Manufacturing > Bill of Materials > Operations in your Empress account.
2. Adding Workstations
Next, add your workstations. You can do this by going to Manufacturing > Bill of Materials > Workstation. In the workstation settings, you can detail the operations to be performed, their costs, and the working hours for each workstation.
3. Creating a Bill of Materials (BOM)
In the BOM section, you can list the necessary raw materials for manufacturing. You can also include the operations and workstations that will process these materials.
4. Using Work Orders
Work orders help you manage your production process. When you submit a work order, a timesheet for operations is generated. This allows you to assign production tasks to each workstation and track the time taken for each operation.
Troubleshooting Capacity Planning Errors
If you encounter an error message upon submitting a work order, it’s likely that you need to update the working hours in the workstation settings. If an operation can’t be scheduled within a day, consider dividing it into smaller tasks that can be completed within the working hours.
Managing Overtime and Disabling Capacity Planning
If you need to schedule jobs beyond the regular working hours, you can enable ‘Overtime’ in the Manufacturing Settings.
If you prefer to disable the Capacity Planning and Time Tracking, you can do so in the Manufacturing Settings. This will remove all capacity planning and time tracking functionalities from the system.
Enhancing Your Business with the Capacity Planning Feature
The Capacity Planning Feature in Empress is an essential tool for businesses. By managing your operations more efficiently, you can increase productivity and profitability.
Remember, Empress is here to make your business operations easier and more streamlined. For more information or if you need assistance, please feel free to reach out to our support team.