Product Orders allow you to plan ahead using the scheduling tools L2L offers. This article will talk through creating and editing standard product orders, importing orders, and changing statuses.
Creating and Editing Product Orders
If you are manually creating product orders, you'll start by going to the Production tab > Product Orders > Add New.
Fill in the information:
- Name
- Status (Note: The number next to the status is the API integer returned or needed for the Product Orders and Build Sequences APIs)
- 0 - New (This is the default status when importing product orders without defining a status on the spreadsheet.)
- 1 - Planning (This status can be used for the planning stage of your product order.)
- 2 - Scheduled (This status is used once you're ready to run your product order and will allow it to appear in the ekanban queue of the Operator Portal.)
- 3 - Ready to Build (This status gives some definition to product orders that are ready versus scheduled. Both statuses essentially do the same thing but give the operators more insight on what should be next.)
- 4 - Changeover/ Setup (This status is given for the interim time between product orders as you setup or change equipment to begin work on the next product.)
- 5 - Work in Progress (This status designates that the product order is currently being worked on.)
- 6 - On Hold (This status is given when your product order is placed on hold for a variety of reasons; out of materials, a different product order was more urgent, plant shutdown.)
- 7 - Completed (This status signifies that the product order is done.)
- 8 - Canceled (This status is used for any product orders that are no longer needed or removed.)
- 9 - Cleanup (This status is used for product orders that are in a clean-up state, before being completed)
- 10 - Paused (This status is only available in the Operator Console. For example, if you are on break, you would select Pause and then Resume when you return. Pause is automatically designated when the shift ends and another shift is not in place for that line.) Note: When you pause the order the Build Sequence updated timestamp will display 'Order Status Manager' as the username that performed that action.
- Product
- Scheduled Date
- Due Date
- Order Quantity
- Is this an eKanban Order?: Allows you to add multiple build sequences to the order. Build sequences are the individual orders that make up the total order. You must have at least one build sequence per order in order to complete the order in the operator portal.
- Description (Optional)
- Barcode Information (Optional)
Once you've saved the order, you can edit it to add more details or access other quick links.
- Set Dependencies - This allows you to enable a feature to force you to have to complete certain build sequences prior to starting the following. You can select all sequences or check individual sequences and enable this feature. It will then display the details in the dependency column.
- Set Status - This feature allows you to change the sequence status on some or all sequences within the order by first selecting the sequences, and then from the dropdown picking the status you wish to change them to. A confirmation pop-up box will verify your request.
- Add New - If you wish to ad a new build sequence, you can select this box and it will bring you to the add/edit build sequence page.
- Production Standard Work -This will display any standard work documents that were completed when the order was in process on the operator portal.
- Attachments - When editing the order you can include any files not directly in Leading2Lean as documents, such as pictures of product labels, raw materials containers, etc.
- Documents - When editing the order you can also add documents such as product specification sheets or visual standard documents.
Quick Links:
- Create New Order - This feature allows you to create a copy of the order from the existing order. If you want to run the same order for next month, for example, you can use this feature to create a new order. You may still want to modify some details such as the name, dates, and description.
- Return to List - Clicking this will bring you back to the all product order list screen.
- Return to eKanban Planner - Clicking this link will bring you to our eKanban planner screen for the line that you were last scheduling
- Return to Order Planner - This button will bring you to our Order planner screen displaying the last area you were scheduling within the system and all of its lines you may have filtered.
- Split Order - This feature works say you are trying to push out as much product as you can in a quarter and you get halfway through a run but then have to stop production and resume the next day. Now you can split the order into two parts to account for 1 half in the 1st quarter and the next half in the 2nd quarter when you resume production.
Creating and Editing Build Sequences
From your Product Order Screen choose an Order, and select 'Add New' from the Build Sequences table.
- Provide the Build Sequence a name and sequence number - the order of execution. The name can reference the operation taking place per the sequence number, the product order name, etc. according to your site's needs.
- Note: The "Product" dropdown will automatically populate based on the overarching order.
- Set up "Dependencies" for this Build Sequence here or on the main "Product Order" screen. From this screen, you can choose the sequence # you want the current sequence to follow. From the main view screen, you can select all and set the "Dependencies" to follow the order sequence.
- Note: You do not have to select a "Dependency". A dependency means that one product is contingent on another product being produced first. It also does not mean that you can't move on to the next sequence prior to the completion of the first.
- Select "Lines" that can build the sequence. If several lines can build it, choose each one.
- Use "Line Assigned" to choose which line will build the sequence.
- Enter a "Planned Operator Count" for a number of operators planned to support production.
- The "Changeover Duration", "Cleanup Duration", and "Planned Cycle Time" will automatically populate based on the corresponding "Product Setup". Also, show in reports actual vs planned.
- You can add the planned cycle time if different from the one set in the product (This will override the product set cycle time for the line)
- You can add a Cleanup Duration. This is used for clean-up after the build to prepare for the next order. (Will need production setting set to "allow operators to overbuild orders for this feature to work). This will open and close a dispatch from the time you select the cleanup button on an order to the time you complete the order. (push complete order button) Also, show in reports actual vs planned.
- If needed, modify the "Scheduled Date", "Due Date", and "Order Quantity" brought over from the Product Order information.
- Labor Duration updates automatically based on the start and end of the order multiplied by the operator count. SUM(operator_count * (end time - start time)* 60)
- There is an option to provide an additional "Description" to the Build Sequence.
- "Documents" related to this specific sequence can be added in; these will be supplementary to documents associated directly to the Product Order.
- Note: Documents can be connected to the overarching order from the "Product Order" screen by selecting Edit, then selecting the appropriate documents from the "Documents" dropdown.
- Note: After saving, at the bottom of the "Product Order" screen, the attached "Documents" will be listed and will indicate whether it is associated to the order or a particular sequence.
- If there is a "Barcode" for this product, it will automatically populate or you can choose one within this screen.
- Save.
Changing Statuses or Rescheduling Sequences
Canceling
Option 1:
Every Product Order has a Build Sequence or sequences. If you are viewing the Product Order, you'll notice you can't edit the status of the order; only the build sequence statuses can be edited. For this option, you'll click into the individual build sequence(s), click edit, and change the status to canceled.
Option 2:
If you're using the ekanban planner, you can view your product orders from that screen. You'll want to make sure only the product orders you want to change the status of are displayed in the list. Next, you'll select the new status and click 'Set New Order Status'. This will effectively cancel your unwanted product orders.
Rescheduling
There are three options in the UI currently and one can be done via API.
1. If you are using the ekanban planner and your build sequences are allocated to one Area and Line, you can simply choose the 'Scheduling' button on that page and use the 'Start/End' fields to update the order dates.
2. If you do not have build sequences that are defined by one Area and Line, it gets a bit tricky. First, you'll want to make sure that your order has dependencies set up for the build sequences. Now, you'll want to use the Order Planner. From this screen, you can drag and drop one of the sequences to the desired date/time and the rest will follow.
3. From the Product Order page, you can hit 'Edit' and change the Scheduled Date from all of the Build Sequences that have a status of: New, Planning, Scheduled, or Ready. Statuses of On Hold, WIP, Changeover, Completed, Canceled, and Cleanup cannot be mass edited.
4. The API option requires the use of the API as well as the knowledge from your team to build a script to handle the rescheduling. This script would then be able to filter through scheduled sequences and update the start and end dates.
Product Order Imports
If you are an Admin within the Production Module and using the eKanban Planner, you're able to import product orders yourself.
When clicking on the Production Imports button, you'll be given two options:
1. Import a New File. In most cases you are going to choose a new file to import. To do so, you'll need to click on the 'Choose File' button and browse your computer for the file you want to import.
2. Select an Existing File to Import. This option is rarely used, but is a good history of imports that have been done in the past.
After selecting your file, you'll click on the 'Next Step' button.
On the next screen, you'll see the file you are importing as well as the top three rows to reference while filling out your Table Mapping Fields.
In Step 2, you'll see you can filter to certain rows or columns that you are importing. This is rarely, if ever used.
In Step 3, select the table to import the data to. This will be the ekanban Product Orders Load.
In Step 4, you will need to map your fields to match your spreadsheet. Each Table Mapping Name should match the Column drop down name. Sometimes you will have a column that doesn't need to be imported, and you can empty string or null that column header and click the 'Do Not Import' box. Once all of your fields have been mapped, you should see a 'Do Import' button.
Note: If you receive errors after importing and can't tell what the error means, you can email support or review your table mapping fields, required fields, make any edits, and try again.
Ever run into an instance where you need to run a production line tomorrow on overtime and you need to go schedule that production line, you can go to the production calendar. Check out this video on the Drag and drag-and-drop production Scheduling functionality.
Check out this overview of the Split Order option for Product orders.