📕Setup - Dispatch Types – L2L

Description: This setting is used to describe the dispatch type. It's best to be very specific.
- example: Code Red - Machine down not producing
- example: Code Yellow - Machine running at reduced capacity
Color: This setting is used to set the background color of Dispatch Type field on the main dispatch screen.
Code: This setting is used to set the 'Dispatch Type' code. Note: cannot be edited once saved.
Active: Green means the Dispatch Type is Active. Clicking on the green button will turn it grey inactivating it.
Impact to Production: This setting is used to select the Dispatch Types impact to production (Down, Impacting, Planned and No Impact). Note: Down Impact effects OA, OEE and Downtime totals on production dashboards and reports.
Set Display Priority for Dispatch Types on Main Screen: This setting is used to set the sort order when sorting the dispatch type column from the main dispatch screen.
Response Threshold (Minutes): This sets the threshold time for use in the Maintenance Dashboard Average Response Time widget. Based on this threshold, the visual will turn green (<threshold) or red (> threshold). This threshold will only be reflected on Dispatch Types with Impact to Production = Down or Impacting

Trades

Select a default trade for this particular Dispatch Type. This will disable the ability for the inputter to change the trade.

Notes:

The site default trade will be chosen if the dispatch type doesn't have a default trade selected.
There is a site setting that has to be turned on to see this option.

Automatically Calculate Due Date

Set a due date for a dispatch type that you would like completed by a specific time. That due date will be auto-populated in the dispatch. Selection options for the Due Date Calculation Type include Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, or Months

Create Dispatch Settings

Start Down Time When Resource is Dispatched: This setting is used for special situations where machine downtime may not start until the time a resource(s) have actively started working on the issue. Check this box when response time does not impact machine availability.
- In each of these cases, the line or machine continues to run until the time that it is taken out of production to correct the problem
- It should be noted that if no one is dispatched, the system overlooks the count downtime from the time someone is dispatched and counts the dispatch as the time from when it was created to closed.

For scheduled dispatch events that launch hours or days prior to the actual time of action and response time have no impact on machine availability.
Allow Only One Dispatch per Machine Open Simultaneously: This setting essentially marks the Dispatch Type as critical and is used to limit 1 critical Dispatch Type against a machine at any given time. If this option is selected and the machine already has open critical dispatch, the operator will receive "Machine is Already Down for Critical Dispatch Type".
Available for Selection in New Dispatch Screen: Disabling this setting would remove the Dispatch Type from being selected in the New Dispatch Screen.
Available on the Operator Fix Screen: Disabling this setting would remove the Dispatch Type from being selected in the Operator Fix Screen.

The Drop down in the Operator Fix will only display the Dispatch types that have this setting enabled *IF the setting to display on the operator portal is also selected*. Both need to be enabled in order to be visible

If the setting is not enabled, the dispatch type should not be available as the operator fix dispatch type in production settings.
Tooling must be selected to open a Dispatch - Requires Tooling to be selected to create a Dispatch.
Reason Code must be selected to open a Dispatch - Requires a reason code to create a Dispatch.
Description is required to open a dispatch - Requires a description to create a Dispatch.

View Dispatch Settings

Flag Dispatcher Until Dispatched: This setting is used to flag the dispatcher with visual and audible signal when a new dispatch has been submitted. Note: not typically used for sites self-dispatching.
Display Lines Downtime Cost on Dispatch Screen: This setting is used to display the cost of downtime on each dispatch on the main screen and also determines whether downtime costs are displayed in Problem Solving Significant Events.
Highlight on Critical Machine: This setting sets the dispatch screen background color to a hot pink color when the dispatch type is selected for a critical machine.
Default Expanded Tab: Select from the dropdown to have the Dispatch open directly to that tab when expanded on the Tech Portal.

Edit Dispatch Settings

Users cannot add or remove documents from Dispatches: With this setting enabled, only an Administrator can add or remove documents within a Dispatch.
Allow a Resource to be dispatched to multiple Dispatches of this Type simultaneously: With this setting enabled, a resource can be working on more than one call at a time. Note: If you plan on tracking resource utilization DO NOT CHECK THIS BOX!!!! Allowing resources to be on multiple events at same time will multiply their man-hours and give an incorrect view of how much time is being allocated. Note: You won't see this selection if you don't have the Site Setting for it turned on. Only L2L Support can enable it. (The Site Setting makes this option available on all Dispatch Types)
Enable Spares, Attached Tooling, Reason Codes, External Costs, Action & Component Codes, and Why Codes: These default to ON. With the setting disabled, the section for the corresponding name will not appear within the Dispatch.

Complete Dispatch Settings

Automatically Launch Follow Up Dispatches on Completion: When a dispatch is completed (not closed), and a follow up dispatch type is specified in the dispatch type setup, launch a new dispatch as a follow up. You can select more than one dispatch type as a follow up.
Disable Manual Completion for Auto-Created Dispatches: To prevent downtime tracking gaps caused by prematurely closing integration-managed dispatches, you can disable manual completion for auto-generated dispatches. This allows you to disable the "Complete" button for dispatches automatically created via the API (e.g., from Ignition integrations). When enabled, operators can still edit all required and mandatory fields, but the "Complete" button will remain unavailable. The dispatch can only be completed automatically by the integration itself. If an operator hovers over the disabled button, a tooltip will clearly explain that the dispatch is auto-generated and managed by an external integration. This restriction only applies to dispatches created by the API. Manually created dispatches (such as standard assistance or safety dispatches) remain unaffected and can still be completed by operators. This functionality is supported across both Dispatch Classic and the Dispatch Portal.

Tip: auto_created parameter and set it to true. This way when you open a dispatch via the API with a dispatch type where the prevent manual completion is toggled on, it should be grayed out

Close Dispatch Settings

Resource must be Dispatched Before Dispatch can be Completed or Closed: This setting requires a resource to be dispatched to an event before it will allow the event to be completed or closed. This helps ensure accountability and accurate historical information
Action/Component codes must be added before Dispatch can be closed: This setting requires Action & Component code entries before dispatch can be closed.
A Reason Code must be selected before the Dispatch can be closed: This setting requires Reason code selected before dispatch can be closed.
A Why Code must be selected when an Action and a Component are supplied to close a Dispatch: This setting requires the user to supply a Why Code.
Sub Asset must be selected to close a Dispatch: This works independently of the existing open-time requirement, so admins can enforce sub asset selection at open, close, or both. When close-time enforcement is enabled, dispatchers cannot close or complete a dispatch without a sub asset selected — the field will be marked as required, and the close action will be blocked until a selection is made. Note: Dispatches on machines with no configured sub assets are automatically exempt from this validation, ensuring auto-launched and API-created dispatches are never blocked.

Production Dispatch Settings

Exclude from Production Status Dashboard: This setting excludes the dispatch type from being included on the Production Status Dashboard
- example: You may want to use this for dispatch types like Audit, FMEA Review, Part Order, Work Order, etc. that have no significant impact or status on production
Available for Selection in Operator Console and Operator Portal: This setting allows the Dispatch Type to be selectable from the Operator Console and Operator Portal.
Planned Downtime: Exclude from LMPU Production Metric: Includes planned downtime for this dispatch type in the Labor Minutes Per Unit Metric (LMPU) calculation.
Planned Downtime: IExclude from Availability Production Metric: Includes Planned downtime for this dispatch type in the Operational Availability (OA) production metric calculation. The Operational Availability metric will now be:

(Planned Production Minutes - Production Downtime Minutes - Planned Dispatch Downtime) / Planned Production Minutes * 100
Automatically launch Dispatch when a metric meets a line threshold: Enabling this will provide a new section beneath to select lines and metrics that you want to launch a Dispatch. Launch Dispatch / Notification when Line meets set Metrics Threshold

Serialized Parts Settings

Require Verification of Serialized Parts to Complete Dispatch

Related Items in the Dispatch Type Setup screen: Documents, Questions, Notifications, Areas, Work Order Categories, Actions, Components, Reasons, Why Codes, and Schedules. The arrow will take you to that section of Dispatch. This is an easy way to set up this information for the Dispatch Type as well as one place to view everywhere in the system a Dispatch Type touches.

Root Cause Metric Widget

You can find the Root Cause Metrics Widget on the Dispatch Types Setup Screen.

The grey space to the right of the screen displays recent dispatches that have used that Dispatch Type in the last 24 hours, 7 days, and 30 days.

Each section shows a count of dispatches for the respective time frame.
Each section shows a % change from the previous respective time frame (e.g. past 24 hours vs 24 hours prior to that).
7 days and 30 days do not include counts from the current day.
Clicking on any of the recent dispatch numbers will bring you to a Time Trend Chart. The Report automatically filters by the line, start time, end time, includes closed dispatches, and includes non-production machines.

Beneath the Recent Dispatches, you'll find Top Lines, Top Actions, Top Components, Top Reasons, and Top Why Codes for the past 30 days for that particular Dispatch Type.

Clicking into any of those will bring you to an Occurrence Pareto with that data. The report automatically filters line, start date, end date, closed Dispatches, and includes non-production machines. It also drills down to the object the user has selected, for example, Top Lines.
The 'Top' sections show data for a rolling 30 day window.
The 'Top' sections show up to 5 of the top items. e.g. if there are only 2 action codes that meet the filter criteria, we only display 2 bars. If there are none, that Top section won't display at all.

Example Dispatch Types

- Code Red - Machine Down not Producing
- Code Yellow - Machine Producing at Reduced Rate
- Material Shortage - Machine/Line down for lack of material
- Jikoka - Machine/Line down for quality concern
- Engineering Red - Machine/Line down for engineering
- Safety Red - Machine/Line down for safety concern
- Kaizen - Employee improvement suggestion
- PM - Preventative Maintenance
- TPM - Total Production Maintenance
- Cal - Equipment Calibration
- Changeover - Product Changeover/Setup
- WO - Maintenance Work Order
- RCA - Root Cause Analysis
- PFMEA - PFMEA audit or review
- 5's - Scheduled cleaning
- Shutdown - Scheduled Line Shutdown
- Mod - Equipment Modification
- etc.

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