Work Around - OE/MFG

[jdblank]

Hello:

Looking for work around.

Need to plan and produce (SFC) new items, at the same time prevent OE from entering same new Items against OE orders. Need a flag that makes parent item active in mfg, but prevents entering for shipment. Unfortunately, our WMS isn't driven by OE Line dates, when entered its "Live", so cannot drive off OE dates as normal, need OE entry prevention for item.

7.6.100a - MS SQL

Thanks for any W/A ideas.

JB

 

[dgillz]

Prevent new item from being entered on OE orders that are SF manufactured items?

How will you ever invoice for them? What WMS are you using?

Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports

http://www.gainfocus.biz

"If you have a big enough dictionary, just about everything is a word"
--Dave Barry

 

[jdblank]

Yes. Lets say I have forecast for August 1, I need to build the forecast in June/July - but need to prevent orders entered until Aug. 1. Then Aug 1; we can start shipping. The process is messed up, I know it sounds goofy, but this is the reality I'm trying to work around right now until we can fix the root cause.

 

[dgillz]

Why do you need to prevent orders from being entered? I still do not understand.

Even then it sounds like you want only SOME orders to be prevented (those that are forecasted). Am I correct?

Are you using Macola's Master Schedule module? If so, then simply enter forcast orders and do not copy OE orders into the Master Schedule. Or you can consume the forecast.

You never answered my question about the WMS system either.

Please take the full time to explain what you are currently doing, what you would like to do and most importantly WHY you believe you need to do it that way.


Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports

http://www.gainfocus.biz

"If you have a big enough dictionary, just about everything is a word"
--Dave Barry

 

[jdblank]

This is the way the WMS was designed and/or developed. Our WMS has no Wave Capability. When you enter an Order, unless you manually put it on status Hold, it goes down to the WMS no matter what. Qty Ordered always = Qty Shipped, the Ship dates on the line, as well as the Qty Order/Qty Ship are irrelevant in this process, they don’t mean a thing since we have no true waving capability. Our WMS lets you pick negative, it doesn’t care there is no quantity on hand. When an Item is ordered, and it makes it down to WMS, and it is “short”, the system is tricked by picking it, billing and invoicing it through the interface, and then crediting the order for what was short. The interface is currently not sophisticated enough to update quantity to ship and all recalc all order totals based on what is actually shipped in WMS. Trust me, this is the simplest way as we really aren’t willing to invest anymore more dollars into this current technology piece right now.

Normally, we have outside code in place to prevent us from entering orders for parts out of stock, so the process above is a relatively infrequent exception. However, when we release new products to our product line, for whatever reason, these new products sometimes make it onto OE Lines and then needs to go through the process in the above paragraph (this is exactly why we want to prevent the item from being entered into OE) – and these new items can’t go through our outside code process. So we are looking for a quick way to prevent these types of items making it on OE Orders before their customer release dates. One would think you could flag the item on hold or playing with active dates, you could prevent this from Sales entry. Unfortunately, we still need to plan for it (MRP/Planning), and still need to produce it in SFC, PRIOR to the product release to our customers. Unfortunately changing these Active flags or Dates also tends to shut off the planning and mfg capabilities – so I haven’t been able to find a flag as of yet. Setting the item to “Planning” Activity code seems to work, but I am afraid to execute a planning bill item through SFC and MCA, as well as Costing.

As far as future, or what we would like to do – we are currently addressing our WMS situation (I’m not going to disclose details of what we run); we just went live with a new planning system with robust promise capabilities; and we are currently in the process of figuring out the best way to allocate out of OE. I’d say we are 12 to 18 months away from being fully functional – front to back from order to fulfillment – the correct way, with all systems in place. Until then, we’re looking for a way (a flag) to prevent Orders from being entered in OE while still letting us plan and manufacture.

Thanks.

 

[dgillz]

Sounds like a very strange WMS system. Not sure why you won't disclose the name, but what the heck.

Back to your problem at hand, do you own Flexibility?

Provided that you can idenfity the part numbers that should not be entered in OE yet -- and I am assumming this would be the items no longer on an active SFC order -- then this can likely be accomplished with Flexibility. To say for sure I would need to look at this more closely.

Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports

http://www.gainfocus.biz

"If you have a big enough dictionary, just about everything is a word"
--Dave Barry

 

[jdblank]

yeah, its a more like a rf bin system than a true wms....

we have flex, was trying to avoid that route, but thats the only way i am seeing it as well.....

thanks for the response dgillz.

 

[crystalreporting]

Can't you simply make the item obsolete?

Peter Shirley

http://www.srhconsulting.com

 

[dgillz]

This should work. You can enter a produce a SFC order on an obsolete item. In order to prevent entry an OE order, you would have to change the flag in OE setup for inactive items to Prevent.

Of course later on, when you actually do want to enter the OE order, you would have to change the item back to active.



Software Sales, Training, Implementation and Support for Macola, eSynergy, and Crystal Reports

http://www.gainfocus.biz

"If you have a big enough dictionary, just about everything is a word"
--Dave Barry

 

[jdblank]

thanks.....no MRP plan when item = obsolete. We'll figure something out with flex code. thanks a lot....

 

[kstickler]

You could use OE Item Notes. This way if someone tries to enter an order for that item they get a pop up note telling them it will not be available until August 1st or whenever.

 

[jdblank]

Thanks.....great idea, I think this would work if there is a pop up option. Does the user have to manually select item notes button to see these or is there an option to get these notes to pop up after entering (or tabbing off of) item number? I can't get my notes to auto-popup during testing.

Thanks.

 

[kstickler]

It is not a regular Item Note. Look under: IM / Maintain / Notes/Text and make sure you set the application is set to OE and Doc Type is additional Pop Up.

 

[jdblank]

my software version must be too old for the Pop Up Functionality, I don't have a Pop Up option under the Doc Type field......

 

[stravis]

The Pop Up option was added with 7.6.300c.

Scott Travis

http://www.infospring.net

 

[tpllc]

I'm not sure this will help but maybe it will do what you are looking for. If you change the activity code in the Item master to F fore forecasted and then put a date of August 1st it won't allow entry of an order with a ship date prior to August 1st. I would guess that the way the WMS is set up that you don't do many orders to ship in the future.

Steve Henley
Trianglepartners.com
Exact Software consulting, sales and implementations.

If the only tool you can use is a hammer then all your problems look like nails.