SXP Production Scheduler Functional Setup 

First published on: 10/09/2024/10:05 am

SXP Production Scheduler is an easy-to-use visual planning tool for scheduling production operations.

Its drag-and-drop functionality and ability to linearly link production operations make Production Scheduler simple and easy.

When scheduling is completed, data is immediately written back into SAP Business One and updated on the production order row.

1.1. Setup

1.1.1. Resources

SXP Production Scheduler uses SAP Business One resources as production “Tasks” or “Operations”.

To use SXP Production Scheduler, you must add resources to SAP Business One in the desired location on a bill of materials (BOM).

For example, if a simple production route involved assembling, quality control checking, and packing an item, 3 resources could be used on the BOM, as in the diagram below.

A resource could be a machine or tool that needs to be used in the production process, a human resource with a particular skill set, or a group of human resources with the same skill set (e.g., electrical engineers with identical qualifications).

1.1.2. Resource Working Hours and Capacity

Once you've set up the "Resource Master Data" and added it to your BOM, you have other housekeeping data tasks to complete.

• Define the resource's daily working hours. (The resource won't appear in SXP Production Scheduler until this is done.)
  • You'll find the user-defined table called "V33_RESOURCES – Resource Working Hours" in Tools> User-Defined Windows in SAP Business One.
  • Create a record for every resource you want to use in SXP Production Scheduler.
  • Include the resource's working hours and capacity as per the setup below.
    • Capacity is the number of simultaneous jobs you can schedule for the resource.
    • The capacity field doesn't imply that automated capacity-related planning is offered; it merely provides a visual reference if you try to schedule too much work for a resource.

1.1.3. Determine Run Times

Your production operations must be scheduled for a specific duration based on how many items you're producing.

SXP does this with a user-defined field on the Resource Master Data called “RunTime”.

RunTime is how many minutes it takes to complete a single item.

SXP calculates this field value multiplied by the "Planned Qty" field on the production order row of the resource to determine the total time an operation should be scheduled for (e.g., if RunTime is 60 and the planned quantity is 2, the operation will be scheduled for 120 minutes or 2 hours).

1.1.4. Linked Operations

When multiple operations require a linear process (i.e., one operation can't start until another operation is complete), SXP Production makes it easy to plan the steps with the ability to link operations.

This is done via a user-defined field on the BOM row called “Predecessor”.

If an operation has a predecessor, it should be scheduled before this operation. 

Entering the line number of the “ASSEMBLY” operation onto the “QC” operation line on the BOM ensures that the Scheduler will automatically plan the QC Operation immediately after the ASSEMBLY operation.

Adding the row number of the QC step to the predecessor field on the packing operation will ensure the packing operation is scheduled automatically, immediately following the QC step.

Operations don't have to be linked if you wish to schedule them individually.