Process Manufacturing 
Purpose
This scenario describes the batch- and recipe-oriented manufacture of products and co-products in the process industries. Process manufacturing is applied mainly in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries, as well as in the process-oriented electronics industry.
The process manufacturing scenario can be used in various types of production:
- Continuous production
involves the manufacture of products in a continuous process over a certain period of time. Ingredients are continuously added, and the final product is manufactured continuously. The production line is completely committed by the order. Partial order or partial commitments are not possible.
- In discontinuous production, products are not produced in one continuous process. The ingredients are prepared as charges and staged in precisely weighed quantities. The material is charged at the relevant process step. Several products can be manufactured on the same line.
- Regulated production
is used if a specific quality is required of the product or if there are legal requirements with which the product must comply (FDA, GMP). It is applied in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in certain areas of the food or cosmetics industry. Only orders with approved recipes can be created in regulated production and changes to master recipes are subject to engineering change management.
- Process-oriented filling
involves a filling process that is separate from the actual manufacturing process and that occurs at a later point in time. Bulk material from production is stored in containers until it is filled. Process-oriented filling supports complex filling regulated by process control systems, as well as simple filling that is mainly carried out manually. Filling is carried out using process orders that have been created on the basis of a filling recipe.
Process Flow
Process Planning
Process manufacturing starts with the creation and execution of a process order that is based on a master recipe. You can either create a process order manually or convert a planned order created in production planning.
When you create the process order, the system automatically creates material reservations for the required ingredients as well as purchase requisitions for externally procured material components or services. Capacity loads are also created for the resources at which the order is carried out.
Parallel to the creation of the process order, you can carry out preliminary costing to determine the planned costs.
You release the process order when the release date has been reached and when the required materials and capacity are available. To prepare for execution, you print the relevant shop floor papers for the process order.
Capacity Requirements Planning
You can evaluate the capacity situation and if required, carry out capacity leveling at any stage of process order processing. However, you usually do this before you start production.
Process Order Execution
Production can take place with or without the use of process management.
- Process order execution with process management
- Process management represents the interface between the R/3 System and process control. Its flexible structure allows for linking to automated, partially-automated, as well as manually controlled lines.
- After you have released the entire process order or the relevant phases in the process order for production, control recipes are generated from the process instructions contained in the process order. Control recipes contain all information for executing a process order that process control requires.
- The control recipes are then sent to the process control system or to the responsible process operator in the form of PI sheets. In the second case, the process instructions are prepared in natural language so they can be displayed and edited on the screen by the process operator.
- The process data that results from the execution of the process order is to be confirmed in the R/3 System or transferred to external function modules for further processing. Process messages are used to transfer this data from process control to the different destinations. By sending a material consumption message, for example, a goods issue can be posted.
- Process order execution without process management
The ingredients required to produce the finished product are withdrawn for the process order and the goods issue is posted. The finished product is produced using the process order. The quantity produced and the activities performed are confirmed in the process order. The finished product is stored and the goods receipt is posted.
Quality Inspection in Production
The relevant Quality Management processes in this scenario are described in detail in
QM in Production.
Process Order Closing
For process order settlement, the actual costs incurred for the order are assigned to several receiving objects (for example, the material to be produced or the sales order).
Within process data documentation, lists of data relevant to quality are generated, which can be written in an optical archive. A distinction is made between order records and batch records.
- Order records
contain all quality-relevant R/3 data that arises in the process order environment.
- Batch records
contain all quality-relevant data for the production of a batch. Layout, content, and processing of the batch record comply with international standards defined in the guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for the pharmaceutical and food processing industries.