Creating Multiple Work Centers 

Use

Multiple work centers represent a type of alternative in line structures. When you backflush and register which work center has actually been used, multiple work centers help you to determine the correct supply area from which to withdraw components.

You can reproduce alternative work centers with lines or line segments, for which you create alternatives. An alternative can consist of several consecutive work centers.

Even if the multiple work centers themselves are not planned, the number of takts that you have maintained for the multiple work centers must be considered during scheduling. The planning itself cannot determine any alternatives, so you must specify an alternative to be the standard alternative. The standard lead path through the line network is defined over these standard alternatives and forms the basis for planning.

You must define a reporting point for the backflush at the end of a path (see also: Assignment of Action Points) so that you can determine which work center has been used.

Example

In the following example, a line segment (LINSEG2-3) is laid out as a multiple work center. The multiple work center in this example consists of two alternative paths. Each path consists of two line segments:

Prerequisites

You have created Basic Data for the line and line segments that are assigned to the line.

Procedure

...

       1.      Load the line segment that you wish to use as a multiple work center.

The header data and tab pages are displayed on the right-hand side of the screen.

       2.      Choose the Alt. Work Centers tab page. Enter the possible paths on the tab page by numbering the alternative paths in the Alternative column and entering a description for each path. Select a radio button to indicate which alternative the system is to use as the standard path.

       3.      Choose Continue.

The alternatives are displayed in the navigation tree.

       4.      Then choose Save.

       5.      Create the line segments for the paths. Enter the number of takts in the basic data and save your entries.

       6.      Define a reporting point (action point of type reporting point) at the last line segment in each path.

       7.      Choose the  Relationship tab page for each line segment that is part of a path. Enter the line segment that you have created for the multiple work center. In the Alternative field, enter the number of the path containing the line segment. Choose Continue.

The system displays a message saying that the hierarchy relationship between the multiple work center and the subordinate line segment will be created when you save.

       8.      Then choose Save.

Result

You have created the multiple work center and its alternative paths.

On the Sequence tab page for the line segments, you can maintain the sequence of the paths by entering the predecessor and successor.

On the Sequence tab page, you can maintain the sequence of the line segments assigned to the line by entering the predecessor and successor of each segment. See also: Processing the Sequence.

For line balancing, create one line activity with one mode only for the alternative work centers (line segments). You must assign this mode to all the alternative work centers in the multiple work center. You cannot use different modes for multiple work centers. See also: Checking the Process Structure.