Defining Capacity Variants 

Use

If you work in a multiple-shift operation and want to plan using shifts, you can use capacity variants to define different available capacities for one or more resources. See also: Define Data for Multiple-Shift Operations

Features

In the initial screen for the resources, you can define up to 99 capacity variants by choosing Current Settings → Capacity Variants. Depending on where, as standard, the system determines the resource capacity, the capacity variant is defined in different ways:

·        For resources with a standard available capacity, you can define intervals for these capacity variants, in which the valid available capacity is defined using definitions. To define the intervals, go to the Change Resources screen and select the Capacity Variants pushbutton. You use different definitions, depending on the capacity category of a resource:

¡        You can define shift sequences with shifts, breaks, and shift factors for resources with time-continuous capacity (such as single and multiresources).

¡        In the case of resources with SNP bucket capacity (such as mixed resources and bucket resources), you use quantity/rate definitions

¡        You can also define define rate models for line resources.

·        You cannot define any intervals for resources with an external capacity that is determined directly from SAP R/3. The capacity variant is identical to the available capacity determined from the external capacity, as long as you have not manually defined variances in the capacity profile.

If you define a capacity variant as the active variant in the General Data of a resource, the system uses the capacity variant instead of the standard available capacity or the external capacity.

You can choose the Capacity Profile pushbutton to gain an overview of the available capacity that is determined from the active capacity variant for the validity period of the resource, and to manually enter variances for individual data. (See Capacity Profile.)

For more information, see Determining the Valid Capacity.

For optimization in Supply Network Planning, you define capacity variants using minimum, normal and maximum capacity.