Managing Execution on the Production
Floor in Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2012
With Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2012 Manufacturing Execution, companies are given a tool for
facilitating, controlling, and capturing data from the final steps when raw materials are turned into
goods on the production floor. By extending Microsoft Dynamics AX Time and Attendance,
production companies can use Microsoft Dynamics AX Manufacturing Execution to allow shop
supervisors to prioritize the production queue and assign available resources to the jobs on the shop
floor. With an advanced touch-enabled production terminal, information on available jobs is made
available to machine operators based on their role and the specialization of the terminal.
PLANNING THE PRODUCTION EXECUTION
Ensuring a consistent and stable flow in the execution phase of production is typically left
to shop supervisors, who assign the available jobs to machine operators and ensure the
highest-level efficiency in terms of both resource utilization and delivering on promise.
With Microsoft Dynamics AX Manufacturing Execution, shop supervisors and machine
operators are given an advanced tool to help them manage and execute their daily tasks,
ensuring that relevant information is made available to—and data is captured from—the
production processes.
Several steps within the production execution phase are supported, including:
Daily work planning – Typically done before the start of the working day, a shop
supervisor will fine-tune which jobs are to be handled when and by whom. With
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Manufacturing Execution, a rich, deeply embedded tool
is made available with all available data about the jobs to be done.
Registration – Balancing the need for simplicity and deep data insight, the job
registration form provides a touch-enabled user-configurable tool for presenting
relevant, up-to-date information to machine operators.
Ad hoc tasks – Expect the unexpected and work with it. With Microsoft Dynamics AX
Manufacturing Execution, the shop supervisor is given a set of tools available directly
on the shop floor to handle daily ad hoc tasks.
Deep integration, deep insight – Integrating directly with Microsoft Dynamics AX
2012 Time and Attendance, Project management and accounting, Inventory
management, Human resources, and other areas, users on the shop floor are no
longer disconnected in a separate Manufacturing Execution System (MES) but have
the knowledge and abilities to interact where relevant with other divisions.
Manufacturing Execution in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 is about empowering workers
on the shop floor and ensuring a dynamic two-way dialogue between the shop floor and
other business areas of the company.
EXECUTION PHASE: DAILY WORK PLANNING
When production scheduling meets the reality of the factory floor, deviations are to be
expected. The edit job list ensures that shop supervisors are enabled to perform the
requisite tasks when facing the scheduled production jobs.
The edit job list is available both in a normal desktop version and in a touch-enabled
version that is directly accessible on the shop floor when the need to reassign, reprioritize,
etc., occurs during the working day.
Edit job list is
available for detailed
manual production
planning
Key tasks enabled are:
Prioritization – Production jobs can be prioritized by individual resource or groups of
resources where a resource can represent machines, workers, tools, or vendors.
Assignment/reassignment – Jobs can be assigned from one resource to another or
from the general to the specific—for example, from the group of machine operators
to a specific worker.
Insight – Accessible and relevant information into areas such as operations, materials,
availability, or capacity loads is provided.
The focus of the edit job list is actionable information presented in an easy-to-understand
manner, requiring limited IT understanding but supporting key execution scenarios.
EXECUTION PHASE: REGISTRATION TERMINAL
Extending the time-focused functionality of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Time and
Attendance, the Job registration form allows for a highly configurable environment that
enables workers on the shop floor to access information tailored for their individual
needs. This includes information directly related to their situation, like outstanding jobs,
ongoing jobs, and background information.
Key elements are:
The job list – This up-to-date information source shows the prioritized work queue
either for the specific worker and workstation or for a group of workers and
workstations. Microsoft Dynamics AX Manufacturing Execution works against both
production orders and projects in companies using the Project module for larger
engineer-to-order–type productions.
Required information – The system provides enough information to do the job while
not placing the complexity bar too high. The Job registration form is deeply
configurable and allows enablement/disablement of a multitude of information points
and action items.
Document management – Information often comes in the form of electronic
documents, which can include product designs, process guidelines, and so on. This
immediately-up-to-date information can be made available directly to the machine
operators.
Communication tool – This tool provides the ability to communicate quickly and
efficiently with individual, group, and all workers
Appropriate actions – Depending on the context, the registration terminal enables
the machine operator to take actions on the job assigned to his or her person or
group and to report the status and results from such actions
Touch-enabled interface – The registration terminal can on some or all terminals be
set up for touch mode. Touch means that the normal mouse/keyboard mode can be
replaced by a single touch screen, and all interaction can be done with taps on the
screen.
Touch-enabled
registration terminal
for fast job interaction
The focus of the registration terminal is bringing workers the information they require,
bypassing the need for the traditional long paper trail. The registration can be as simple
or advanced as required in the situation while at the time requiring little training to use.
EXECUTION PHASE: AD HOC TASKS
In order to minimize the time spent by the supervisor in an office, a key objective of
Microsoft Dynamics AX Manufacturing Execution is to enable the most frequent tasks
done by supervisors to be performed on terminals across the production floor. Doing so
will increase effectiveness of the shop supervisor and thereby directly affect the
production floor.
The key tasks enabled are:
Absence registration and attendance overview – Receiving numerous calls of
sickness, the shop supervisor needs to be able to quickly enter this information into
Microsoft Dynamics AX.
Change feedback – The occasional erroneous entry by machine operators can be
checked and corrected quickly by the shop supervisor.
Reassignment/reprioritization – Many diverse factors, such as sickness, absence,
and machine breakdowns, require that the shop supervisor be able to quickly shift
jobs from one worker or machine to another, and to prioritize one job over another.
All this can be done by logging in to a terminal with supervisor credentials.
Enablement of all workers on the production floor is the key. Microsoft Dynamics AX
Manufacturing Execution focuses on empowered employees, making sure they have the
tools they need while keeping them in the space where they are most effective.
EXECUTION PHASE: DEEP INTEGRATION, DEEP INSIGHT
Built directly into Microsoft Dynamics AX, Manufacturing Execution is a core feature area
utilizing directly the information from diverse modules across the application stack.
Production control – This is the key scenario. Every order released to the production
floor is available and data entered from registration terminals is directly available for
informational purposes, analysis, and further action to staff across the enterprise.
Project management and accounting – For companies running more advanced
production processes, typically in the engineer-to-order industries, the ability to enter
time and materials directly against projects is possible. Data from the production floor
is again directly available to project managers and for further processing, including
accurate invoicing.
Immediate availability – Human resource management, Inventory management,
General ledger and more areas either feed or receive the output of the workers being
employed on the production floor. For example, information about a change in
availability is immediately available on the production floor, and costs incurred on the
production floor are available to the staff requiring the information.
SUMMARY
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Manufacturing Execution offers production companies of all sizes a tool set for bringing upto-date ERP data to execution workers on the production floor.
For a strong tool set, the key is enablement of the production workers from machine operators to shop supervisors,
granting insight into the critical questions of WHAT should be done WHEN and by WHOM, while not forgetting
communication, insight into the workers personal situation, and an ability to handle a workday that can deviate from the
plan.
With flexibility and the right tools and information, every terminal can be set up to handle specific or general tasks and
can be set up with different available actions based on who is logging in. Terminals can be set up to handle complexity (if
that is required) or to offer few and simple options, either in a standard keyboard/mouse mode or using a touch screen.
With deep integration with other functional areas of Microsoft Dynamics AX, the information made available to the
production floor is immediately available and the information is available immediately across the enterprise for further
actions.
Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence.
Microsoft Dynamics works like and with familiar Microsoft software, automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship and supply chain processes in a way that
helps you drive business success.
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