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BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Getting the Most Out of the Shop Order Inquiry Program – Part 2

Anthony Etzel 0 64324 Article rating: No rating

Understanding: How many hours remain in total and at each operation?

Now let’s look at what information is being supplied from the shop floor.

It’s not uncommon for transaction reporting to be captured manually on the shop packet that was issued to the factory floor when the SO was released.

The big question is, is anything done with the data? Is it collected and keyed to a  spreadsheet and not shared, or is the transaction data keyed to SFC600? If it is being keyed, ask how often and by whom? Some companies use alternative methods to capture transaction data that do not require batch keying via a keyboard.

Not a lot of data is required to be keyed to SFC600 in order for the SO Inquiry to be useful. The data that should be reported for the transaction process is as follows:

  • The type of hours being reported – machine, run labor, setup labor
  • If reporting setup and run labor you want an employee clock number
  • The shop order and the operation that is being reported
  • Is the operation complete
  • How many good were produced at this operation
  • How many hours – the numbers of hours are critical. Do the employees estimate how many hours they worked, or do they track actual time started and stopped in order to calculate the actual number of hours.

Based on what is captured and how often will have an impact on the SO inquiry screen. Understanding the batch times as to when the transactions are keyed will provide you with the window as to the SO status at that point in time. Or, are they keyed as they happen in a near real time fashion so that you can have a more current view of the factory floor.

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Baan/LN Tip of the Week: ERP Setup - Pros & Cons

Kathy Barthelt 0 52505 Article rating: No rating

You may have started your setup of your ERP system one way, and have discovered over time that maybe it no longer fits how you need to do business. Here are some pros/cons to consider for a Single Finance / Multi-Logistic setup. 

 Pros
All accounting functions are centralized into one company.  One balance sheet is generated – even though multiple logistics sites are involved.  Income statements can be generated by logistic company via use of a Dimension to represent the logistic company.
Allows logistical functions to be decentralized within one legal entity – if this is what is desired.
Logistics data not visible across companies – pro if you do not want users to see other company’s data.

 

Cons

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Crossroads RMC Maintains Preferred Partner Status With Honeywell / Intermec for 2016

Crossroads RMC 0 33109 Article rating: No rating

Honeywell has renewed Crossroads RMC’s Silver Level status in their Performance Partner Program for 2016. This recognition provides Crossroads RMC with the authorization to resell Honeywell/Intermec mobile computing products at a substantial discount, thereby allowing Crossroads’ customers to take advantage of that discount as well. 

Crossroads works closely with the Honeywell /Intermec engineering group to provide the best hardware offerings at a good price point for manufacturers across North America.

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BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Getting the Most Out of the Shop Order Inquiry Program – Part 1

Anthony Etzel 0 61953 Article rating: 5.0

Understanding: How many hours remain in total and at each operation?

First let’s look at some key BPCS Master File data starting with the routing file.

How many routing steps (operations) are set up that reflect how the product is produced in the factory? If you take a short cut and set up only one operation for the entire process, then you will limit the information seen on the SO inquiry program. Set up the operation steps to reflect what you want to report back to from the factory floor.

Will each of the routing steps run in one work center, or in different work centers? To keep it simple you may want to set up work centers as departments. For example:

  • Assembly
  • Machine
  • Paint
  • Etc.

For each operation setup consider how you have set up the following:

  • Load Codes – for example a code 5 is used if reporting both setup time and run labor time. These codes are maintained in the work center file
  • Basis Code – typical codes are P for pieces per hour,  3 is used for hours per 1,000 pieces
  • Setup hours – if you set them up, you also want to report them
  • Run hours – Direct Labor
  • Machine hours

How you set up th

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Baan/LN Tip of the Week: ERP Setup - Pros & Cons

Kathy Barthelt 0 60895 Article rating: No rating

You may have started your setup of your ERP system one way, and have discovered over time that maybe it no longer fits how you need to do business. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be providing some pros/cons to consider for different company setups.

Pros/Cons of Single Finance / Single Logistic Company Set-Up

Pros
Easy to implement and to maintain.
No risk of processing data for another company.
Data not visible across companies – pro if you do not want users to see other company’s data.
Cost Prices can be different for the same item in the different logistics companies.
Easy to add or remove companies when companies are bought or sold.
Accounting functions are all separate by company. – Pro if each finance company is managed separately.
 

 

Cons
Decentralized operations – purchasing, sales, manufacturing, planning, warehousing, etc.
User must go in and out of companies if there is a need to view or create transactions in more than one company.
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It’s NOT All About the Money, Money, Money… Motivating Employees in the New Year!

Kathy Barthelt 0 39733 Article rating: 5.0

Have you ever thought about what really motivates your employees?

It’s not about the almighty dollar, you know. Ok, ok…..money doesn’t hurt, but money alone doesn’t keep most people in their jobs. You actually need to motivate your employees to keep them showing up, mentally, and physically. Employees that don’t feel motivated are probably underperforming, and that means you’re losing money.

Ask yourself these questions about your employees:

  • Are they happy…..YES….HAPPY! Do they enjoy coming to work every day?
  • Do they feel challenged, or do they feel demeaned?
  • Are they sinking, or are they swimming?
  • Do they have the right tools in their arsenal to battle the giants?
  • Where’s the reward?

Happiness - I’ve worked with manufacturers for almost 20 years now...

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BPCS/LX Tip of the Week: Financial Year End – Have you done all you need to do?

Anthony Etzel 0 63408 Article rating: No rating

Came across an article online from Lauber CFO’s, and thought I would share. Here is a checklist for things to consider in order to finish out the year and help you plan for 2016:

 

  • Are your accounting records up to date so that you can make a projection of how the current year will turn out?
  • Are all account reconciliations currently up to date to facilitate the closing of the books after year end?
  • Are there accounts receivable that should be reserved for or written off prior to the end of the year?
  • If your business carries inventory, do you need to plan a physical count as of the end of the year?
  • Has depreciation on your fixed assets been recorded during the year? Have you considered depreciation on current year additions?
  • Have all new asset purchases and bank loans been recorded on your books?
  • Are there any liabilities, for example, pending legal actions or warranty issues, which will need to be recorded prior to year end? 
  • Do you have a plan in place to properly “cut-off” revenue at year end to properly match revenue and expense?
  • Will there be bonuses, profit sharing contributions or discretionary retirement plan contributions paid prior to the end of the year? How will these payments affect cash f
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Tips:  LX | BPCS | M3

Tips: LN | Baan

Kathy Barthelt
/ Categories: Infor LN & Baan Tips, Executive

Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for EXECUTIVES

FINANCE: Currency Differences

When currency differences are posted, several parameters affect the way the entries in the General Ledger are created. This section explains the possible parameter settings:

  1. Ledger accounts by currency

  2. Writing off currency profits

  3. Fixed exchange rate

  4. Writing off currency differences for anticipated payments


1. Ledger accounts by currency
This parameter is recorded in the Finance Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000) session.

If the Ledger Accounts Currency Differences by Currency check box is selected, the (un)realized currency differences are posted to the ledger accounts defined in the Currency Difference Ledger Accounts by Currency (tfgld0119s000) session.

LN retrieves the related dimensions from these sessions:

  • General Ledger: Finance Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000)

  • Accounts Payable: Ledger Accounts by Business Partner Group (tfacp0111m000)

  • ACR: Ledger Accounts by Business Partner Group (tfacr0111m000)

If the Ledger Accounts Currency Differences by Currency check box is cleared, the currency differences are posted to:

  • General Ledger: the ledger accounts specified in the Finance Company Parameters (tfgld0503m000) session.

  • Accounts Payable/ Accounts Receivable: the ledger accounts recorded for the business partner group.


2. Writing off currency profits
This parameter is defined in one of these sessions:

  • ACP Parameters (tfacp0100m000)

  • ACR Parameters (tfacr0100s000)

If the Currency Profits check box is selected, the unrealized currency profits are posted as well as the unrealized currency losses. Unrealized currency losses are always posted when writing off currency differences.

3. Fixed exchange rates
For each invoice, the rate determiner defines:

  • Which date is used to determine the exchange rate.

  • If currency differences are calculated.

  • For which (home) currencies the currency differences are calculated.

The Rate Determiner is set in the Sales Invoices (tfacr1110s000) session or the Purchase Invoice Entry (tfacp2600m000) session.

Unrealized currency differences are written off in one of these sessions:

  • Write Off Currency Differences (tfacp2240m000)

  • Write Off Currency Differences (tfacr2250m000)

4. Writing off currency differences for anticipated payments
This parameter is defined in one of these sessions:

  • ACP Parameters (tfacp0100m000)

  • ACR Parameters (tfacr0100s000)

If the Currency Difference Anticipated Payments check box is selected, invoices with anticipated payments or anticipated receipts are considered for writing off currency differences.

OPERATIONS: Pegging Material Supply Lines for Operation and Product Subcontracting

For project pegged production orders, operations can be subcontracted. The material delivered to the subcontractor can be project pegged or anonymous. The subassemblies that are sent and retrieved are always project pegged. Costing breaks can apply to direct the costs of the subcontracted operation to a specific project cost account. If (production material) costing breaks are used, a purchase order line's peg can differ from the peg on the material supply line.

For product subcontracting, the subcontracted purchase orders can include materials that inherit the project pegs, or can include anonymous materials. The pegged materials are stored in inventory and are shipped to the subcontractor with project pegged orders.

In case of a project pegged order, a peg distribution is linked to the Purchase Order Material Supply Line in the Purchase Peg Distribution (tdpur5100m000) session. For a specific purchase order line (detail) and material sequence, the material supply line's Order and Consumption quantities are distributed across the peg distribution lines for combinations of project/budget, project element, and/or project activity. The peg information in the Purchase Peg Distribution (tdpur5100m000) session includes the line number for the peg in the distribution, the peg (project, element, activity), and the material supply line quantity by peg. The peg distribution cannot be manually created and must always be generated using the parent.

For operation subcontracting, the purchase order line, the material supply line, and the linked peg distributions are generated by Job Shop Control and can only be updated by Job Shop Control.

For product subcontracting, the purchase order line, the material supply line, and the peg distributions are generated by Procurement. A material supply line's peg distribution can be updated only from the parent, that is the purchase order line, the purchase order line peg distribution, or the material supply line. If a purchase order line's distribution line is changed, and no quantities are received or consumed yet, the pegged fields on the linked material supply lines are synchronized to the updated distribution line in the Purchase Order Material Supply Lines (tdpur4116m000) session. However, if a different quantity distribution is applicable, the quantities of the material supply lines' distribution lines are redetermined in the Purchase Peg Distribution (tdpur5100m000) session.


TECHNOLOGY: Load Audit Tables for Profile (ttaud3220s000)

Use this session to load tables for an audit profile.

Usually this session is run from the Specific menu of the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000) session. The selected profile in that session is displayed in the first line of the current session.

The result of loading the tables depends on the selection level you use in the current session. For each element on the lowest selection level, a line is created in the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000) session. For example, if you select a package and a number of modules, a line is created for each module. Because you did not specify the tables, the All check box is selected.

Field Information

  • Profile: The audit profile for which the tables are loaded.
    Note: If you start the current session from the appropriate menu of the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000), the profile displayed is the profile that is selected in that session.
  • Package: The package that contains the tables you want to load.
  • Module: The module that contains the tables you want to load.
  • Table: The tables you want to load.
  • Audit Type: The audit type that must be set for the tables that are loaded.
    Note: You can either select Always, or Changed. However, it is also possible to determine the audit type per field. This is the Not Applicable option in the Audit Tables by Profile (ttaud3120m000) session. If you want to set the audit type per field, you must change the audit type to Not Applicable after the tables are downloaded, and then specify the audit type per field in the Audit Fields by Table (ttaud3125m000) session.

Previous Article Infor LN & Baan Tips & Tricks for OPERATIONS: Subcontracting Overview
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Kathy Barthelt

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