Process centers represent the entities that are used to produce products or perform services in a production system. A process center represent a machine, a piece of equipment, a person or team of people, or the combination of machines, equipment and people.
To Create a Process Center:
- Open the Data Entry Pane on the left side of the User Interface
- Select Process Centers
- Select the + button and fill in the input fields
- Select Create
To Edit an Existing Process Center:
- Double click the process center or select the process center and then select the pen button
- Edit the input fields and select Close
To Delete an Existing Process Center:
- Select the process center and then select the X button
Process Center Data Element Description
| Data Element | Description | Constraints |
|---|---|---|
| Description | A description of the process center. | |
| Schedule | The scheduled assigned to this process center. The schedule is used to determine the time available for this process center during the demand period. | Existing Schedules |
| Batching Type | Sequential batching occurs when a process center processes one production unit at a time. Simultaneous batching occurs when a process center processes more than one unit at a time (e.g., heat treat, vacuum furnace, painting). The number of parts worked on at one time is equal to the process batch size set in each item table. A conveyor machine is one in which parts are loaded at a certain rate and there is a fixed delay in moving the parts through the length of the conveyor. For example, one type of conveyor can be thought of as a move operation that is used to transfer parts between two sequential machines. There are two parameters associated with defining a conveyor 1) The production rate / load rate of the conveyor and 2) The time required to traverse through the conveyor. | Sequential, Simultaneous, or Conveyor |
| Number of Machines | The number of parallel process centers available to perform work. | Integer > 0 |
| Maximum Utilization | An upper limit on the process center’s utilization. | > 0 and < 100 |
| Mean Time to Failure | The average time between failures (in hours) or scheduled maintenance from start after previous stop up to the moment of going down. If there are no failures, enter 99999. | > 0 |
| Mean Time to Repair | The average repair or maintenance time (in hours). If none, enter 0. | > 0 |
| Not Capacity Constrained | Checked = Infinite Capacity, e.g. outside services | Check mark |