Multi Item Order in DIMP – Fast Entry seems very manual

[ann_hustis]

Processing the Fast Entry screen of the Multi Item Order seems very manual.  Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong?

We are in a Make to Stock environment making rolls of bubble wrap.  We are currently operating without variant configuration. 

MRP generates planned orders for Finished Goods, several of which use the same extrusion. The difference in the finished goods are things like:  length of roll; width of roll; type of core; type of outer bag; and labeling. We want to create one multi item production order to produce all of the finished goods that come from the common extrusion for the week.

I can use CO40 Conversion of Planned Order to convert the first Finished Good's Planned Order to the Production Order but then I must use the Fast Entry screen to manually add other FG header materials and the quantities required of each.  I cannot make use of the “convert planned order to production order” functionality for these subsequent header materials.  Am I missing something here?  It seems very manual not to be able to make use of the MRP generated planned orders that exist for the other Finished Goods!

Thank you for your help!

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Ann,

No, you are not missing anything. This is a manual process you have to go through.

Looking at your requirement to produce multiple similar items in one production order, it looks to me that the order combination functionality would be worthwhile to look at.

Or is there any particular reason why you didn't consider that feature?

regards

    Stefan

[ann_hustis]

Thanks very much, Stefan. 

I am testing Order Combination so that I can convert multiple Planned Orders (all using the same extrusion) to a single Production order with T-Code MILL_OC.  So far testing is going well.

But when I saw the Multi Item Order I wondered what the difference is between it and the Order Combination. It seems that in both cases you end up with a single Production Order on which you are making multiple finished goods.  I quickly dismissed Multi Item Order when I saw how manual the production order creation process was.

[Former Member]

Ann,

Without explaining the long history of this functionality, one use case would be to e.g. manage cut offs. So you have a mother roll of 48 inches width and you cut a customer demand of 16 inches. The reminder will be 32 inches. Let’s assume these 32 inches are not a standard size which you keep in stock, but 30 inches would be. So you enter as a co-product in the multi item order the material number of the 30 inch width roll (which you cut at the same time as you cut the 16inch customer demand). You don't need necessarily a planned or production order for the 30 inch roll, just enter the material number /quantity.

Yes, you could also enter a material number for a MTO sales item to consume the 32 inches, or other materials which have some demand and would fit well, but this was originally not the intention of this functionality. In those cases the order combination is the right feature to use.

Regards

     Stefan

[ann_hustis]

Thanks Stefan.  Now I understand why someone would use Multi Item Order.