Documentation:UserManual/The Modules/Production

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[edit] Production

The production module has been first released with Open ERP version 3. This module enables you to define products made of sub-parts. These sub-parts might also be made of other sub-parts. All parts used in defining a product can be purchased or produced. The list of parts is defined in the Bill Of Material form.

The production functionality helps in describing the method used to manufacture the product. All actions encountered in the manufacturing process is set as routings. These routings require resources that are defined as uses of workcenters. A workcenter can be labourforce or machinery. The routings define how much use of the workcenter is necessary to carry out the manufacturing operation.

The material requirement is automatically calculated from the stock level rules and the sales demand. If a customer order requires a product that is not on stock, the production scheduler ask for building one. If some components are not on stock, the according purchase requirement is automatically generated. The production can start when components are available for the workcenters. The production scheduler suggests the ranking of operations, after analysis of the production orders priorities. Besides, all operations are suggested on a just in time basis, that is to say that a production will not start too early and produce goods too much in advance. However, the production can be manually launched in order to override the just in time rules.

Bills of material can be based on precise articles or on generaly described articles. The latter is known as phantom parts and allows the choice of the article to be automatically choosen by rules or manually choosen by production responsibles.

Products can now be set as made to stock or made to order. Products made to stock are manufactured automatically and kept to a predefined stock level. Products made to order are manufactured when a customer order require them.

Finally, when a sales order is entered in Open ERP, it is possible to choose if the product is taken from stock or if it has to be produced. This helps in keeping the stock level to its maximum, when a customer order does not have to be delivered right away.