Master planning support for capability-based resource allocation
The use of master planning can increase the overall efficiency of resources by deferring any resource allocation until productions are scheduled. With this in place, automated resource selection while productions are being scheduled allow for the most effective allocation of resources.
When it comes to master planning, a capability is referred to resource used for operations to perform a specific function. Any operations resource can have multiple capabilities, and on the flip side, a capability can be assigned to more than one resource. Some examples of capabilities that can be assigned to resources include vendors, machines, tools, locations facilities, and human resources. For capabilities, they can be assigned a priority that can be used to optimize resource selection when it comes to scheduling to ensure that selection is made based on highest available priority.
This planning method allows for capabilities to be assigned for each route of an operation as opposed to assigning specific resources or resource groups. After the initial setup, the scheduling process with match up the required capabilities with the capabilities available and determine the appropriate resource assignment for the specific production job.
Planning optimization also provides the capability to source from multiple vendors. This gives you the option to split your purchasing for a given material between multiple vendors at a ratio that you can define.
The combination of resources and capabilities along with the production flow of matching up availability can be shown in the screenshot below.
Users can use finite material scheduling to ensure that the proper number of materials are available for upcoming production orders. The material usage of your active production orders will be used to calculate your next vendor purchase.
For more information on the master planning processes, Scheduling with resource selection based on capability.
The following diagram shows the automatic resource selection based on capabilities.
