Oracle Enterprise

Asset Management
– Flow
Manufacturing –
Process Flow

An Oracle White Paper

Dec 2013
Table of Contents

1. OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2. BASIC SETUPS REQUIRED FOR FLOW MANUFACTURING.................................................................................................................................................3

3. PROCESS FLOW FOR FLOW MANUFACTURING ...............................................................................................................................................................13

4. TECHNICAL INFORMATION – COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS....................................................................................................................................27

1. OVERVIEW

Oracle Flow Manufacturing (FLM) (also called LEAN Manufacturing) is a

manufacturing approach that aligns production with customer demand. FLM
employs Just-In-Time (JIT) concepts such as :

 Manufacturing to demand (vs. forecast)

 Production lines for families of products (vs. process layout),
 Pull material using kanbans (vs. push material),
 Backflush material and costs upon completion (vs. at each
operation), and so on.

Key principles of FLM are :

 Decrease Inventory.
 Eliminate waste – the more stocking points you create leads to
increases in waste.
 Continuous Production Line concept : so if you need to store your
products before they come off the production line, it is not really
FLM. No idle resources should exist in FLM.
 Repetitive Tasks – there tend to be repetitive tasks for FLM
products and the same product is produced every time (in discrete
mfg, products can be more tailored to specific customer needs).
 Optimize machine utilization
 Reduce response time to customer needs
 Simplify shop floor activities.
 Production without use of work orders.
 Only one final product typically produced on the line.
 Raw Materials and sub-assemblies are added at different
operations.
 Lower skill levels typically then in discrete manufacturing.
 Long production lines mean lower costs.

The above diagram shows some key differences between the different forms
of manufacturing available in the Oracle eBusiness Suite.
 The diagram below shows some key features of FLM.

The diagram below highlights some basic features of FLM.

2. SETUPS REQUIRED FOR FLM :

The diagram below shows the setups required for FLM :

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These setups will now be discussed in detail.

2.1 Step 1 : Define Items :

First of all, create the assemblies that you will be manufacturing using the
Inventory Item Master form as shown in the screenshot above.

2.2 Step 2 : Product Families (optional):

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Next – optionally – define your product families as shown in the screenshot
above. Then assign the individual assemblies as members of the product
families (e.g product family could be laptops and the members could be the
individual models which are created as assemblies). You can then plan based
on the planning percentages and effectivity of the product family members.
Typically, a flow line will be used for one product family with a mix of
products.

2.3 Step 3 Define Flow Lines :

The next setup step involves defining the Flow Lines. This is shown in the
screenshot above.

A Flow Line is a manufacturing work area where the assembly will be

produced.

2.4 Step 4 Create Product Synchronization :

Product Synchronization involves defining the process flow for the products
that you are manufacturing.
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First define a flow routing for the assembly as shown in the screenshot
below:

Next – you need to add events, processes and line operations :

 Events : These define the detailed work content for the line. An event is
an identifiable point in time among a set of related activities. In Flow
Manufacturing, events are the lowest level of activities in a flow
routing. Resources are assigned to events. Events can be grouped into
processes and operations.
 Processes (optional) : These are used for discrete grouping of the
events. A planned series of actions (such as mechanical, electrical,
chemical, inspection, test) that advances a material or procedure from
one stage of completion to another. In Flow Manufacturing, processes
are generic activities on a flow routing that often consist of several
events performed in a specific sequence. They are specific to a line,
and are often defined during the analysis on a flow line. They are used
to look at the balance of the shop using the Mixed Model Workbench
before moving to flow.
 Line Operations : Same as above – a planned series of operations
that are used for discrete grouping of events.

The screenshot below shows the events, processes and line operations :

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The screenshot below shows the defined events :

The screenshot below shows the processes :

The screenshot below shows the operations :

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2.5 Step 5 : Balance Flow Lines :

Line Balancing : This is the process of defining balanced production lines by

including products made, operations performed and materials and resources
consumed at each step.

The purpose of line balancing is simply to meet the required demand in the
quickest time possible.

The Mixed Model Map Workbench is used to balance lines against specific
demand and calculate process volume, machine and labor requirements,
TAKT times and in-process-kanban (IPK) requirements.

TAKT = rate at which products must be produced to meet schedules.

The screenshot below shows the header screen for the MMMW.

The MMMW is used to update assignments; consider resource usages and

run simulations and hence analyze and balance lines.

Actions used to balance lines include : reduce or remove non-value added

work, grouping the work into smaller or larger units, increasing resource,
increasing in-process inventory, adding additional lines.

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The screenshot below shows the operations against the line with the
calculated TAKT.

The yellow lines above signify as follows :

Yellow—Operation TAKT As Assigned is greater than Operation TAKT.

This setup means that there will be a slower time to complete the operation.

The screenshot below summarizes the line balancing stages :

2.6 Steps 6 & 7 : Setup Kanban :

Flow Manufacturing uses a kanban pull replenishment system to signal

material requirements and pull material from its defined source, as needed, to
meet demand.
The objective of the kanban replenishment system is to pull the material that
is signaled with a replenishment signal.
The term kanban refers to a visual replenishment signal, such as a card or an
empty container for material. In a kanban system, each workstation on the
flow line can have several containers, each holding the same quantity of
material. Typically, an empty container is a signal to replenish. The following
diagram demonstrates the flow of the kanban planning system. Oracle Flow
Manufacturing uses the Graphical Kanban Workbench to create these
transactions.
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The screenshot below shows how Kanban Pull sequences are defined. These
are used to define the source of replenishment for a kanban item :

The screenshot below shows the step used to launch a kanban plan.
A Kanban plan is defined and then launched. This will calculate the kanban
cards that are required based on the pull sequences.

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You can then update production to reflect changes in production plan and
kanban cards. The screenshot below shows this :

The screenshot below shows the kanban cards that are generated. A kanban
card is a signal that there is a product shortage. Click on replenishment to
replenish the product.

The screenshot below summarizes the kanban process :

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It should be noted that FLM uses Kanban for component replenishment – but
there is an alternative.

You can use Component Pick Release for slow moving or randomly used
components - this is shown in the screenshot below :

2.7 Step 8 : Setup Scheduling Rules :

The next step is to define the scheduling rules – these are used by the Line
Scheduling Workbench and we will discuss this later in the Process Flow
section. The screenshot below shows the setup for a Scheduling rule :

2.8 Step 9: Enable Profile Option For Flow Sequencing :

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Enable the following profile :

FLM : Enable Flow Sequencing

2.9 Step 10 : Setup Sequencing Constraints:

Sequencing is used to consider your demands and determine a sequence for

building assembly items.
Define attributes and constraints and build them into sequencing rules for
the assigned production line.
An attribute is simply a characteristic of your demand
A constraint is a restriction enforced on an attribute. E.g Colour: Set a
constraint on the attribute of Colour to process Red first and then black. You
can then sequence assemblies based on this.

A Sequencing Rule is a grouping of prioritized constraints for the attributes.

The screenshot below shows the setup for the sequencing rule using the
attributes and constraints :

2.10 Step 11: Setup Flow Execution Workstation :

The final requirement is to setup the Flow Execution Workstation.

 Assign the sequencing rule to the production line

 Define the workstation parameters /preferences for the look and feel
and for deciding which options you want to make available on the
workstation.
 HTML and Forms versions of the Flow Workstation exist. We will focus
on HTML version in the rest of this document.

The screenshot below shows the setup screen of the Flow Execution
Workstation :

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3 : PROCESS FLOW FOR FLOW MANUFACTURING :

In this section, I will look at the process flow for flow manufacturing using a
simple example :

3.1 Demand

First of all, we will create the demand for the item that will be manufactured
on the flow line. Demand is created in 2 ways :

- Planned Orders created through the ASCP planning process

- Manually created Sales orders

The screenshot below shows a sales order that has been created manually –
SO number 66646 was created :

3.2 : Create Flow Schedules :

Next, the Flow schedules are created from the demand. The steps are as
follows:

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 • Open the Line Scheduling Workbench ;
• Enter type as Sales Order in this case as we want to create flow schedules
for the above sales order.
• Click on Create Flow schedules.

The screenshot below shows this step.

The screenshot below shows that the flow schedules have been created :

Clicking on the details button will show the individual flow schedules – this
can be seen on the screenshot below :
• Note the individual flow schedules and the link to SO 66646.
• The flow schedules take into account the sequencing rules/constraints
• The build sequence indicates the order of production based on the
sequencing rules and constraints.

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Clicking on the component availability button for each flow schedule will allow
the user to verify the availability of components and carry out ATP checks. This
is shown in the screenshot below:

There is another way to create flow schedules – by using sequencing tasks.

You can specify the production line and sales order etails to be used for the
task.

• A concurrent program creates the flow schedules on submit.

• Uses the defined sequencing rules and constraints
• Options : You can resequence existing schedules or create new flow
schedules using sequencing tasks
• When the flow schedules are created, they will indicate a build sequence –
this is the order of production based on the sequencing rules and
constraints.

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3.3 : Initialise Workstation :

The next step is to initialise the workstation.

• Select org, line and op - this will then initialise the workstation
• Specify any optional selection criteria
• Note : This assembly has 5 line ops : MBRD, CASE, DRV, TEST, PACK

The screenshot below shows the initialised workstation ready to proceed.

3.4: View Schedules :

Click the Start button in the above screenshot and then you can see the Flow
Schedules for the specified criteria.

Schedules can be seen in work queue mode as in the screenshot below or in

user entry mode (where they can be scanned or entered). This is controlled by
the preferences defined.

Notice that the line and line operation are visible on the top right.

Drill into Schedule Number to see the details - the events tab shown below.

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 Click on Event Sequence number to see the event details as seen below :

Drilling into Events also shows detailed instructions, diagrams as seen below :

Instructions tab is shown below.

This shows the details of instructions, diagrams, specifications etc

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The components tab is shown below. This shows the components for all
the operation events.

The Resource Tab is shown below – it shows the resources linked to the events for
this line operation and schedule.

The general details for the line schedule can be seen using the detail properties
tab as seen below:

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You can view any custom parameters used for the line schedule as can be seen
below:

3.5: Update Schedule :

Next – you have the option to update any schedule details as can be seen from the
screenshot below:

3.6 : Complete Line Operation :

Next – we will look at how to complete the line operations. Click on Express

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Complete Line Operation Button for the flow schedule DJ877265, op MBRD (1st
op). The screenshot below shows this button :

This will then bring up the screenshot below :

• This line op requires some mandatory quality data to be updated first.

• Mandatory quality collection data can be specified for any op

Enter the quality data where required as shown in the screenshot below:

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Now click on apply after quality data is entered – as seen in the screenshot below:

The following screenshot shows the completion of the process:

• Note the completion message and the updated work queue.

• The assembly has been moved to the NEXT operation. NO material
transactions occur.
• When you complete the LAST operation, you have option to complete the
schedule.

To see impact of the op completion, query the next OP – CASE (as seen in
screenshot below):

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The next screenshot below shows the impact.

• The assembly has been moved to the next op as can be seen (previous op
was MBRD – now we are op CASE)
• Note : you can set the setup parameters to display different buttons for
each op

3.7 : Process the remaining Line Operations :

Next – we will process the remaining line operations.

When the line op called CASE is completed , it moves the assembly to the next Op
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called DRV. This is shown in the screenshot below :

When the line op called DRV is completed , it moves the assembly to the next Op
called TEST. This is shown in the screenshot below :

When the line op called TEST is completed , it moves the assembly to the next
Op called PACK This is shown in the screenshot below :

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3.7 : Complete the Flow Schedule :

Next, we will complete the Flow Schedule.

There are 2 options for Assembly Completion :

 Complete Schedule : Info or review required (using the html version of

work orderless completion form or form version – we will use html
version)

 Express Complete Schedule: Automatic completion using defaults

The complete schedule option is shown in the screenshot below :

The steps involved in completing the flow schedule are :

• Stage 1 : Select complete schedule option.

• Options to amend quantity and specify alternate routings are provided at this
stage. See screenshot below :

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• Stage 2 : Enter any mandatory quality data and specify any lot and serial
numbers for lot and serial control components. You can also substitute and
remove components. l removed some components for ease of use.

• Stage 3 : The transaction is completed on clicking finish. The components

are backflushed. The assembly is completed into inventory. The flow
Schedule is removed from work queue. As you can see from the
screenshot below, DJ877265 is no longer seen here.

 Material transactions are created in Inventory for the wip completion - for
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 the component backflush and the movement of the assembly inti
inventory. See the assembly completion transaction below:

• Note that you can complete the schedule directly for the flow schedule
and not move the assembly through all the operations. This is shown in
the screenshot below:

 Note that you can also use the forms version of Work Orderless
completion which is shown below.

When a flow schedule is completed using work orderless completion,

usage and efficiency variances result when the total costs charged to a job
or schedule do not equal the total costs relieved from a job or schedule at

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 standard.

3.8 : Scrap Assemblies

• Can add an option to scrap assemblies via the parameters

• This follows same process as work orderless completion.

4 : Technical Information – commonly asked questions :

Q1: Is there a public api for completing flow schedules?

A1: Insert records in MTL_TRANSACTIONS_INTERFACE and set transaction

source to flow schedule.
Then run inventory manager to process the completion. This will mimic work
orderless completion and backflush the components.

Q2: How do we display additional details for completing the work in the
custom property region of Flow Execution Workbench?

A2: Use the following:

Package Name: FLM_EXECUTION_UTIL

Procedure Name : GET_ATTRIBUTES

Q3: Is there an API to import Flow Routing, Standard Line Operations, Standard
Events & Events Resources?

A3: No. Enter manually or use dataloaders. There is an ER to create api for
this:
Bug 5460084: CREATE RESOURCES, STD OPERATION, ROUTING EXTERNALLY USING
API'S

Q4: What table is used to store Flow schedules ?

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A4: WIP_FLOW_SCHEDULES.

Here are other important tables :

 FLM_KANBAN_SUMMARY – summary of kanbans

 FLM_MMM_PLANS - Mixed Model Map Plans
 FLM_MMM_LINES - Mixed Model Map Lines
 FLM_MMM_OPERATIONS - Mixed Model Map Operations
 FLM_SEQ_RULES – Sequencing rules
 MRP_AD_FLOW_SCHDS – stores details about deleted wip flow schedules

Q5: What apis are available for FLM?

A5: There are 3 apis :

 Custom Kanban Quantity Calculation API : used to calculate kanban

size and qty
Package Name: MRP_CUSTOM_LINE_SCHEDULE
Procedure Name: CUSTOM_SCHEDULE

 Custom Schedule API : for extending the available line scheduling

algorithms.
Package Name: MRP_CUSTOM_LINE_SCHEDULE
Procedure Name: CUSTOM_SCHEDULE
 Flow Schedule API : create, update, delete, retrieve, lock, schedule
and unlink order lines of flow schedules.
Package Name: MRP_FLOW_SCHEDULE_PUB
Procedure Name: PROCESS_FLOW_SCHEDULE

below.

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Flow Manufacturing
Dec 2013
Author: Zar Ahmed

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