OPM production Management for Float Glass industries

Question

Hi
The Process of Float Glass Manufacturing is same throughout the world.
Brief Process Desc.
All the Raw materials (Sand, Dolamite, Limestone, Soda Ash, Sodium Sulphate, Carbon, Iron Oxide) are weighed correctly and send it into the Furnace where all the mixture gets melted at 1500 deg C and then the melted glass float thru a tin bar ( here Thickness/width are controlled as per the prodn requirement) contineously and brought to the cold end (@ room temp) where it gets cut into various lenths and widths and goes for packing system.
Here the packing UOM is in Tons which measures as No of pieces/pack. Hence the output FG.
Here my question is How to map this process in to making production batch using Formula and Recipes. If anyone come across this process and implemented the same, kindly guide me in detail, so that I can map with this help infact i do have idea of mapping but if someone help which will boost the mapping process into Oracle apps. This project is in Release 12. (OPM modules)
If find any documents on this (like ppts/BP80/BR100 docs) pl send it to my mail id : [email protected]
This help is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Raj

Answer 1

You can define this as a single formula.
Output: Packed - cut to size - Finished Good Item.
Input: All the Raw materials (Sand, Dolamite, Limestone, Soda Ash, Sodium Sulphate, Carbon, Iron Oxide)
Packaging materials + Labels + Boxes etc.
Define Routing:
Resource: Furnace, Any other importance resource like Equipment that controls thickness, cutter etc, Labor, Associated Overhead
Create recipe using the formula and routing.
Various factors that can affect the mapping:
1) Formula maintenance: You have to define formula for each output item.
2) Possibility of dynamic determination of output item: If it is possible to produce different combination of thickness/width (and hence different FG item) in the same batch, then this won't be the right mapping.
3) Process variations: Also formula mapping depends on how accurate is production process. If user wants to produce item X (say thickness 10mm) but due to quality issue produced item Y (say thickness 9mm) and such cases happens very often, this won't be right solution.
4) Inventory measurement: This will determine the break-points. If you cannot measure the quantity (or even estimate) then you cannot define it as an intermediate item.
I will explain how point 4 can lead to different way of formula mapping.
Say you have a furnace that needs to run continuously for better quality or throughput. Hence you will be continuously adding raw materials to furnace and produce different outputs. You can break the single formula into multiple formulas as -
Formula 1) Output: Molten mass of glass
Input: All the Raw materials (Sand, Dolamite, Limestone, Soda Ash, Sodium Sulphate, Carbon, Iron Oxide)
Formula 2) Output: Packed - cut to size - Finished Good Item.
Input: Molten mass of glass
To have formula in such fashion you should have a way to measure or estimate the weight of Molten mass of glass.
If you are estimating the weight, there should be historical data available to determine what should be realistic output quantity for given input quantity. How much will be process loss and loss due to unwanted by product such as slag etc.
Further you can break formula 2 as
Output: One large sheet of give thickness
Input: Molten mass of glass
Output: Packed - cut to size - Finished Good Item.
Input: The large sheet of give thickness.
This kind of different mapping is possible which normally depends on:
1) Complexity of process
2) How complex BOM structure user wants to have
3) Are there any benefits of maintaining such complex system - like accurate costing or accurate production monitoring or facilitating planning process.
4) Can user maintain the complex system? Are they ready to capture data at finer level. Is it possible to capture the data.
5) And most important thing is how to handle exceptions. If every thing goes smoothly as planned (less exceptions) then user can have and afford any level of complexity. But if there are many exceptions to the normal process you have to concentrate more on how to handle the exceptions.
6) Satisfy all users: Accounting, Planning, Production, Quality, Inventory handling. Formula/Recipe touches all these modules.