Glossary

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS)

APS systems plan and schedule the production process in one go, based on available materials, labor and capacities. As part of the production process, Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) is responsible in particular for sequence planning and capacity planning. APS systems usually take the production orders generated by the ERP system and plan and optimize the sequence in which they are to be processed. The production orders are assigned to the available workstations via the APS software, taking into account the available resources and production capacities. FEKOR can be used as an APS system with or without ERP.

Application program/application software

Application software is a program that provides a solution for the user through certain functionalities. With the FEKOR software, FLS offers a solution that allows the planner to plan and optimize the production process at any time.

Article

An article is synonymous with product. In terms of production planning, the article refers to a bill of materials.

Article class

see Characteristics

Article classification

The article classification makes it possible to calculate setup times in advance without having to set up and maintain large setup time matrices.

Article group management

The aim of article group management is to view and manage articles combined in the group together when replenishing. The aim is to ensure that the items concerned are produced together as a group.

Backward scheduling

Based on a predetermined delivery date and taking into account the production duration of an order, it is calculated when production must start at the latest so that this delivery date can be met. There are differences in whether backward scheduling is carried out with unlimited or limited capacity.

Batch

A batch defines a production quantity to be manufactured in the context.

Batch size

Batch size refers to the quantity of a product type that is produced as a batch without interruption or changeover.

Characteristics

Characteristics can be used to describe the properties of items, e.g. color, diameter, etc. Characteristics and article classes are used for detailed setup time calculation.

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)

Computer integrated manufacturing refers to the activities in a company that are supported by a computer. This also includes production planning and control (PPS) and production data acquisition (PDA).

Consequences calculation

The calculation of consequences is one of the most important FEKOR functions: the effects of every change on the existing plan are calculated. In addition to postponements, all availabilities of workstations, personnel, production resources and materials are checked. Dependencies between orders are taken into account. The effects of a change are usually not limited to one work center, but extend to almost all work centers. The FEKOR control station carries out this calculation of consequences immediately, e.g. when rescheduling orders, and displays the result in the form of the changed plan.

Consumption control

Consumption control is used when the future demand is not known with sufficient accuracy. The replenishment process is then triggered according to the order limit procedure, for example.

Control station

see Production control center

Delivery time

The delivery time is the time between the order being placed by the purchasing department and the delivery of the goods by the supplier. It is identical to the replenishment lead time.

Demand management

Demand control is a type of management in the context of materials management. If demand is known, it is possible to determine when the stock will fall below the safety stock level and when the stock must be replenished accordingly.

Detailed planning

In many companies, a distinction is still made between rough and detailed planning. Rough planning shows the period for which orders already exist, while detailed planning determines the sequence of orders and their allocation to work centers. With FEKOR, the separation into rough and detailed planning is no longer necessary. Impending bottlenecks are recognized at an early stage and eliminated by additional working hours or suitable alternatives.

Discrete manufacturing

In discrete manufacturing, individual, countable products are manufactured. This contrasts with process manufacturing.

Downtime

Downtime is the time in production when a product is not being processed. This can be part of the process or due to a malfunction.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) supports the recording, planning and control of resources in the company. ERP systems are modular software applications and are connected to other systems via interfaces. When used with an ERP system, FEKOR generates the production orders and transfers the data back to the ERP system.

Extended workbench

The term "extended workbench" refers to the outsourcing of production orders to subcontractors. It usually involves the provision of the necessary components and materials.

External production

In contrast to in-house production, the manufacture of an item or component is outsourced to an external company. Under certain circumstances, this can be more cost-effective or help out in bottleneck situations. In FEKOR, external production can be mapped - also taking into account the corresponding transportation times. This means that the consequences in the event of disruptions along the entire supply chain, including in external production, remain transparent at all times until the goods are delivered.

FEKOR

FEKOR is the name of the planning system from FLS FertigungsLeitSysteme GmbH & Co. KG. FEKOR is the abbreviation for production coordination.

Filling process

This is a process that ensures that the item is replenished in the warehouse. This can be done either via a production order, a transfer order or a purchase order.

Finished article

see Finished parts

Finished parts

Finished parts are the end products of the manufacturing process from our own production.

Graphical control station

see Production control center

In-house manufactured part

In-house production parts are items that are manufactured in-house. (also known as in-house production items)

Interfaces

Interfaces are used to connect the production planning system to the feedback system. The feedback system can consist of two components, on the one hand the recording of the flow of goods and the resulting stocks using a warehouse management system (WMS) and on the other hand the recording of the order progress for production orders using a production data acquisition system (PDA). FEKOR provides standard interfaces for both of these feedback systems.

Inventory management

As part of inventory management, the stock for each individual item in this warehouse is usually updated in a warehouse management system.

Lead time

In manufacturing, lead time is the time it takes from the start of processing to the completion of a product. Some planning systems use lead time reduction as a target, but this can lead to a deterioration in the company's results. One example of this is the shortening of throughput time through additional shifts. If the costs for this are not taken into account and included in the calculation, it can have a negative impact on profits. The aim of planning should be to minimize the company's total costs.

Machine cost rate

The machine cost rate is calculated from the sum of the costs for imputed depreciation, imputed interest, space, energy and maintenance. Interest, space, energy and maintenance incurred in one hour.

Management

This is the process of using a replenishment analysis to determine when an item stock is likely to fall below the safety stock level, triggering a replenishment process and reserving or allocating the replenishment quantity to the requirements.

Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is a system for the efficient control of production, usually in the form of an IT system. It helps to improve a company's competitiveness by optimizing order processing and production processes. (also called: Manufacturing Execution System (MES), MES system, MES system)

Materials management

The task of materials management is to ensure that the material is available in the required quantity on the required date. No demand must remain unmet.

Multi-stage production

In contrast to single-stage production, the manufacturing process takes place in several stages.

Order limit

In the case of consumption-based management, an average requirement is calculated in the absence of known requirements. Taking into account the replenishment lead time, a calculated stock level can be determined at which a replenishment process must be initiated at the latest if the stock level is not to fall below the safety stock level. This stock level is referred to as the order limit or order point.

Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE)

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a key figure for controlling and monitoring the performance of a plant, individually tailored to each company. FEKOR automatically calculates the optimum production sequence, taking costs and deadlines into account.

Parts list

The parts list of an item contains all the components or assemblies from which this item is made up.

Personnel planning

The aim of personnel planning in production is to ensure that employees are in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications. In FEKOR, the qualifications of the personnel are stored in such a way that FEKOR knows which employee can be deployed at which workstation. If an employee can operate several machines at the same time, the PPS uses this information in planning. It takes into account which workstations can be operated at the same time.

Personnel requirements planning

Personnel requirements planning determines the personnel requirements at a specific point in time. FEKOR optimizes personnel planning according to both availability and demand. Both processes aim to achieve your defined production targets with as few staff as possible.

Planning board

see Production control center

Primary requirement

The primary requirement is the original requirement, the requirement for finished goods, which is usually triggered by customer orders.

Production aids

Production aids are the tools and equipment required for production.

Production control

Production control is the implementation and monitoring of the production plan.

Production control

In production control, the planned production orders are released, controlled and monitored.

Production control center

The production control station provides control over production and scheduling. The planning board visualizes production processes and their interdependencies. The FEKOR control station makes it possible to plan new orders in an optimized way and to immediately see the consequences of changes.

Production control system

A production control system (FLS for short) is planning software for controlling production (see also production planning, production control).

Production data acquisition (PDA)

In a broader sense, production data acquisition refers to the acquisition of all data from a company, e.g. the acquisition of production data, process data, quality data, etc. In terms of production planning, only the production progress data is relevant here.

Production optimization

During production optimization, the system performs comparative calculations that take into account the costs for workstations, materials, personnel and production resources, the additional costs of the worse alternative, set-up costs as well as warehousing and capital commitment costs in addition to the deadlines. FEKOR generates the best plan from all these parameters.

Production order

A production order is the process defined by an operation and quantity for execution in production.

Production order

The production order describes the quantity and date by which an item is to be replenished in the warehouse through in-house production.

Production planning

The task of production planning is to schedule the upcoming production orders, taking into account the availability of all necessary resources and the general conditions.

Production planning

In production planning, production processes are planned in advance for the medium to short term.

Production planning and control (PPS)

Production planning and control deals with the planning, control and monitoring of production. It generally consists of two parts: Production planning and production control.

Production type

Production type describes which process is used in production for manufacturing. A distinction is made according to the quantity of similar products to be manufactured: make-to-order production, multiple production, series production, variety production, mass production and batch production.

Purchase order

A purchase order is a request from Materials Management to Purchasing to replenish the stock of a purchased part.

Purchase requisition

see purchase order

Reduction in set-up costs

see Setup time optimization

Refill order

see Stock order

Replacement time

For purchased parts, this is the time between ordering and delivery of the goods by the supplier. In the case of self-produced parts, this is understood to be the time from release to completion of the order.

Rough planning

see Detailed planning

Safety stock

The safety stock represents the reserve in order to still be able to deliver in an emergency during the new production of the article.

Sequence planning

The aim of production planning is to avoid cost-intensive set-up, waiting and idle times through sensible sequence planning. FEKOR helps to arrange the sequence in production in such a way that orders are fulfilled more economically.

Series production

A production method in which a limited number of similar products are manufactured in succession.

Set up

Set-up is the preparation of a workstation for production.

Set up

In FEKOR, the term set-up is used synonymously with setup. This refers to the changeover of production from one item to the next item at a workstation.

Setup process

see Set up

Setup sequence

see Setup time optimization

Setup time optimization (setup optimization)

FLS uses article classification by article characteristics for setup time optimization in the FEKOR production planning system. The dependencies of operations are taken into account and the set-up times are recorded as characteristics (material, color, shape, changeover times, temperature profile, etc.). The optimum production process is calculated automatically, taking all costs and deadlines into account.

Setup time reduction (setup time reduction)

see Setup time optimization

Simulation

Simulation in connection with production planning is an experimental problem solution in the planning system. In FEKOR, a copy of the operational database is used to make decisions or changes and have them checked by the system. The consequences of the intended measures are shown and thus serve as a decision-making aid for short and long-term projects.

Single-stage production

In single-stage production, there is only one work step to produce a product. In single-stage processing, the production process can be defined via a single work step.

Stock order

This refers to an order that is placed to replenish a stock item.

Storage costs

Warehousing costs are all costs incurred for the storage of items in the warehouse, e.g. space costs, costs of transportation systems, personnel costs for warehouse staff.

Storage range

This is the duration from a specified date until which the warehouse can cover the demand, taking into account the stock and the quantities still to be received. The storage range answers the question of how long the demand is covered.

Supply-Chain-Management (SCM)

Supply chain management (SCM) is the planning, management and control of the value chain and includes all company activities for the procurement, manufacture and delivery of products to the end customer, including the consideration of external companies. SCM aims to optimize the supply chain.

Traceability

The term traceability refers to the ability to guarantee complete and seamless traceability of all production processes. This includes the detailed documentation and recording of each individual production step and their interaction. The requirements for traceability are set out in the ISO 9001 standard, which defines globally recognized standards for quality management systems. Compliance with this standard ensures that companies can systematically monitor and document their production processes in order to meet the highest quality standards.

Warehouse management

Warehouse management includes the recording of stock movements, inventory management and storage location management.

Warehouse management system

It is usually a computerized system for warehouse management.

Work plan

The work plan specifies which operations are to be carried out in which order and with which resources and tools. In single-stage production, the work plan contains only one operation. (Synonym: production plan or production schedule)