The direct source of production plans is sales planning data. You can generate production plans based on actual sales data. In this case, you do not need to generate a sales plan, thus avoiding data duplication in generated documents.
To keep production plans by periods and create orders by plans, use Production plan.
To use production planning, select Master data and settings – Master data and sections – Budgeting and planning – Planning – Production plans.
With Production plan, you can do the following:
- Plan product release volume by time intervals determined by the planning scenario.
- Plan semi-finished products for all products.
- Automatically calculate demand for semi-finished products, work center kinds, human resources, and materials.
With Production plan, you can do the following:
- Plan product release volume by time intervals determined by the planning scenario.
- Automatically calculate demand for human resources and materials.
To register forecasted indicators by products (semi-finished products) in a fixed period, you can do the following:
- Plan production with details by a dispatcher department.
- Automatically fill in production plans using formulas, by sources (application data), or by importing information from spreadsheet files.
- Store parameters of generation and automatic filling of production plans.
- Evaluate demand for materials, human resources, and work centers.
- Control production plan fulfillment.
To register production plans, go to Budgeting and planning — Inventory planning — Production plans.
The main profile for working with production planning is Chief dispatcher.
Parameters of Production plan:
- Scenario – defines general planning rules (planning frequency, period display, etc.)
- Plan profile – defines planning data details and filling rules.
- Period – generated according to planning scenario frequency.
- Products – product items by which production should be planned. You can specify the following as product items:
- Planned finished products (released products).
- Planned semi-finished products.
The plan profile and the scenario by which the production plan is generated determine parameters of its generation and automatic filling.
For Production plan, the following scenarios of automatic filling are available:
- In case of advanced filling option (by sources):
- Using goods filtering by any parameters (products, a warehouse, a price, a store format, and other). Click Fill in products – By filter.
- Using a rule. Click Fill in products – Acc. to rule. To configure rules of filling in goods, click Fill in products – Configure rule and fill in. The Fill in plan form appears. Here you can set a data source to fill in quantity. You can specify Planning data source as a source, or you can generate an arbitrary query to the database.
- In case of simple filling option (using formula), click Fill in products. The Fill in plan form appears. In this form, you can fill in products:
- By manufactured products (product release statistics).
- According to the availability of BOR (products that contain at least one BOR).
- By formula and filter.
- Fill in product quantity using the formula. For this purpose, specify a formula using operators and functions.
When filling in a plan using the formula, you can use accumulated data from the base for the previous period, the similar period of the previous year, etc.
When planning production, there are the following methods of automatic filling of a BOR:
- On the planning start date — for one product line and for all periods, a BOR which is valid at the beginning of the first planning period will be filled in.
- For each period — for each planning period, a BOR that is valid in this period will be filled in.
A BOR filling method is set in the plan profile within which production is planned. To fill in a BOR automatically, plan production with details by a dispatcher department (the Dispatcher department check box in the plan profile).
In the Periods in lines mode of displaying plan data, a launch date and a release date are displayed for products. If the Periods in columns mode of displaying production plan data is set, then a launch date and a release date are not displayed in the tabular section of products, and the release date is a start date of a period in which product release is planned.
Launch date is a date on which production start is planned in order to ensure that products are manufactured by the release date. You can edit the launch date, for example, bring forward the product launch.
A launch date of products and semi-finished products is calculated based on standard production duration (of semi-finished products or manufactured products).
For a production plan, the following statuses are available:
- Under development – the document is being filled in.
- On confirmation – the document is awaiting approval of a responsible person.
- Confirmed – the document was confirmed by the person responsible for the plan approval. Such plans are used as:
- Bases for generating the Production order documents. To create production orders, configure the planning scenario profile. Orders are generated based on plans in the Generation of production orders according to plan workplace. To open the workplace, click Manufacturing – Intershop management – Production orders – Create – By plan or Budgeting and planning – Tools – Generation of production orders according to plan.
- Bases for generating the Orders for materials documents. Orders for materials are generated according to plans in the Generation of orders for transfer to production according to plans workplace. To open the workplace, click Manufacturing – Materials accounting – Orders for materials for production – Create – By plan or Budgeting and planning – Tools – Generation of orders for transfer to production according to plans.
- Planning data sources.
- Canceled – the document was not confirmed by the person responsible for the plan approval.
Planning of semi-finished products
Within a production plan, you can plan semi-finished products as follows:
- Manually – semi-finished products which are not manufactured in the process can be added to a plan as separate lines.
- Automatically – semi-finished products which are not manufactured in the process are exploded to purchased materials automatically. It allows you to generate overall demand for materials in the production plan considering demand of all semi-finished products used in goods production. A link between each semi-finished product and manufactured products in which production it is involved remains. Demand for semi-finished products is united by production plan periods but their pegging remains if they are intended for products with different assignments. Automatic planning of semi-finished products is relevant for production with a complex product structure.
You can enable a method of planning semi-finished products using the Plan semi-finished products setting in the plan profile which defines the nature of planning release of semi-finished products not manufactured in the process.
You can plan semi-finished products within Production plan if the following conditions are met:
- Production plan is generated within a scenario for which the Calculation of demand for materials, work center kinds, and human resources check box is selected.
- BOR is specified for products in lines of the document tabular section.
- Material supply warehouse is specified for the department performing stages of consumption (processing) of semi-finished products manufactured independently. Specify a supply warehouse in production department parameters – the Materials warehouse field. To access production department parameters, click Change in the profile of the dispatcher department specified in Production plan.
- The Production demand fulfillment method corresponds to a materials warehouse from which semi-finished products should be transferred to production. That is, a warehouse is supplied/replenished with semi-finished products through production. You can assign a supply method to a warehouse using a supply scheme.
- The Production demand fulfillment method corresponds to a materials warehouse which is assigned to a dispatcher department within which production is planned.
Manual planning of semi-finished products
Fill in semi-finished products planned manually together with products in the Products tabular section of a production plan.
To add semi-finished products to the product list, click Plan semi-finished products in the production plan. Semi-finished products are filled in proportion to the quantity of all products specified in the document.
Semi-finished products planned for production are highlighted with brown in the tabular section of Production plan. You can also edit semi-finished products (for example, you can manually increase starting batches by separate semi-finished products by placing them in preferred time intervals for production).
Identical semi-finished products required for different products are summed up and added as one plan line. The production volume is allocated among time periods (time period discreteness is set by the scenario selected in the plan) based on parameters of fulfilling demand for semi-finished products. Advanced production of semi-finished products relative to manufactured products may require some extension of a time interval for which planning is carried out in the document to earlier planning start dates.
In some cases, calculated extension of a planning period can be considered unacceptable. In such cases, you need to return to original planning parameters and review the desired volume and content of products, release allocation by time intervals, and options of production BORs planned to be used. If you edit product quantity after semi-finished products are filled in, a notification of the need to replan semi-finished products appears in the document (On changing products, replan semi-finished products.).
To delete semi-finished products, click More — Delete semi-finished products.
Automatic planning of semi-finished products
For automatically planned semi-finished products, a production plan has the additional Semi-finished products tab. This tab is filled in automatically with data of semi-finished products planned for production. This tab is available if a production plan is generated within a plan profile with the Plan semi-finished products – Automatically setting specified.
On the Semi-finished products tab you can see a BOR, quantity, a launch date, a release date, and a demand date which can be edited manually.
Launch date is a date on which production start of a semi-finished product is planned in order to ensure that it is manufactured by the demand date for further use in goods production.
Release date is a date by which a semi-finished product should be released.
Demand date is a date by which demand for a semi-finished product should be fulfilled.
When you change a BOR, quantity, and a release date of semi-finished products, demand for low-level semi-finished products is recalculated automatically while writing the production plan.
Edited semi-finished products have 
icon (on the Semi-finished products tab in lines of the tabular section of semi-finished products).
Manual adjustments are not considered when a production plan is recalculated automatically. During automatic calculation of semi-finished products, manual adjustments are canceled. If there are canceled manual adjustments, There are canceled manual adjusting entries appears (on the Semi-finished products tab in the production plan).
To make planning of semi-finished products more flexible, the change history of manual user adjustments can be stored. Canceled manual adjustments are saved to the change history accessible by clicking more next to a notification of canceled manual adjustments.
During production planning, you can receive detailed information about semi-finished products consuming the current semi-finished product planned for production (click Show occurrences on the Semi-finished products tab). Occurrences are shown for the selected line of the semi-finished product in the production plan. If a filter by occurrences is set, top-level semi-finished products are shown.
To remove a filter by occurrences of a semi-finished product, click disable on the Semi-finished products tab.
Calculation of demand for materials, work center kinds, and human resources
When planning production, the application automatically calculates demand for materials, work center kinds, and human resources. It is calculated if the following conditions are fulfilled:
- Production plan is generated within a scenario for which the Calculation of demand for materials, work center kinds, and human resources check box is selected.
- BOR is specified for products in lines of the plan tabular section.
Demand is calculated in based on a BOR of planned products. When you change product quantity in the production plan, demand for materials, work center kinds, and human resources is recalculated per product unit.
For production plans that use planning scenarios with the Calculation of demand for materials, work center kinds, and human resources check box selected, materials are calculated by a background job. The background job is started when posting Production plan. Data calculated by a plan will appear with some delay. This should be considered in follow-up actions with plan data. This shortens the time for further processing of data on demand for materials by production plans as data already calculated and automatically updated during each plan change is stored in the application.
All semi-finished products manufactured in the process are exploded to source materials. Release of semi-finished products described in product BORs as "not manufactured in the process" is planned independently and separately for each nesting level (occurrence redistribution).
To analyze demand for materials, work centers, human resources, and semi-finished products, you can use context and non-context reports.
Analysis of production planning data
To evaluate and analyze demand within a production plan, you can use context and non-context reports.
Context reports allow you to control demand within one specific production plan.
You can access context reports from the Production plan form:
- Demand for work center kinds allows you to analyze a production plan by work center kinds (required for its fulfillment). The report shows demand for work center kinds required to fulfill the production plan (how many and when).
- Demand for materials allows you to analyze a production plan by materials (required for its fulfillment). The report shows demand for materials required to fulfill the production plan (how many and when).
- Demand for semi-finished products allows you to evaluate semi-finished products to fulfill a specific production plan and a calendar schedule of their production. Report indicators:
- Consumption is estimated quantity of semi-finished products by products.
- Surplus/shortage is a quantitative difference between consumption and planned release of semi-finished products.
- Release is quantity of semi-finished products planned for release in the document.
- % of surplus/shortage is % of discrepancies.
- Consumption (total) is accumulated consumption quantity for the previous document periods.
- Release (total) is accumulated release of semi-finished products for the previous document periods.
- Balance (total) is accumulated Release – Consumption for the previous periods.
- Demand for human resources is designed to analyze a production plan by labor costs (required for its fulfillment). The report shows demand for labor costs required to fulfill the production plan (how many and when).
- Plan balance allows you to control consistency between plans for release and an amount of demand for semi-finished products manufactured independently.
- Production plan for products and semi-finished products allows you to analyze quantity of planned products and semi-finished products for production by release dates and launch dates with the specified frequency. You can generate a report by:
- Launch – information about launch dates on which semi-finished products/manufactured products are planned for production is shown.
- Release – information about release dates by which semi-finished products/manufactured products are planned for production is shown.
You can access context reports from the Production plan form:
- Demand for materials allows you to analyze a production plan by materials (required for its fulfillment). The report shows demand for materials required to fulfill the production plan (how many and when).
- Demand for human resources is designed to analyze a production plan by labor costs (required for its fulfillment). The report shows demand for labor costs required to fulfill the production plan (how many and when).
- Plan balance allows you to control consistency between plans for release and an amount of demand for semi-finished products manufactured independently.
You can access non-context reports by clicking Budgeting and planning — Budgeting and planning reports — Inventory planning and Inventory planning (continue).
Examples of non-context reports are shown below.
To evaluate demand for work center kinds in order to fulfill production plans and compare it with the availability to identify shortage, use the Budgeting and planning — Budgeting and planning reports — Inventory planning — Planned demand for work center kinds report. Additional report explanation allows you to evaluate demand by products.
To evaluate demand for human resources in order to fulfill production plans, go to Budgeting and planning — Budgeting and planning reports — Inventory planning — Planned demand for human resources. This report allows you to evaluate demand by products.
To control production plan fulfillment and evaluate the actual state of goods production according to the plan by departments, use the Production plan fulfillment by departments report by clicking Budgeting and planning — Budgeting and planning reports — Inventory planning — Production plan fulfillment by departments.
You can access the Plan balance context report which allows you to control whether demand plans can be fulfilled by means of fulfillment plans by clicking Budgeting and planning — Budgeting and planning reports — Inventory planning.