Manufacturing orders: release, build, finish

A manufacturing order builds one product from its released BOM. Releasing it creates the workshop job; you issue materials, send out outside work, sign off QC, record output and close it. Its real cost lands on what it makes.

Where it is

Manufacturing → Orders
Manufacturing → Orders → New order
Inventory → Warehouse → Traceability — Made from / Used in for a batch or serial.

Settings for this

Manufacturing → Work centres — Rates that cost each operation.
Settings → Workshop → Trading Hours — A released order is booked on the calendar within trading hours.
Inventory → Products — A preferred supplier on each part lets Raise PO for shortages order it; a default contractor on an outside-work product skips choosing one.
Settings → Team → Roles — Create and edit BOMs (release, edit, close) and Build: issue materials and book output.

Raise an order

To stock or onto a stock vehicle: Manufacturing → Orders → New order. Pick the Product to build (one with a BOM), Quantity, Planned start, Due and Where it goes: a Finished goods warehouse, or a Stock vehicle (materials, labour and outside work post to the vehicle's cost when it is finished). Tick any Options.
For a customer: use Make to order on the sales order or quote line instead, so the customer's options come with it. See Planning and make to order.

It starts as a Draft. A draft for a product whose BOM isn't released yet can be saved but not released.

Release it to the workshop

Press Release to the workshop. It locks the BOM revision, works out the materials and creates the workshop job with a task per operation.

With a Planned start, the job goes on the workshop calendar from that day for the routing's hours. Without one it goes to the unscheduled list to book.
It can raise the draft outside-work POs at the same time.
Edit later changes the planned start (and offers to move the job), due date and notes. Quantity only changes in draft.

Build it

The order page shows Planned, Made, Scrapped and Labour clocked.

Issue materials: takes components out of stock against the order. Leave a batch blank and the earliest-expiring stock is used. Return to stock puts them back (same batches). Backflushed components are issued on completion.
Shortages: what is still to issue and not in stock. Raise PO for shortages drafts POs to each part's preferred supplier in whole purchase units.
Operations: one workshop task per routing step. Techs clock onto them on the job (Clocking time).
Outside work: Send out… raises a draft PO to the contractor on the order's job; send it from the PO. Received back collects it and finishes the task. Pills show Not sent, PO draft, With contractor, Back.
QC: a step that needs it shows QC required, then Awaiting QC. Sign off QC… records who checked it and Passed or Failed. The order can't be finished until every QC has passed.
Drawings & instructions open from the order and from its workshop job.
Print traveller: the sheet that goes round the floor, with operations, sign-off columns, materials to pull and the drawings. No costs.

Finish it

Record output: Good and Scrapped quantities, Into warehouse, batch number and expiry, or serials if the product tracks them. Leave This finishes the order ticked and press Complete order: all remaining cost moves onto the output, the job is marked ready and no more materials can be issued. Untick it to Record part of the run.
Close order once it's completed.

Cost — actual vs standard (ex GST) compares the real cost to the BOM's standard, to people who can see costs. On Traceability a built batch shows what it was Made from, and a component batch what it was Used in.

The list

Filters: Open, Draft, Due this week, Late, Ready to complete, Done, All. Status pills: Draft, Released, In progress, Completed, Closed, Cancelled.

If something's not right

"No default contractor for … — use Send out on the operation": choose the contractor on the step, or set one on the outside-work product.
"No preferred supplier for …": order those parts by hand, or set a supplier on the product.
"The order is released, but the job couldn't go on the calendar": book the job from the workshop calendar.
Cancel is only possible before anything is made: issued materials go back and unsent outside-work POs are cancelled.
"The earlier QC pass no longer counts": the task was reopened. Sign it off again.