Troubleshooting & FAQs
This section helps users identify and resolve common issues when working with Manufacturing Batch Size. It also provides answers to frequently asked questions to clarify how batch-controlled production behaves in different scenarios.
Common Issues and Solutions
Production Orders are not Retrieved
- No production orders are displayed in Factory Planning.
- Expected production orders are missing after running Retrieve.
Possible Causes
| Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Production Order status is not included in the selected Optimization Order Type. | Review the Optimization Order Type in Factory Planning Setup. |
| Production Order does not contain a Routing. | Ensure the production order includes a valid Routing. |
| Factory Planning filters exclude the order. | Review Production Line, date, and location filters. |
| Production Order falls outside the planning horizon. | Adjust the planning period or date filters. |
Recommendation: Verify that the production order status matches the configuration defined in Factory Planning Setup and that the order contains Routing information. MPO only schedules Production Orders with Routings.
Schedule Action does not reorder Production Orders
- Running Schedule produces little or no change in the sequence.
- Orders remain in their original order.
Possible Causes
| Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Planning Characteristics have not been configured. | Create and configure Planning Characteristics. |
| Items have no Planning Characteristic values assigned. | Populate Planning Characteristics on Items or SKUs. |
| All production orders share identical planning attributes. | Review the configured sequencing criteria. |
Recommendation: Review the Planning Characteristics configuration and confirm that relevant values have been assigned to the products being planned. These characteristics are a primary driver of sequencing logic.
Unexpected Start or End Times after Assignment
- Calculated dates differ from planner expectations.
- Production appears later or earlier than anticipated.
Possible Causes
| Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Production Line working hours are incorrect. | Review Starting Time and Ending Time. |
| Preparation Time is incorrectly configured. | Validate Production Line settings. |
| Changeover Times are influencing calculations. | Review Changeover Matrix entries. |
| Manual adjustments exist on planning lines. | Review Manual Date and Manual Time fields. |
Recommendation: Review Production Line configuration, preparation times, changeover rules, and any manual overrides before applying the schedule.
Invalid Combination Warning
- Scheduling or assignment actions generate Invalid Combination warnings.
- Production lines cannot be assigned as expected.
Possible Causes
| Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|
| A required Changeover Matrix combination does not exist. | Create the missing Changeover Matrix rule. |
| Planning Characteristics are incomplete. | Review Planning Characteristic assignments. |
Recommendation: Maintain a complete Changeover Matrix to ensure all relevant product transitions can be evaluated during optimization. If appropriate, activate Allow Invalid Combinations in MPO Setup.
Automatic Split does not occur
- Long production orders remain within a single planning period.
- Orders are not divided across available capacity.
Possible Causes
| Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Automatic Split is disabled. | Enable Automatic Split on the Production Line. |
| Available capacity is sufficient. | No split is required. |
| Production Line settings do not support the expected planning model. | Review Production Line configuration. |
Recommendation: Confirm that Automatic Split is enabled and that production duration exceeds the available capacity of the planning period.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Can MPO schedule any Production Order? No. MPO requires Production Orders with valid Routing information. Production orders without Routings cannot be optimized or scheduled.
Q: Does MPO change Production Orders immediately? No. Factory Planning works as a staging area where schedules can be reviewed and adjusted. Production Orders are only updated when the Adjust action is executed.
Q: Can I manually override the proposed schedule? Yes. Factory Planning includes Manual Date and Manual Time fields that allow planners to modify proposed scheduling results before applying them.
Q: How many Planning Characteristics can be configured? MPO supports up to ten Planning Characteristics that can be assigned to Items and SKUs.
Q: What is the purpose of Planning Characteristics? Planning Characteristics help MPO group and sequence production orders according to manufacturing-specific rules such as product family, allergen category, packaging type, or other operational criteria.
Q: Do Changeover Times affect production costs? No. Changeover Times are used during scheduling and optimization calculations but do not affect Production Order costs.
Q: What is a Production Line? A Production Line is a planning resource introduced by MPO. It contains scheduling parameters such as operating hours, preparation times, optimization settings, and automatic splitting behavior, and can be assigned to one or multiple routings.
Q: Can multiple Production Lines be planned simultaneously? Yes. Factory Planning supports planning across multiple Production Lines and allows filtering of the planning workload according to business requirements.
Q: What happens if Changeover combinations are missing? Depending on system configuration, assignment actions may be blocked or warnings may be generated. Administrators can use the Allow Invalid Combinations setting to control this behavior.
Q: Can Manufacturing Planning Optimization be used for Maintenance Planning? Yes. MPO includes maintenance planning functionality through Maintenance Work Centers, Maintenance Items, and Maintenance Routings, allowing maintenance activities to be considered during scheduling.
Q: Can different planning teams work independently? Yes. Factory Planning supports Worksheet Templates and Worksheet Names, enabling different planners, production areas, locations, or planning strategies to be managed separately.