Logistics in FactoryLogix deals with material handling—from receiving, inspection, and labeling with Unique Identifiers (UIDs) to dispatch to the production floor and replenishing needed parts.
Material handling refers to the efficient and effective control, movement, and storage of materials and products throughout the manufacturing life cycle. Material handling can include manual and automated processes, systems, and equipment that support logistics. Material handling processes are designed to lower the overall costs of manufacturing, improve customer service, reduce inventory, and shorten product delivery and distribution time.
There are several benefits to using FactoryLogix logistics functions in conjunction with the system's other tools:
- Reduced costs through better material management in the factory
- Immediate visibility of materials locations
- First-In, First-Out (FIFO) material reservation strategies to ensure that the oldest materials are consumed first
Deeper product traceability—down to a specific material instance’s receipt history, such as Incoming Quality Control (IQC) results and compliance certificates
The following illustration shows an overview of the logistics functionality in FactoryLogix.
In the following table, the terms used in factory production processes are shown on the left; terms found in a typical material receiving process are shown on the right.
Similar to the work order concept in production processes, most users won't interact with Purchase Orders (POs) in FactoryLogix—you will likely import them via an integration service from your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system so FactoryLogix has knowledge of the POs.
A single PO for a part may not arrive all at once—vendors often ship partial quantities of an overall order. The individual receipts are called Goods Receipt Notes/Goods Receipt Numbers (GRNs). These GRNs are processed in a FactoryLogix receiving process and issued a Unique Identifier (UID). The UID allows FactoryLogix to trace materials used in an assembly process all the way back to the original request/PO.
The GRN and how it relates to Purchase Orders and material Instances is best shown in the following illustration.
Receiving processes can be as simple as ensuring the proper quantity of each part is received, then issuing a UID and printing a UID label. Some receiving processes can be complex, where materials go through one or more quality inspections or tests or even more advanced sampled inspection processes. For example, the materials used to build a child’s toy might only call for a small sampling of parts to be inspected before use in production, but the materials used to build an implantable medical device such as a pacemaker would need to go through a very stringent inspection process. In FactoryLogix, these receiving processes are defined in a similar manner as production process flows.