Powerful production planning

A flexible, scalable and intelligent production planning and control system offering advanced functionality in the key areas of manufacturing and assembly, its extensive suite of standard reports powerful document customisation now allows key system documents to be defined for printing, emailing or PDF creation, either via the standard internal print format or a fully customisable document based on a Crystal Report template. The Crystal option allows users to define the Jobshop data they require on the form and format the document layout in any style. By application of user definable or analysis fields within the Jobshop database, it is possible to customise documents to vary for different customers, suppliers or even applications. Shop documents and GRN (goods received notes)/stock labels can also be produced and customised using the same procedures. Example layouts of documents are included with the software for users to expand and develop and novice Crystal users can work with their consultant to create the ideal document set. Another new development in Jobshop 2009 R3 is aimed at helping estimators assess process times more efficiently and with greater consistency and accuracy, by building the planned labour times from a toolkit of synthetics. Standard processes can be defined as a series of formula-based steps, using a new graphical formula builder. Constants and variables can be incorporated and linked to specific materials and work centres. When applied to an estimate the user is prompted to enter the pertinent data as required by the formula and the resultant operation time is calculated. For sites using the 'existing sized stock part' functionality in Jobshop, new length or area based materials can now be defined directly within the estimate just like any other material. If the job is won then Sales Confirmation will allow creation of these parts as standard. Sized stock has been further extended to cover coil material. New conversion factors allow purchasing in sensible units and off-cut returns are calculated automatically. Of key interest to aerospace and motorsport companies producing carbon fibre composite parts, the shelf life functionality in this latest release has been extended to recognise temperature sensitive parts. The shelf life of such components or materials automatically reduces in line with their exposure to ambient temperature. The exact degree of degradation can be specified as a factor against each part. To make accounting easier, the VAT category applied to a Sales Invoice is now delivery address dependent rather than customer orientated.