Shop-Trak Defining Flags Parameters

Use the Flags tab of the Shop-Trak Parameters form to enable additional settings for Shop-Trak Shop Floor and to define Multi-Job options.

To define Flags parameters:

1. Open the Shop-Trak Parameters form.
2. Click the Flags tab.
3. Specify this information:  

• Lock Shop Floor - Select this check box to lock Shop-Trak Shop Floor and prevent employee access.  This feature is beneficial when updates are being made to the Shop-Trak software.  If an employee tries to log in during this time, a message displays stating that Shop-Trak is in a locked status.  Clearing this check box will unlock Shop-Trak Shop Floor.
• Read Bar Code - Select this check box to enable Shop-Trak Shop Floor to read bar-coded data, including the Job and Job Suffix numbers.  

IMPORTANT:  When this parameter is enabled, Shop-Trak expects the full Job and Job Suffix numbers to be entered into the first field, just as a barcode would be read in.  If this parameter is enabled and you are not using a bar code scanner, enter the full Job and Job Suffix numbers into the Job field, press the Tab key, and the suffix will separate out into the Suffix field.

• Use Touch Screen - Select this check box if you are using touch screen monitors.  When this parameter is enabled, a number pad similar to a calculator will display whenever the user is in a quantity field.  This applies to both Labor and Material transactions.
• Enable Shop Floor Clock - Select this check box to display the date and time in Shop-Trak Shop Floor.  When employees enter their Employee ID, the time is retrieved from the database server.  During idle times, the local workstation time displays.  By default, the time displayed will be for the time zone defined on the Sites/Entities form for the Site the session is connected to.  If there are workstations in multiple time zones, but connected to the same site, utilize the Shop-Trak Workstation Profile form to define the time zone for an individual workstation.  
• Display 24 Hour Clock - Select this check box to display the time in Military (24 hour) format.
• Allow Operation Out of Sequence - Select this check box to allow employees to work on operations out of sequence (skip operations).  An operation is considered out of sequence when the previous operation has not received quantities (i.e. production has not been completed or moved through it).
• Allow Add Job Operation - Select this check box to allow employees to add a new operation number to the job routing when starting a Run or Setup transaction.  
• Allow Individual Team Piece - Select this check box to allow individual team members to enter quantities completed, moved, or scrapped when ending a transaction and leaving the team.  When ending a Team transaction the employee is asked “Are you representing the Team?”  After selecting Yes or No, the employee is prompted to enter quantities.  Clear this check box to allow only one representative of the team (the Team Leader) to enter quantities.  The quantities will be allocated to each team member’s transaction in whole numbers for the Job/Operation according to the portion of time each transaction spans.  For this reason, Team transactions are held (not transferred) until the last team member has ended his transaction.

CAUTION:  There is potential for double entry if both the individual team member and the Team Leader report quantities.

• Allow Reporting of Setup Quantities - Select this check box to allow employees to report quantities complete on a Setup transaction.  When the Setup transaction is transferred to the Unposted form, a separate WIP Move transaction will be created to hold the completed quantities.

• Allow Manual Entry - Select this check box to allow employees to manually enter their Employee IDs when logging into Shop-Trak Shop Floor.  Clear this check box to require employees to scan in their Employee IDs using their employee badges.  This setting only pertains to the Employee ID field.

• Allow Multiple Scrap - Select this check box to allow employees to enter multiple scrap reason codes when ending a Run transaction by selecting the More Scrap button on the Ending Run Transaction screen.  The employee is then taken to the Multiple Scrap screen.  The More Scrap button becomes disabled when a quantity is entered into the Scrap field.  Separate WIP Move transactions will be created to hold the scrap quantity for each reason code.
• Allow Multiple Containers - Select this check box to allow employees to split completed quantities into multiple containers by using the Multiple Containers button when completing quantities on the last operation of a job.  The employee is then taken to the Multiple Containers screen.  Multiple Move transactions are created to move the quantities into multiple containers.

NOTE:  The use of multiple containers is only applicable when performing Run, Setup, or WIP Move transactions.

Multi-Job

The Multi-Job functionality is designed for one Work Center (machine) that runs many jobs at the same time or runs jobs that are very short in duration and the operator switches jobs often.  Examples of these environments are laser burning machines, multi-pallet CNC machining centers, CNC routers, cutoff saws, etc.

• Secondary Job Costs - Select this check box to cost any secondary pieces at the planned cost determined in the routing for the secondary job.  Clear the check box to charge no labor costs to the secondary job.  Time and related overhead, however, are still charged to the secondary job.  For more information on secondary jobs and how they are allocated and costed, please see the Secondary Job section in the Shop-Trak Multi-Job Transaction Costing topic.

• Allow Multi-Job Hours Override - Select this check box to allow employees to update the allocation of time calculated by the Multi-Job functionality for situations that result in unreasonable costs allocated to one or more jobs.  

• Setup Hours Basis - This field determines how Setup transaction hours will be allocated to Multi-Jobs.  When completing a Multi-Job transaction, the operator must choose between doing a Setup or a Run transaction.  A combination of transaction types is not allowed when using Multi-Job.  When Setup is selected, Multi-Job will prorate the actual hours based upon either the Operation Planned Setup Hours (when H is selected), or by Quantity (when Q is selected).

Example:  Two job operations are being set up on a machine at the same time.  One operation has one planned hour of setup, while the other has two planned hours of setup.  

• H (Operation Planned Setup Hours)  - Select H to prorate the actual time as follows.

The hours are added together:

1 + 2 = 3

The percentage of each job is calculated based upon the total setup hours:

1/3 = .333

2/3 = .667

The actual time is allocated based upon the percentages calculated.

• Q (Quantity)  - Select Q to prorate the actual time as follows.

Let’s assume that a break press will be set up to bend a 3-inch flange for both jobs.  The job having one hour of planned setup time is to make 90 pieces, while the second job of two planned setup hours is to make ten pieces.  The calculation for the time split of Multi-Job would factor the number of pieces into the equation.  

The pieces are added together:

90 + 10 = 100

The percentage of each job is calculated based upon the number of pieces:

90/100 = 90%

10/100 = 10%

The actual time is allocated based upon the percentages calculated.

These two methods offer dramatically different allocations of actual time depending upon the method chosen.  For example, two jobs both have one setup hour each.  One of the jobs is for one piece; the other is for 500 pieces.  The Hours method would split the actual time in half, while the Quantity method would allocate the actual time in a 0.2% vs. 99.8% manner.  The premise under the Quantity method is that the low piece job receives the greatest savings due to combining setups.

• Run Trx. Setup Allocation Method - Select N (None), I (Initial Trx Only), or P (Based on Pieces) to designate how Setup time on the Job Operations form is incorporated into Run transactions in Multi-Job processing.  
• N (None)  - If you select N, no planned setup time is included when determining the time allocated to the jobs in the Multi-Job set.

Example:

• I (Initial Trx Only)  - Shop-Trak determines the Plan time of each transaction in the Multi-Job set using the planned hours from the job routing and the quantity worked on. The Setup hours from the job routing are added to this Plan time on the Initial transaction for that Job/Suffix and Operation.  This adjusted Plan time is then used in the Multi-Job weighted time allocation algorithm.

Example:

Notice the second transaction does not have Setup time applied since it is not the initial transaction.  Setup time was applied to the first transaction of Job 1.

• P (Based On Pieces)  - Select P to determine the percent of Setup time for each transaction using this formula:  

Setup Time = (Quantity Worked On / Released Quantity) * Setup Hours from Job Routing

The percent of Setup time is then added to the Plan time for this Job/Operation.  This adjusted Plan time is then used in the Multi-Job weighted time allocation algorithm.

Example:

4. Save your changes and close the form.

Related Topics

Shop-Trak Parameters Form

Shop-Trak Multi-Job Transaction Costing

Shop-Trak Team Transaction Costing