Creating a Model#

In this tutorial you will learn by example as we show you how to load different Maintenance Plans into Critical Manufacturing MES using Master Data Packages. Let's start by filling in the model in the Excel file and then load it into the system.

Modeling Sequence#

As discussed before, it is vital to maintain an appropriate modeling sequence to prevent precedence errors. Let's start by filling the properties for the entities, following the proper sequence. See Modeling Sequence for more information.

Roles#

First, let's create different Roles for the operators of the Maintenance Plans.

Users#

Following the rules of precedence, you can then use these same Roles in the Users sheet.

Documents and Folders#

Let's add Documents (that you will later upload) to show on the Maintenance Plans as information files for the actual Maintenance process. First we need to create Folders where the Documents will be stored in the MES.

Moving to the Document tab, the filename must match the names of the documents in the .zip file that you are going to load into the system.

Certifications#

Now, let's create Certifications to ensure that employees with the proper knowledge are used for the Maintenance procedures. These Certifications are used in the Personnel Requirements of the Resource and are validated when executing the Maintenance Plans.

Calendar#

Let's continue focusing on the modeling sequence precedence, which dictates that you must create a Calendar before you can create the rest of the entities that depend on it.

Teams and Shift Definitions#

In this case there are several entities that you need to create. Let's start with Teams and Shift Definitions.

Facilities and Areas#

And let's continue with Facilities and Areas. Remember that the creation of the Facility takes precedence over the creation of the Areas and the other entities.

Employees#

In the Employee sheet, define the Calendar and the Area for each Employee. Since the Employee Number is a mandatory field, you must use unique values for different employees, which should be a fairly typical situation in most production environments.

Personnel Requirements#

For Personnel Requirements, use the Certification entities created above and fill in the information for each Certification in the EmployeeCertification sheet.

Products#

Now let's focus on the Products, a vital part of the model. For each Product you need a FlowPath. Considering the modeling sequence, for a FlowPath to be created you first need to create the Steps, followed by the Flows. After setting up both Steps and Flows, you can populate the FlowItems sheet to create (and subsequently load) the desired Flow structure. This process establishes the proper sequence necessary for the creation of FlowPaths.

Steps and Flows#

Product#

We can now create the Products, using the entries created in the FlowStructures sheet and strictly following the FlowPath notation used throughout the system: Flow:RevisionName:CorrelationId/Flow:RevisionName:CorrelationId/.../Step:CorrelationId.

Services and Resources#

Continuing to follow the modeling sequence, let's create the Services followed by the Resources.

After these two entities are created, let's proceed in creating the link between Resources and Services in the ResourceService sheet.

Data Collection#

We want to add a Data Collection to measure some parameters during the quality control phase of the process. Before adding any Parameters to a Data Collection, create the Parameters it will use when recording data.

Parameters#

Let's create the Data Collection.

And now we can use those Parameters and add them to the Data Collection using the DataCollectionParameters sheet.

BOM#

The maintenance process typically requires a BOM (Bill-of-Materials) to replace faulty parts in the processing Resources. Let's start with creating the base BOM.

BOM Items#

With the BOM created, we can add the Products that will be used as BOM Items.

Checklist#

To list all the work that will be done during this maintenance process, we can add a Checklist to our model to help our maintenance technician. Let's start by creating the base Checklist object.

Checklist Items#

Similar to what we did earlier with the BOM, let's add Checklist Items to indicate what will be done during the execution of the Checklist.

Checklist Item BOM Items#

Since the proper completion of some of the Checklist Items require the use of Parts to perform the maintenance activity, let's add those Parts (which are modeled as BOM Items) to the ChecklistItemBOMItems sheet.

Checklist with Data Collection#

To gather more data from the process, let's associate a Data Collection with the same Checklist under the same Maintenance Plan by filling the appropriate values in the ChecklistItemDataColParameters sheet.

Checklist Item Signatures#

Adding some extra process security and bulking up the approval process, let's add a mandatory signature to one of the Checklist Items by using the ChecklistItemSignatures sheet.

Maintenance Plan#

Finally, after creating all these entities, it's time to create the actual Maintenance Plan.

Maintenance Activities#

A Maintenance Plan is composed of a number of Maintenance Activities, that you can define in the MaintenancePlanActivities sheet.

Associating the Checklist, Data Collection and BOM is done in this same MaintenancePlanActivities sheet, using the appropriate columns.

Maintenance Activity Documents#

To add a Document to a specific Maintenance Activity, use the MaintenanceActivityDocument sheet.

Let's also specify the Personnel Requirements for the Maintenance Activities.

Loading the model#

With the entire process completed, you just need to compress all the pertinent files, including the Excel template and other images, into a .zip file. This is the file you will use to load the data into the system.

To complete the process, see Loading the Model for information on how to load the model.