Start Production Orders#
As explained in the Production Order Planning page, it is possible to simulate the release of Production Orders in the shop floor by using a Schedule Scenario of type planning schedule. This simulates the Production Order's quantity being broken down into Materials (as this is only a Simulation, these will be virtual materials only used for scheduling purposes, not actual Materials) and, should there be any BOM of Scope Materials, it will also establish the required dependencies between them (again, as the Materials will be virtual, so will the dependencies between them/); all this will be planned alongside the WIP. Being only a simulation, this is not a plan that can be put into effect directly, i.e., these planning Scenarios cannot be released.
In order to commit these plans to the actual operation, it is necessary to release the Production Orders in the same conditions as used in the planning Scenario. This is done using the Production Order Start Operation, which applies the lot sizing and dependency creation done virtually for simulation, but now actually creating the Materials and Material Dependencies. Once this is done, it is possible to create operational (accurate or fast) Scenarios, which will take into consideration these new Materials and Material Dependencies, and then release them, thereby putting them into effect. The following picture clarifies this workflow:
Warning
A Production Order Start is an irreversible operation, as it creates new Materials in the system. As this may involve a considerable number of Materials (depending on the Production Order Quantity, the Product Maximum and Minimum Material Sizes, existing BOMs, among others) it should be done carefully.
Info
To learn more about the logic behind Production Order Start, check the Production Order Start. The difference is that, during planning, both Materials and Material Dependencies are virtual, whereas during Production Order Start, the system creates real Materials and Material Dependencies.