This article is relevant if you use NetSuite Advanced Manufacturing and need more control over how you generate Work Order Travelers.
Background
A client came to us to discuss some challenges they faced with driving work in his manufacturing operation. The manager was frustrated with the native Work Order Traveler provided by the “Supply Chain Management” Bundle #47193. The provided document was relatively simple, yet there was little capacity to easily customize the output. In addition, NetSuite’s approach for producing a batch to print was cumbersome as it required two steps to select work orders and then to subsequently visit the processed page.
In 2020, we reviewed work we produced for another client as discussed in this article, NetSuite Work Order Travelers and Pick Tickets. While this reference was aspirational, the client had a different vision in mind. We went to work listening carefully to their specific requirements.
Intelligent Yet Simplified Bulk Generator
The first order of business was to simplify how NetSuite work orders were targeted to get the needed outputs. Yes, we needed a batch. But the concept of the batch should consider the following:
- Pending Work Orders: get a list of the pending works orders. This can be captured by all Work Orders in status “Work Order:Pending Build” [or WorkOrd:B]
- Option to Exclude Previously Printed WO: we want to focus on generating batches of work; the status of the Work Order will not change — but we may have already targeted the WO in a previous batch. Optionally exclude these from the target operation. Thus, work orders will drop off the list as we work on them.
- Checkbox Selection: allow the user to individually check off records that are part of the target work. Naturally, have a Select All button to target every work order.
Our firm has created a license-free tool for quickly creating very powerful NetSuite bulk generators. See this article: See How to Craft Fast and Flexible NetSuite Bulk Record Generators. Click the image to get a feel for the generator. The concept of previous batches was stored so the user could quickly get back to the recent ones that were generated. Of course, if you can work in a batch, it’s very easy to have the same single document generation capacities as a button on the Work Order page.
Target Single PDF for Work Order Traveler
With the concept of the batch and the target work order, we went to work to craft the specifics for the Work Order Travelers. Here, we leverage our license-free Content Renderer Engine which supercharges the production of PDF and other outputs. We needed to get these basic outputs to drive the manufacturing operation:
Work Order Header Information
- Work Order Document Number
- Dates (Start/Finish)
- UOM
- Quantity
- Assembly Part ID
Routing Steps (or “Operational Sequence”)
- Sequence number (or Step)
- Quantity required
BOM/Component Information
- Part ID
- UOM
- Quantity
The batch would pull all the work orders into a single PDF so that it would be ready to go using printed outputs (this client was not using hand-held electronic tools on the shop floor) to drive the work efforts. Using our Content Renderer Engine, we targeted creating a small data universe with 4 saved searches containing this information:
- Subsidiary
- Work Order Head
- Work Order Lines
- Operation Sequence
Since the two Prolecto tools used to craft this solution leverage NetSuite Suitelet technology, it is possible to relax NetSuite user license count requirements which may be meaningful in a shop floor environment where users have limited interaction with the NetSuite ERP system.
Click the image to get a feel for the ultimate printed output.
Craft NetSuite to Drive Work Processing Your Way
The above solution is an excellent example of the power afforded by the NetSuite platform. Yes, NetSuite does a great job with native features and modules. Always start with what is pre-built; but if you are not satisfied with how NetSuite natively offers up logic, we have the freedom to take matters into our hands. At that point, the intersection of leadership, product expertise, and software development provides the requisite skills to craft and deliver highly sought situations. I wish to thank Elie C., a Senior Technical Analyst with our firm, for implementing this solution. Our firm’s reputation is built upon providing expert NetSuite professional services for clients that understand that a relationship with high-caliber talent is highly relevant and meaningful for managers to consistently address their business systems-driven management objectives.
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Marty Zigman
Holding all three official certifications, Marty is regarded as the top NetSuite expert and leads a team of senior professionals at Prolecto Resources, Inc. He is a former Deloitte & Touche CPA and has held CTO roles. For over 30 years, Marty has produced leadership in ERP, CRM and eCommerce business systems. Contact Marty to set up a conversation.
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