Use the check box to specify whether all or part of the operation will be outsourced. Select this check box if the operation is (always or sometimes) performed by an external supplier. Leave this check box empty if the operation will be performed by your company.

Note: If you want to add a capacity group to a calculation as an external operation, this check box must be selected.

To the right of the check box you can specify the default external operation linked to this operation.

When you select this check box, the standard times set for the capacity group will be copied to the setup/adjustment times and standard capacity of the operation line to which you are adding the capacity group. The total cycle times are then calculated on the basis of the quantity specified on the operation line.

Although you can no longer change the setup and adjustment times if the Use standard capacity check box is selected, it is possible to specify a different standard capacity. In that case, the total cycle time for the machine will be calculated based on the new standard capacity.

The standard capacity specified for the capacity group and the standard capacity used in the part calculations can be linked to each other. If they are linked, and you change the standard capacity specified for the capacity group, the standard time will also be modified in the part calculation. The chain icon in the part calculation to which the capacity group has been added shows whether the standard capacity is linked to the standard capacity set for the capacity group: (linked) or (broken). Please note that calculations in production files are not linked to the standard capacity in this manner. This means that a change to the standard capacity set for the capacity group has no consequences for the production files.

Remark

The setting of the Use standard capacity check box takes precedence over the basic setting of the Labor time equals machine time field in the General Settings module (Settings, Basic data, Calculations tab), but only if the standard times are greater than 0. When the Use standard capacity check box is deselected, the setting of the Labor time equals machine time check box is used.

The standard capacity is the regular capacity for this capacity group, for example '10 pieces per hour' or '5 minutes per piece'. The standard capacity is used when calculating the machine cycle time that is required to perform the operation when the Use standard capacity check box is selected for the capacity group.

Note: The standard capacity can be specified in 'Minutes per piece' or in 'Quantities per hour'. The unit displayed on your screen depends on the setting in the Basic data form, Settings tab, Standard capacity unit field.

Note: Please think carefully before changing the standard capacity unit in the General Settings module. Changing the unit has far-reaching consequences for the calculations already present in Isah.

The machine setup time is the time usually needed to set up the machines in the capacity group before an operation can start. This time consists of the machine hours required to get a machine ready for production; the required number of labor hours is shown in the Setup labor time field.

The machine adjustment time is the time usually needed to power off and clean the machines in this capacity group after an operation has finished. This time consists of the machine hours required to power off a machine; the required number of labor hours is shown in the Adjustment labor time field.

The cycle labor time is the number of labor hours usually required to perform an operation.

The setup labor time is the labor time usually needed to set up the machines in the capacity group before an operation can start. This time consists of the labor hours required to get a machine ready for production; the required number of machine hours is shown in the Machine setup time field.

The adjustment labor time is the labor time usually needed to power off and clean the machines in this capacity group after an operation has finished. This time consists of the labor hours required to power off a machine; the required number of machine hours is shown in the Machine adjustment time field.

The planning process mainly consists of scheduling lead times of operations. Setup, adjustment, and operation times, which are used to calculate the lead time, can be specified for employees and for machines. Use the Based on field to specify whether you want the scheduling to take place based on labor times or machine times.

The Based on field is available in the capacity groups and in the operation calculation of production files. The value set for the capacity group is used whenever the capacity group is included in an operation calculation of a production file. The field value can still be modified here.

In the Type field, specify whether to plan based on an infinite or a finite capacity. This setting is copied to the Production calculation for operations form when you add this capacity group to a production calculation. The field value can still be modified here.

This percentage indicates the extent to which the capacity group can be scheduled for the operation. For example, you may want to keep some of the hours of a capacity group available to be able to execute a rush order or to remedy any failures.

The percentage is calculated on the value in the Hours per day field on the capacity lines.

Tip: The Schedule to field also allows percentages exceeding 100%. You might want to use such a percentage for capacity groups of which the capacity can easily be expanded by hiring additional manpower (labor planning) or machines (machine planning).

Fill in a daily capacity to restrict the available capacity specified for the capacity group (see Calculated capacity). When scheduling a capacity group with multiple employees or machines, you can use the To plan per day field to specify that not all capacity can or may be used for one operation. For example, if there are three machines with a capacity of 8 hours, enter "8 hours" in the To plan per day field. Instead of 24 hours (3*8 hours), only 8 hours per day will now be planned for the operation.

Based on the calculated capacity and the value of To plan per day, a number of 'working units' is automatically calculated in the background. These working units determine the number of hours planned, for example:

Calculated capacity	To plan per day	Working units	Hours per working unit
8	8	1	8
12	8	1	12
16	8	2	8
32	8	4	8
32	16	2	16

If you fill in '0', the To plan per day field will not be restricted.If you enter another number, it is important that the calculated capacity and the To plan per day value are in line with your working units.

Example

The way in which an 18-hour operation is scheduled depends on the way in which the available capacity is restricted by the value in the To plan per day field.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Available capacity	8	8	2	8	8
Scheduled per day if To plan per day = 0	8	8	2	-	-
Scheduled per day if To plan per day = 4	4	4	2	4	4
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Available capacity	24	24	24	24	24
Scheduled per day if To plan per day = 0	18	-	-	-	-
Scheduled per day if To plan per day = 8	8	8	2	-	-

This check box can be selected only if you chose 'Finite capacity' in the Type field. If you opt for scheduling based on infinite capacity, operations are always scheduled contiguously.

Contiguous or non-contiguous scheduling

When scheduling operations based on finite capacity, you can specify how the available time must be filled:

• Non-contiguous scheduling: All available capacity can be utilized. Any windows available in the schedule are filled.
• Contiguous scheduling: The entire operation must be scheduled contiguously. This means that any intermediate days (after the start day) must be without any load, and that the remainder must fit on the last day. For the 'Contiguous scheduling' option, it is assumed that only one operation is being performed for a particular capacity group at a time. If you fill the To plan per day field with a value that applies to more than one machine, because some machines can work in parallel, this could result in an illogical planning when using the contiguous scheduling method. You are therefore not recommended to use this combination.

If the capacity group is included in a part or production calculation, your selection of contiguous or non-contiguous scheduling will be used in the calculation. The field value can still be modified here.

Minimum lead time

The minimum lead time enables you to specify the minimum number of days to be scheduled for an operation in the capacity group, regardless of the number of hours that will actually be required for the operation. If the capacity group is included in a part or production calculation, the minimum lead time will be used in the calculation. The field value can still be modified here.

Set the field to '0' if you do not want to use a minimum lead time.

The minimum lead time could be used, for example, by companies that issue a number of operations on Monday that need to be ready by Wednesday. The operations themselves could take very little time, but they all have a lead time of three days: they will not be ready before Wednesday. Another example is the drying time required after a product has been painted.

This check box is only relevant when you are scheduling based on infinite capacity.

Refer to the section Which lead time is used in the planning? for more information about how minimum lead times are used in Isah.

This check box can be filled in only if you chose 'Infinite capacity' in the Type field. To always use a fixed lead time when scheduling for a capacity group, enter the fixed lead time in the capacity group settings. This value is used in the production files when the capacity group is added to the operations form. The field value can still be modified here.

If a production file has a fixed lead time greater than 0, the planning process always uses the fixed lead time.

See also Which lead time is used in the planning?

Use these fields to specify how you want the capacity group to be displayed on the operations planning board and in the capacity overview.

The capacity group will not be visible in the graphical overviews until you have selected the Visible on operations planning board and Visible on capacity overview check boxes (Parts module, Calculation/production folder, Capacity groups, General tab).

Select the graphical views you want the capacity group to be displayed in: the operations planning board and/or the capacity overview.

This field contains the script to be run for this capacity group when you use the Run automatic work preparation process. The script allows you to record the steps that are to be performed automatically when this process is run.

This field contains the script that can be run for this capacity group when you include the capacity group in a part calculation. The script is not executed by default; the call to the script must be programmed manually.