Auto-build: How it works (general overview)

This article provides an overview and example of what Auto-build is and how it works in MISys Manufacturing. The Auto-build feature allows you to drive the backflush of components defined in your Bills of Materials based on a predefined quantity in Stock.

The Auto-build setting in MISys defines the Stocking Threshold at which the system should automatically assemble this Bill of Material. You can choose to use this feature in our Planning functions (Stock Check and Master Production Scheduling) or with our live Stock transfers (Manufacturing/Work Orders, Stock Control Transfers), or you can use Auto-build in both areas.

This feature can be enabled by navigating to Administration | Company Options | Preferences Tab. Select the Enable for Stock Check option to turn on Auto-build for the Planning functions and/or Enable for Stock Transfer to turn this on for Stock transfers.

How it works:

All Stock quantities in MISys are Location specific. Each Item has Location specific Stocking Thresholds defined for that Item's Minimum, Reorder and Maximum stocking Levels. These are defined for each Item by navigating to Master Files | Items | open your Item | Stock Tab (in the Locations container at the bottom of the form - scroll to the right). Note: See the following article for more detail around Stocking Thresholds:

http://www.misysinc.com/helpdesk/knowledgebase.php?article=76&suggest=1

The Auto-build selection in MISys, tells the system that if the quantity in Stock for the Assembled Item falls below the Auto-build setting being used (defined below), automatically build whatever quantity is needed to bring it back to the specified threshold.

Every Bill of Material Revision can have a specific Auto-build threshold specified for it. This selection is available on the Bill of Material | Header tab.

You can choose the following options:

Never – to never allow the system to automatically build this assembly.

Zero – to automatically build whatever quantity is needed to maintain zero quantity of this assembly.

Minimum – to automatically build whatever quantity is needed to maintain the Minimum Stocking Threshold defined for this Item at the Location in question. 

Reorder - to automatically build whatever quantity is needed to maintain the Reorder Level Stocking Threshold defined for this Item at the Location in question.

As you prepare to use the Auto-build feature, you should be on the look-out for the Auto-build Override selection. You’ll find this on most Stock Transfers (both under Stock Control and Stock Check menus), as well as Work Orders, Manufacturing Orders and the various functions under Production that allow for the transfer of inventory.

Auto-build Override:

The Auto-build Override is used to bypass the Bill of Materials Auto-build. It allows you to drive the threshold MISys will use for that specific transfer/process to determine whether or not an assembly is auto-built.

The Auto-build Override options are the same as above with two exceptions:

As Specified – use the Auto-build Threshold defined for each Assembly’s Bill of Material Revision affected by this transfer/process. 

Always – automatically build any Assembly whose quantity is consumed in this transfer/process.

Example: Maintaining no sub-assemblies in inventory

For the purposes of this example, let's say that you have 0 Stock Quantity of all your sub-assembled Items and you never maintain stock of them.

You know that whenever you need one of these sub-assemblies you’re going to build it and use it at the same time. 

We’re going to perform an Assemble from Stock (or even Completing an MO/WO) that's building a top level Parent Item which consists of multiple sub-assemblies that make up multiple lower levels in the Bill of Material structure.

You can select an Auto-build Override selection on the transfer form and set it to Zero.

At that point when the transfer is processed, MISys consumes the appropriate quantity of the top level components defined in the Parent Bill of Materials. Any sub-assembled components will be consumed, temporarily driving their quantity below your Auto-build Override selection of Zero.

MISys then automatically builds whatever quantity is needed of the sub-assembled components, to keep their quantity at 0. As a result of that build, the sub-assemblies components are then used, and if any of them happen to be sub-assemblies (and in our example their quantity in Stock will drop below 0), the system will build whatever is needed to bring their quantity back to 0 and so on.

This will continue throughout all levels of the Assembly.

Caution with Auto-build:

Auto-build cannot be automatically reversed. So you should ensure that you're comfortable with the process before implementing it.

If you happen to inadvertently Auto-build sub-assemblies and need to back them out, the only way to do this is to manually address each sub-assembly one at a time.

We strongly suggest using your MISAMPCO sample company to do your initial Auto-build testing. Once you become comfortable with the process try it out in your live company.