Production Group

In the Production Group Record is possible to record the machines the Engineering will use. The Production Group contains all the information respective to a machine or group of machines with similar characteristics.

The Production Groups gather the Functionalities – functions the group can execute, such as printing, folding, trimming, gathering etc. The arrangement of those functionalities determines the functions, restrictions and materials produced by the Production Group in the Engineering. For more information on Functionalities, refer to “Production Group Functionalities.”

In the Production Groups are also available the speed, waste, cost rules and units of measurement, among other important information for the cost per hour calculation in the Engineering.

The image below shows the main Production Group’s functions and records:

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If the plant has many machines with similar or identical information it is recommended to group those machines in a Production Group in order to improve the time taken by the Engineering to make the required calculations. The real machines are represented in the planning and linked to a Production Group. 1TFor more information refer to1T “Production Group Planning.”

Note: If the plant has many machines with similar or identical information it is recommended to group those machines in a Production Group in order to improve the time taken by the Engineering to make the required calculations. The real machines are represented in the planning and linked to a Production Group. For more information refer to “Production Group Planning.”

Go to Sales > Records > iQuote > Engineering > Production Group to access production group’s browser:

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Note below a brief description of this toolbar’s buttons:

Button	Button Name	Button Function
	Activate	Allows the user to activate Production Groups selected from the list.
	Deactivate	Allows the user to deactivate Production Groups selected from the list.
	Import	Allows the user to import Production Groups.
	Export	Allows the user to export Production Groups.
	Copy	Allows the user to copy Production Groups selected from the list.
	Advanced Set-up	Allows the user to access the advanced set-up of a Production Groups selected from the list.

Note: For more information on adding and editing search features, how to add other information in columns and the buttons in this toolbar refer to "Views" in Introduction to iQuote.

Access

In order to set this record the user needs to have the following control accesses enabled:

EPS > SALES > RECORDS > IQUOTE > ENGINEERING > PRODUCTION GROUP

EPS > SALES > RECORDS > IQUOTE > ENGINEERING > PRODUCTION GROUP > PRODUCTION GROUP ADVANCED SETTINGS

Adding Production Groups

Note that the unit of measurements have to be already set in the system prior to adding production groups. This record can be accessed using a fast link in the production group or at Administration > General configuration > Unit of measurement.

In the production group’s browser, click Add.

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Complete the fields as described below:

Field	Description
Code	Allows you to enter an alphanumeric code with up to 15 characters.
Description	Allows you to enter the appropriate name to identify the grouping of several machines together. You should use a name easy to understand, related to the machine(s) that you will group in it.
Production Group Type	Production group classification types. It can be: Manual – indicates the Production Group is not composed of machines, but it is a group of factory workers. When you use this option, you must inform the Production Group’s cost per hour in the Transformation Cost Table. For more information, refer to “Edit Transformation Costs”; Machinery – indicates the Production Group is composed by machines. When you use this option, you must inform the Production Group’s cost per hour in the Transformation Cost Table. For more information refer to “Edit Transformation Costs”; Outsourced – indicates that the Production Group is an outsourcing provider. When you use this option, you must inform the Production Group’s cost per hour in the Cost Table as an Outsourcing Cost. For more information refer to “Edit Outsourcing Costs”; Once you select the Production Group Type, you will not be able to change it anymore. You can still check it when editing the Production Group.
Unit of measurement	Allows you to select the appropriate unit of measurement. For more information, refer to “Units of measurement”.
Cost account	Allows the user to select the cost account used in the Production Group. The cost account determines where the system will place the Production Group cost for future estimate’s cost analysis and comparison with the post calculation. You can also use the cost account as a filter in various windows to help searching costs and Production Group linked to that account. For example, Production Group: Platemaking/ Cost account: Prepress. It will be possible to edit the cost account selected in this field later in the Production Group’s Advanced Configuration. For more information, refer to “Add Cost Accounts” and “Link Cost Items to the Production Group”.
Plant	The plant represents the place where the Production Group is. You may use this field only if the company has more than one plant and if you do the machine control separately for each location – that is, if the Estimate’s Engineering calculations use only Production Groups in the same plant. It will be possible to edit the plant selected in this field later in the Production Group’s Advanced Configuration. For more information, refer to “Add Cost Accounts” and “Add Plants.”
Template	Allows you to inform if the Production Group that you are creating is a machine template that you will use as a reference for creating machine groups in other systems. You must select this option to indicate that the Production Group is a Template and the Engineering will not use it for calculations.

When finished, click Confirm.
The following Advanced Settings screen will open:

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Note: The Production Group Advanced Settings screen displays all the technical information on the groups, which are extremely important for adequate Engineering operation. The user that created the Production Group will need access permission to edit it. For more information, refer to “Edit Production Group Advanced Configurations”, in Engineering Records.

Note: Even if the user do not have access to the Production Group Advanced Configurations, it is possible to edit basic information - such as speeds and waste - in the Simplified Settings screen. For more information, refer to “Edit Production Group Advanced Configurations.”

Note: For more information on the buttons in this toolbar refer to “Standard Toolbar” in Introduction to iQuote.

Note below a brief description of this toolbar’s button:

Button	Button Name	Button Function
	Save and close	Allows saving the new Production Group or the editions made and close the screen.
	Save and go to Simplified Settings	Allows saving the new Production Group or the editions made, closing the advanced settings screen and opening the simplified settings screen. For more information, refer to “Edit Production Group Simplified Settings.”

Note: For more information on the buttons in this toolbar refer to “Standard Toolbar” in Introduction to iQuote.

Complete the fields as described below:

Field	Description
Active	Indicates whether the Production Group should be available for use in the Engineering.
External reference	Production Group identification code for integration with other systems.

Editing a Production Group

In the Production Group’s browser, select the appropriate entry.
Click Advanced Settings.
Edit it as needed. For more information on the buttons and fields on this screen, refer to “Adding”.
When finished, click Save.

Deleting a Production Group

In the Production Group’s browser, select appropriate entry.
Click Delete.
Click Yes to confirm the action.

Note: Production groups in use by the Engineering cannot be deleted.

Production Group Activities

The Activity tab allows linking the activity types to the Production Group.

Note: In order to be possible to link an activity type to the Production Group it is necessary to have recorded it previously.

In the system’s main menu, click Sales > Records > iQuote > Engineering > Production Group or enter "Production Group" in the Quick Search field.

Select the appropriate Production Group.

Click on Advanced Settings.

Click on Activities.

Click on New.

Complete the fields as described below:

Field	Description
Activity Type	Activity types to link to the Production Group. For example, the Initial Trimming. It is possible to link many activity types to each Production Group. For more information, refer to “Link Activity Types to Production Groups”, in Engineering Records.

Note: If there is only one activity type linked to the Production Group, there is no need to fill the fields in the windows Filters and Filter by Information Range. For more information, refer to “Link Multiple Activity types to a Production Group.”

When finished, click on Save and Close.

Note: For more information, refer to “Production Group Activities”, in Engineering Records.

Production Group Costs

Note: In order to link costs to the Production Group, it is necessary to have the transformation cost and unit of measurement previously recorded.

In the system’s main menu, go to Sales > Records > iQuote > Engineering > Production Group or enter "Production Group" in the Quick Search field.

Select the appropriate Production Group.

Click on Advanced Settings.

Click on Costs.

Click on New. Complete the fields as described below:

Field	Description
Cost Account	Enter the name of the cost account to which the Production Group cost will be assigned to, for future cost analysis.

On Cost Items Definition click New. Complete the fields as described below:

Field

Description

Description

Cost rule option. It is possible to add multiple cost rules for the same Production Group.

Allows entering the appropriate description to use also in the transformation cost table.

On Cost Items, click New. Complete the fields as described below:

Field	Description
Transformation Cost Type	Indicates the cost item type of transformation cost. A cost option can have more than one cost item such as manpower, depreciation, fixed, cost, clicks, etc. To identify the cost items it is required to exist a cost item type for each item. The type of standard cost item and the most used is the Hour Cost, which adds all kinds of costs in one. To be possible to record the cost items the Transformation Cost Type needs to be previously recorded.
Calculation Type	Type of information the Engineering shall consider for calculating the cost, which can be: Total Time – indicates that the cost calculation will consider the total activity time that the Production Group performs. Only Setup Time – indicates that the cost calculation will consider only the Production Group setup time that the Engineering calculates. Only Production Time – indicates that the cost calculation will consider only the Production Group production time (process time). Activity Quantity – indicates that the cost calculation will consider the quantity of activity (with good outputs) that the Production Groups performs. The quantity may vary according to the Production Group unit of measurement. Activity Quantity + Waste – indicates that the cost calculation will consider the quantity of activity that the Production Group performs, including the waste. The quantity may vary according to the Production Group unit of measurement. Fixed – indicates that the cost calculation will consider a fixed quantity. When selecting this option, the considered quantity is 1. In this case, the Multiplication Factor can be used to apply thins fixed quantity. For example, when selecting this option for the type of calculation and entering 100 in the multiplication field, the quantity used in the cost calculation will be 100.
Qty. in	Unit of measurement assigned to the cost. For example, when selecting Total Time as the type of calculation the Qty. in field should be filled with a time unit, such as time, hours, minutes, etc. For being able to select the measurement unit it is necessary to previously record it. For more information, refer to “Add Units of Measurement”, in Engineering Records
Multiplication Factor	Number used as the multiplication factor for the activity quantity. For example, if the activity considers quantity + waste and this quantity is calculate as 1100, when applying a multiplication factor of 2 the quantity for cost calculation will be 2200.
Dynamic Multiplier	Characteristic or technical information used to calculate the activity quantity. For example: the element’s number of pages. For example, when applying the element’s number of pages Dynamic Multiplier for a 4-pages cover with a calculated quantity of 1000 the quantity considered for the cost calculation will be 4000. The Dynamic Multiplier uses standard technical information and generic specification characteristics – which can be recorded in the system. For more information, refer to Product Specification Records in “Specification Characteristics Types.”
Active	Indicates if the cost item is available for selection for cost calculation in the Engineering.
Cost Account	Specific Cost Account for a cost item such as Digital cost account for the cost item Click and the Printing cost account for the cost item Labor. When this link is made the system does not consider the standard cost account linked in the Production Group cost tab. In order to link the cost account is necessary to previously record it.
Cost Subaccount	Specific Cost Subaccount for a cost item. When selecting a specific cost account, it is necessary that a cost subaccount is also selected for information classification purposes. By default, the system uses the Production Group name or the subaccount cost. In order to link the cost account is necessary to previously record it.

Note: If there is only one activity type linked to the Production Group, there are no need to fill the fields in the windows Filters and Filter by Information Range. For more information, refer to “Link Multiple Activity types to a Production Group.”

When finished click Save and Close.

Note: For more information, see "Production Group Costs" in the Engineering Records.

Production Groups Setups

Note: In order to be possible to add setups to the Production Group, the Setup Machine Types previously recorded.

In the system’s main menu, click Sales > Records > iQuote > Engineering > Production Group or enter "Production Group" in the Quick Search field.

Click the appropriate Production Group.

Click Advanced Settings.

Click Setups.

Click New. Complete the fields as described below:

Field	Description
Description	Name of the setup option. A Production Group may have more than one setup time or waste.
Setup Machine Type	Type of machine setup used to organize the setup options. The setup type can be used for applying factors for reduction or increase of waste times, for example. For more information refer to “Add Machine Setup Types” and to “Add Factors in the Production Group”, in Engineering Records.
Setup Repetition (minutes)	Time in minutes used in the calculation of the setup time per repetition in the Production Group, in the Engineering. In order to a printer to be able to print a 160-page signature, it has to be separated in 16 pages and repeated 10 times, to fit in the printer. If there is one set up for each plate that will be 4 plates per repetition (10 x 4 = 40 plates). Therefore, if you fill in this field with 5 minutes, the Engineering will calculate 5 x 40, adding up to 200 minutes in setup time.
Repetition Waste	Value used in the Engineering for calculating the setup waste per repetition in the Production Group. In order to a printer to be able to print a 160-page signature, it has to be separated in 16 pages and repeated 10 times, to fit in the printer. If there is one set up for each plate that will be 4 plates per repetition (10 x 4 = 40 plates). Therefore, if you fill in this field with 10, the Engineering will calculate 10 x 40, adding up to 400 measurement units with setup. If the machine’s unit of measurement is prints/ hour, the waste will be 400 prints. For more information, refer to “Production Group Measurements Units”, in Engineering Records.
Fixed Setup (minutes)	Time in minutes used for calculating the fixed setup time for the Production Group in the Engineering. If a printing machine prints a 160-pages book block, it has to be printed in 16-pages signatures to fit the printer. This way the signature has to be repeated 10 times to complete 160 pages. When entering “5” in the Fixed Setup field the Engineering calculates only 5 minutes for setup time and does not multiply this value by the number of repetitions.
Fixed Waste	Value considered for calculating the fixed setup waste for the Production Group in the Engineering. If a printing machine prints a 160-pages book block, it has to be printed in 16-pages signatures to fit the printer. This way the signature has to be repeated 10 times to complete 160 pages. When entering "10" in the Fixed Waste field the Engineering calculates a setup waste of only 10 (machine’s unit of measurement). If the machine’s unit of measurement is prints/hour, the waste will be 10 prints. For more information, refer to “Production Group Units of Measurement”, in Engineering Records.
Applied only once	Situation for application of fixed times and wastes, which can be: For all repetitions of the same process – indicates the system applies the fixed waste and time individually in the activity executed by the Production Group and in its repetitions. For example, if 2 handouts in the same Engineering have the same size, are produced in the same machines and its fixed waste and time are set as10 in the folding Production Group, the system will apply 10 both in the waste and in the time for each folding, even being the same activity and Production Group. For all activities with the same Production Group – indicates the system divides the fixed waste and time in the activities with the same characteristics executed by the same Production Group. For example, if 2 handouts in the same Engineering have the same size, are produced in the same machines but have separated processes and its fixed waste and time are set as10 in the folding Production Group, the system will apply 5 for both time and waste for each folding, even being different processes.

Notes tab:

Complete the fields as described below:

Field	Description
Observations	Allows entering the additional information, if necessary.

When finished, click Save and Close.

Note: For more information, see "Production Group Settings" in the Engineering Records.