agritheory
commented
5 years ago Hi @yonasmxx, I am one of the folks working in the Ag module and we're running into the same issues you mention regard discrete vs process mfg. This is a big ask, but not an unreasonable one and it sounds like you understand that. There isn't a simple fix to incorporate both discrete and process mfg and there are a couple of different designs that are possible. 1) Make BoMs selectable as discrete or process, which means refactoring a lot of code in the BoM but it keeps the changes more or less isolated there. @Alchez is working on some variation of this now. 2) Add infrastructure so that discrete and process are handled in separate workflows, with separate settings. This means modularizing the Manufacturing module by adding a "Manufacturing Line" doctype and reorganizing so that both workflows can be accommodated. 3) Process mfg can be a nightmare for keeping track of things by UoM and I'm concerned that there isn't a design that covers enough generic needs to be useful. In one cases, I'm working with a customer processing animals where the intermediate cuts of meat are kept on ice and it's impossible to get an accurate tare for steps 2 through ~6 and you only know the outcome in the input UoM when it's ready to be packed or go into cold storage. But there have been some set operations on that item that have reduced its weight with an uncertain percentage change. Currently the discrete BoM requires that the scrap percentage be identical each time, which is problematic for several reasons and needs a bit of redesign - I'm not sure myself of all the downstream impacts. Anyway, this gets at the "continuous input" problem, which would have to be handled in a process BoM - if chemical X flows from the container in an unknown quantity per leather hide, how does one attribute it? 4) A workaround that exists today is to handle all these things all as stock-in/ stock-out transactions and adjust the valuation rate on the Item master with the Landed Costs Voucher. This keeps track of "what items" and "how much on average" but not "when" or "how much each (not average)". If you are OK with taking inventory (measuring state) as your process control measure (and for most companies, that's what they're doing), LCV may be a solution. If you need more detail than that or want to commonify or specify the process, more work is required.
yonasmxx
Alchez
deercreekseed
blewsky
erabti
I just want to use ERPNext for Leather Tannery business but the software system is built for discrete manufacturing with BoM. In leather tanning process, you start with the by purchasing and storing raw leather from supplier with grading system and size. After that, the raw material will be feed to several machines by adding various chemicals to the leather. I know there should be formula based BoM when dealing with chemicals but the tricky part is feeding multiple leathers in one drum for a day or more and then again operators will deal with individual items. The process is converting a raw hides and skins into finished leather by adding different chemicals and manual works.
For further understanding, you can look this great project: http://leatherlink.net/bsg/tms_commercial/help_manual/LeatherLink_TMS_User_Manual.php?app_name=TMS. I don't know it works for real since they stopped developing after 2010 but they implemented the process in a very convincing way.
Thanks.