Work center time off¶
In Odoo, work centers are used to carry out manufacturing operations at specific locations. However, if a work center cannot be used for some reason, work orders begin to pile up at the work center until it is operational again.
As a result, it is necessary to make the work center unavailable in Odoo so new work orders are routed to alternative work centers that are operational. Using Odoo’s Resource Time Off feature, it is possible to designate a work center as being unavailable for a set period of time. Doing so ensures manufacturing operations can continue until the impacted work center is available again.
Configuration¶
Before a work center can be designated as unavailable, the Odoo platform must be properly configured. First, it is necessary to enable developer mode. This allows the Time Off smart button to appear on each work center’s Working Hours page.
Note
The Time Off smart button described here comes from the underlying Resource module used by work centers, and works without installing the Time Off app. Installing the Time Off app is only necessary for scheduling time off for employees, and is not required for this workflow.
The last step is to properly configure work centers. For this workflow, it is necessary to have at least two work centers: one that is made unavailable, and a second that receives the work orders that the other cannot accept. If no second work center is configured, Odoo cannot route work orders away from the unavailable work center, and they pile up in its queue.
To create a work center, navigate to .
See also
For a full guide to work center creation, refer to the documentation on work centers.
Make sure both work centers are capable of carrying out the same operations, since the alternative work center takes over any work orders that cannot be processed at the unavailable one.
On the work center that is made unavailable, select the second work center from the Alternative Workcenters drop-down menu. Now, Odoo knows to send work orders to the second work center when the first is unavailable for any reason.
- menu
- Manufacturing app --> Configuration --> Work Centers (open a work center)
- shows
- The work center form, "Alternative Workcenters" field filled in with a second work center's name.
- highlight
- The "Alternative Workcenters" field.
- data
- Demo company "YourCompany"; work centers "Main Assembly Line" and "Alternative Assembly Line".
- module
- mrp
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the field.
Add time off for a work center¶
With configuration completed, time off can now be assigned to a work center. Begin by navigating to , and selecting the affected work center. Click the (Internal link) button on the right side of the Working Hours drop-down menu, to open the working hours page for the work center.
- menu
- Manufacturing app --> Configuration --> Work Centers (open a work center)
- shows
- The work center form, "Working Hours" field with its internal-link arrow icon highlighted.
- highlight
- The internal-link arrow next to the "Working Hours" field.
- data
- Demo company "YourCompany"; work center "Main Assembly Line".
- module
- mrp
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the field.
The working hours page displays the standard working hours for the work center. With developer mode activated, a Time Off smart button appears at the top of the page. Click it to open the Resource Time Off page.
On this page, click New to configure a new time-off entry. On the time-off form, note the Reason for the work center closure (e.g. broken equipment, maintenance, etc.), select the affected work center as the Resource, and choose a Start Date and End Date to specify the period during which the work center is unavailable.
- menu
- Manufacturing app --> Configuration --> Work Centers --> (work center) --> Working Hours --> Time Off smart button --> New
- shows
- The "Resource Time Off" form, "Reason", "Resource" (work center), "Start Date" and "End Date" fields filled in.
- highlight
- The "Resource" field showing the work center.
- data
- Demo company "YourCompany"; work center "Main Assembly Line", reason "Broken equipment".
- module
- mrp, resource
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Alternative work center planning¶
Once a work center is within its specified time-off period, work orders sent to it can be automatically routed to an alternative work center using the Plan button.
Begin by creating a new manufacturing order (MO), by navigating to . On the MO form, specify a Product that uses the unavailable work center for one of its operations. Click Confirm to confirm the MO.
On the confirmed MO, select the Work Orders tab. By default, the unavailable work center is specified in the Work Center column. There is also a Plan button at the top left of the page.
Click Plan, and the work center listed in the Work Center column of the Work Orders tab is automatically changed to the alternative work center.
- menu
- Manufacturing app --> Operations --> Manufacturing Orders (open the MO) --> Work Orders tab
- shows
- The Work Orders tab before clicking "Plan", "Work Center" column showing the unavailable work center "Main Assembly Line".
- highlight
- The "Work Center" column value.
- data
- Demo company "YourCompany"; MO for a product routed through "Main Assembly Line".
- module
- mrp
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the Work Orders tab.
- menu
- Manufacturing app --> Operations --> Manufacturing Orders (same MO) --> Work Orders tab --> Plan
- shows
- The Work Orders tab after clicking "Plan", "Work Center" column now showing "Alternative Assembly Line".
- highlight
- The "Work Center" column value, changed to the alternative work center.
- data
- Same MO as the previous screenshot, after "Main Assembly Line" entered its time-off period.
- module
- mrp
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the Work Orders tab.
Once the time-off period for the unavailable work center ends, Odoo recognizes the work center is available again. At this point, clicking the Plan button does not route work orders to an alternative work center unless the first one is at capacity.