8.3.0

Partial Quantity Book Off Mode 

Partial complete options were added to streamline the process of booking on and off jobs where partial quantity completion is required. It also provides the operator with a more intuitive and efficient user interface.  

When you are booked onto a job, if you enabled partial completions, you have a few options you can choose from. The best way to describe the options is through an example.  

You are working on a batch of 100 at operation 10 and you complete 15. You may want to  

Complete just 15 of 100, leave 85 at operation10, and move 15 to operation 20. In this case, what does the operator and the machine do?    

Three partial complete buttons have been added to the Workstation Button Profile page to manage this. You can add the ones that are appropriate for your scenario. You can choose a combination of the following options:  

• Partial Complete & Remain Booked On: Partial quantity progresses to the next operation (op 20). The operator stays booked onto the original operation (op 10)  
• Partial Complete & Book-Off (Stop Asset): Partial quantity progresses to the next operation (op 20). The operator books off op 10. The asset continues running unattended at op 10.  
• Partial Complete & Book-Off (Leave Asset Running): Partial quantity progresses to the next operation (op 20). Stop running the asset at op 10. 

Document Versioning

Document management was enhanced in 8.3 to include document versions.  

A document added to the Document Manager now has a header and versions. 

You can add a new minor version or a new major version of a document. When doing so, you need to upload a file or provide a link.  

Where documents are authored and managed in a third-party document management system, the version number in MES-M may not manage the version number in the third-party system. We use External Ref to store the version reference from the third-party system.  

Wherever you reference documents, they now use the standard options for selecting a version. These are:  

• Use latest version  
• Use latest minor version for specified major version  
• Use specified version  

You can see who viewed which version of a document.  

If a document is controlled as defined by its Document Type, you cannot replace the file. You would need to up-version to use a different file. If it’s uncontrolled, you can replace the file. Version history tracks all edits.  

Document Manager Access

The Documents button was added to the Schedule Manager screen. It opens the Documents dialogue box where you can search for docs related to the selected job and allows you to access Document Manager so you can manage your job documents with fewer clicks.

Job Documents Enhancement

The Job Documents pop-up gives you easy access to add, link and manage documents.

When you select a job in the Schedule Manager, you can click the Documents button to display the Job Documents pop-up. The buttons that were added to the pop-up in 8.3 are:

• Add New: Creates version 1.0 of an uploaded document and links it to the selected job as well as adding it to the Document Manager.
• Link Existing: Link documents that exist in the Document Manager to the selected job. Version control applies which gives you the following options:  
  • Use latest version  
  • Use latest minor version for specified major version  
  • Use specified version  
• Document Manager: Access to the Document Manager which gives you the full document management capabilities.

Cancel New Task Opened Accidentally

In older releases, it wasn’t possible to cancel a new task that was opened accidentally. If you are working on a task and you spawn a new task by clicking on the Start New Task button, there was no way of cancelling the new task and going back to the task that spawned it.

In 8.3, you can now manually cancel a new task that was opened accidentally and return to the source task that spawned the new task. This is done in the workstation by ticking the checkbox next to the spawned task you want to cancel which displays the Cancel Task button. 

Tool Use Action

Improved accuracy of Use Count and added an Edit Tool Use button  

Previously, if you used a tool that had already been used, it would overwrite the use count of the previous use and only record the latest use. In 8.3, if a tool was used more than once, the Use count field now increments the use count.  

The Edit Tool Use button in the workstation allows you to correct an incorrectly recorded tool use. For example, you can correct the tool that was used and the count.  

You can highlight a tool that was used and click the Unuse button to remove the tool use. All calculations associated with the tool use will be adjusted.  

Note that comments are recorded in the tool use log which can be viewed in the Tools section of the Item Status page. 

Workstation Checklists

Checklists has been enhanced to improve usability and readability. The following improvements were made:

Standardised colours

The section of the screen containing the input values was changed from yellow to blue to better align with the overall style of the user interface.

Hidden columns

The page contains several columns. Automatically displaying all of them affects the usability and presentation of the information on the page. In 8.3, columns that are not appropriate for your configuration are hidden on loading. If you wish to add columns, click the vertical dots on any column, click the vertical lines tab, and select the columns to display.

Flags on compulsory field

Compulsory fields for checklists are flagged with a red asterisk. 

Corrected misalignment between labels and their fields

In 8.3, the issue where labels and fields were split across two lines when resizing the window was corrected. Labels and their fields will always display together.

Full screen size 

Reduced screen size 

eSignature Information

When a workflow version was signed, selecting it in the Workflow page will display an eSignature button. Clicking it displays a popup with information about the signature. 

The Version Revision History screen also includes information about the signature. Selecting a row where an eSignature was provided will display the eSignature button.

Issues

Issue management and tracking was enhanced in 8.3.

Split Items/Jobs/Ops Linked to the Same Issue as Original Item

Historically, when you had an issue linked to an item, and the item was split to form a new item, the issue would remain linked to the original item. The split item would have no link to the issue.

In 8.3, the new item is automatically linked to the issue that was against the original item. If the issue item records are closed, then the new item will not be linked automatically.

Configurable Issue Resolution and Resolution Details

Issue Resolution and Resolution Details fields used to be optional when closing any issue. In 8.3, these fields could be configured to be mandatory or optional depending on the Issue Type.

Integration Manager

The Integration Manager was enhanced in 8.3 to send an outbound trigger to, for example an ERP, when a recipe status changes.

Reset Password Security

When a user requested their password to be reset, the administrator carrying out the reset could see the new, system-generated password. In 8.3, this no longer happens for users with a federated account. When an administrator resets a user’s password for a federated account, the new, system-generated password is sent to the user’s email. It is not possible for the administrator to see a user’s password.

BoM Status Enhancement

A BoM that was approved and was unused by any items, can have its status changed back to Draft.

WIP Qty/Batch Configurable

When you start a new item in a workstation, there is a popup dialogue box that gives you the quantity in the WIP Qty/Batch field. The selection you make in the Batch Size Source field in the Edit Start Node popup (accessible from the Design Workflow UI) determines which option will be presented to the operator. The options are:

• Empty: An operator must enter the job batch size.
• Job Batch Size: The item quantity defaults to the batch size on the scheduled job.
• The Allow Job Batch Size Editing checkbox becomes active if you have selected Job Batch Size in previous field. If it's checked, the operator will be allowed to edit it.

Configure options in the Edit Start Node popup 

Options presented to the operator when booking onto a job