FCS is a solution designed to efficiently plan production activities and optimally distribute the workload among the resources with available capacity.
Being a product perfectly integrated with the logic of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, whenever there is a well-structured implementation, the installation of FCS will be a matter of “plug and play”.
The plan calculation is an operation that takes only a few seconds, can be executed several times a day or each time there are major changes in the planning environment. For each execution, the system offers an optimal plan according to the defined criteria, and incorporates a mechanism that allows you to respect the manual changes made by the planner.
FCS is a product perfectly integrated with the logic of Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
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Faq’s : Frequently asked questions
Q: How many languages does FCS.exe support?
A: So far: English, Spanish, Norwegian, Danish, Czech, French and Portuguese.
The FCS adapts the labels to the local specified in the regional configuration window.
In addition, dates and times will also be displayed according to the format and separators defined in the local configuration. There is one exception: the time in the Gantt chart will always be displayed with “:” as the separator. This is due to the use of an external ActiveX component that only supports this type of separator.
Q: FCS does not support my local language/version. What can I do?
R: Contact Olivia.
Q: Is the demo version of FCS limited in any way?
A: The demo version is limited to 40 production lines. Apart from this, it works for a limited amount of time.
Q: Is the FCS an Add-on?
A: Yes, the FCS has granule number 7,013,460 for the Classic edition and 7,013,470 for the Advanced edition. FCS specific objects in Navision are numbered from 7,013,450 onwards. When a customer purchases an FCS, the NSC must purchase and ask Navision to put the Add-on FCS granule in the customer’s license.
Q: What is the FCS license file and what should I do with it?
A: The license file is called Fin.FCS and must be placed where the FCS.exe is (the “Path FCS” folder). The FCS license file is extracted from the client’s Navision license. When the registered version of the FCS is in operation, it will try to find the correspondence between both licenses.
Q: When I start the FCS, the following message appears: The FCS license is not correct.
A: “The FCS license is not correct” is a message that is displayed when the registered version of the FCS is served but without the proper license. In other words, the Navision license file (Fin.flf) and the FCS license file do not match.
Q: When I start the FCS, the following message appears: Error : Component tdbg7.ocx one of its...
A: The FCS must be installed at least once from the installer. The first installation registers the ActiveX components in the system. After this, the FCS can be updated by replacing the FCS.exe with the new version.
Q: Does FCS make automatic changes to routes, machine centers, calendars, PO statuses from Navision?
A: Communication between Navision and the FCS takes place when the FCS button is pressed in Navision. At that time, Navision writes data to an “FCS.in” file that will be read by the FCS at launch time. There is no other type of communication between Navision and FCS.
If you launch production orders from Navision while the FCS is running, they will not be carried out. You must exit, re-enter Navision and re-launch it.
This may also apply in the case of changes to machine centers, calendars, etc.
Q: Does the FCS update the data in Navision? If so, how does it do it? When I save the plan, nothing seems to be happening. Am I forgetting something?
A: Communication of new information from the FCS to Navision does not happen until you save the FCS plan. At that time, the FCS writes data to the “FCS.out” file. That’s all. When you return to Navision and launch “FCS Update”, this file will be processed: Navision’s schedule will be updated and capacity requirements will be calculated.
However, the “Automatic update” (FCS configuration parameters) can be configured so that Navision checks the existence of the file. When the file is created, the “FCS Update” will be executed automatically.
Q: The "FCS Update" process ends with an error in Navision "Error when calculating forward". The calendar is not available after x for Machine/Work Center y".
A: The machine/work center calendar is too short. Calculate enough calendar to cover the date indicated in the message.
Q: Is the FCS updated as final outputs of phases are recorded in the plan?
A: The FCS reads the output quantities from the output journal. In the Gantt chart, finished operations disappear. Phases with half the output quantity occupy half the space in the chart (the FCS calculates the planned time for the remaining quantity). Note, however, that the FCS retrieves information from current orders only at startup.
Q: Can I launch FCS from outside Navision?
A: Yes, but that’s not a good idea. The FCS can be launched from the Windows Explorer directly, but the “FCS.in” will not be generated. If there is an old “FCS.in” file on the disk it will be used, however without updated data. If no file of the type “FCS.in” is found, an error will appear.
Q: How can I change the colors of the Gantt bars?
A: Colours can be specified on the product sheet. It is a number between 1 and 16.
The correspondence between numbers and colors is described in the user manual.
If a color is not assigned to a product, the FCS will display the message and assign a random color.
Q: Does FCS use Navision’s tracking information? Specifically, does the FCS set the end of the finished product only after the components are finished?
A: FCS reads Navision’s tracking information. When programming, the relationships between finished products, components and raw material purchases are respected.
The order information can be viewed from the FCS, “Restrictions” tab on the “Operation Data” form.
Q: Does the FCS use Navision’s "route connection code"?
A: The raw material is not planned by the FCS, so the “route connection code” is not needed. The FCS only needs the date when the raw material is available (“expected receipt date”).
Q: Does FCS need Navision’s MRP granule?
A: No, it only requires the CRP. However, the MRP is key in generating the order information.
Without this information the FCS will assume that there is availability for the components and raw materials.
Q: Does FCS use Navision’s work date?
A: Yes, FCS takes Navision’s work date as the initial planning moment.
Q: I would like to know why FCS is planning a certain operation at a certain time. Why don’t you start earlier?
A: From the “Operation data” form, the restrictions tab, you can see the set of restrictions that have been applied to the operation. The strongest constraint is shown in red.
Q: I‘m using the drag and drop tool on the Gantt Chart but I can’t put a trade on a certain time and date.
A: The “Drag and Drop” tool does not allow you to set an operation to a specific time and date. It allows you to change the sequential order of operations within machine centers.
For example, the fifth operation can be placed at the beginning of the resource. After the “release”, the FCS recalculates the time of the plan: it recalculates dates and times and applies the necessary adjustments. Thus, the operation will be placed just after the previous operation in the machine center (or just before the next operation, if the phase adjustment parameter is used).
Q: How can I avoid spaces between operations?
A: If you don’t want spaces, you should use “Unadjusted” in the “Phase Adjustment” parameter. Then the FCS will try to saturate the machine centers. But even without the adjustment, spaces can appear due to interference.
For example: an operation is scheduled to start next weekend and the machine is empty (only this operation exists). The operation cannot start earlier because the previous operation is in a bottleneck, and will not finish until then.
Q: What is the meaning of the colors in the "Resource Saturation" chart?
A: The dark bars represent, for each machine, the load divided by the capacity up to the capacity horizon. In other words, the sum of the minutes of all the planned OPs on that machine, divided by the sum of the minutes of the workshop calendar to the capacity horizon (parameter of the FCS configuration).
The light blue bars have the same meaning but taking only the capacity since the last planned operation on that machine.
In conclusion, dark blue bars allow the planner to compare loads between different machines (all loads are divided by the same capacity horizon). The light blue bars allow the planner to see which machines have spaces with available capacity.
P: ¿Cómo puedo identificar los cuellos de botella a la hora de planificar con el FCS?
R: El cuello de botella aparece en los entornos sin nivelar. Puede ser estructural u originado por la mezcla de demanda para un determinado período de tiempo.
Esta situación desnivelada causa diferencias entre las máquinas.
El primer acercamiento para identificar los cuellos de botella se consigue observando las barras en el gráfico de Gantt. A través de la observación pueden verse los cuellos de botella, tanto estructurales como ocasionales.
El segundo acercamiento es mirando los indicadores de carga de las máquinas (pág. 21 en el capítulo de la ventana gráfica del manual del FCS)
Una tercera manera es analíticamente: esto es, ordenando las órdenes más retrasadas, abriendo la ventana de datos de la OP, pestaña de operaciones, haciendo doble click en las líneas de operación desde la última hacia atrás, para abrir las restricciones de los datos de la operación, pestaña de restricciones de cada línea de operación.
Mientras veas el “Inicio min. por orden” en rojo, significa que el recurso actual no se encuentra en un cuello de botella para esa orden en concreto.
Cuando encuentres una orden que tenga el “Inicio min. por recurso” en rojo, has encontrado el cuello de botella. Esto parece un poco tedioso, pero se puede ver exactamente lo mismo simplemente seleccionando la OP retrasada, se sombreará y ordenándola visualmente podrás, de un modo claro, encontrar dónde se encuentra el cuello de botella.
Q: I have a production order on Navision that I can’t see in the FCS.
A: This may be due to several reasons:
1) It is a simulated command. The FCS does not read simulated orders.
2) It is a planned order, and the FCS parameter “Only firmly planned orders” is set to true.
3) It is a firm planned/planned order, and falls outside the planning horizon (FCS parameter).
This means that the start date and time of the manufacturing order, assigned by the MRP or by other earlier FCS runs, are later than the work date + planning horizon.
In both cases the FCS does not load the production order, so it cannot be seen in the Gantt Chart or in the Delivery Dates form.
P: An operation is missing in the Gantt chart.
A: This can be due to the following reasons:
1) It is a released order, but the operation has no remaining quantity (output quantity>=planned quantity).
2) It is a launched order, but the operation has an operation status as “finished”. This happens when the user records output quantities and marks the completed box as true.
In both cases the production order is loaded. The operation that does not appear does not need capacity and therefore is not planned and cannot be seen in the Gantt chart. However, it will appear in the Delivery Dates form.
3) The operation is assigned in Navision to a work center without machine centers.
In this case, the FCS considers the work center as a resource of infinite capacity.
In this case the manufacturing order is loaded and planned but cannot be seen in the Gantt graphic (resources without finite capacity are not shown in the Gantt). However, it will appear in the Delivery Dates form.
Q: When I start up in FCS, the following error appears: "There are no machine centers". Then I click OK and the Gantt Chart appears completely empty: no machine centers, no production orders... However, I have machine centers in Navision, and some orders assigned to them.
A: This can occur when using the functionality of multiple planners. The route lines of the Work Centers/machine and OP/production orders are filtered by “Work Center Group Code (General Input-> Configuration -> Users -> User Configuration). Each scheduler can be assigned to one or more work centers. In this case the scheduler will probably be assigned to a Work Center group that has no machines inside.
This field can be left blank, and then the scheduler has access to all groups.
Q: I have tried to add an absence entry to a machine center, but the FCS is still putting operations on it.
A: The absence entries must be updated (have the update mark set). To update an absence entry, click on the button Absence -> Update.
Q: Is there a limit to the amount of data FCS can handle?
A: There is no limit to the number of operations the FCS can plan. More precisely, the limit is the computer’s memory and the user’s patience.
This is a benchmark on a Pentium III 1 Ghz, 256 Mb. RAM, Windows 2000 Server SP2.
Number of operations: 10.000.
Entry time: 3 minutes.
Time to recalculate the plan, while manually moving an operation on the Gantt chart: varies from 2 seconds to one minute, depending on whether you move an operation from/to the start of the plan, or from/to the end.
Simulation time of delivery times: less than 1 second.
Time to save the plan: 2.5 seconds.
Time to update Navision: 2 minutes.
Memory consumption: 30 Mb (not a problem).
The number of operations can be reduced (if necessary) if the “planning horizon” (FCS parameter) is shortened.
Q: What kind of support does Olivia offer NSCs?
A: We offer free NSC support via e-mail. We answer all kinds of questions related to the installation, configuration and behavior of the FCS. The NSC can attach the FCS.in file (created in the FCS folder when the FCS is started). This file contains all the information that the FCS needs to work, so we can reproduce the situation of the NSC/client and answer all the specific questions, which is very useful. Apart from this, we plan distance training sessions for the NSC, the client or both.
Q: I am using the Norwegian regional configuration and an error occurs when I launch FCS: "Error when reading the file ‘FCS.in’".
A: Windows has a bug in the Norwegian regional setting.
The thousands separator symbol is a blank space in that regional setting. However, when the file ‘FCS.in’ is generated through Navision’s dataport, the character ÿ is used instead, leading to an error in the FCS. To avoid this, go to the Control Panel->Regional Settings->Numbers->Number of Digits in group, delete the value and leave the space blank again. Apply the changes and exit: now the correct Group Number of Digits will be used.
