SyteLine Routing Setup and Configuration Best Practices
Routings define the sequence of operations required to manufacture an item in SyteLine. They drive production scheduling, capacity planning, and job costing. Inaccurate routings produce unreliable schedules, incorrect standard costs, and shop floor confusion. This guide covers routing configuration patterns that deliver accurate scheduling and costing across discrete, repetitive, and mixed-mode manufacturing environments.
Routing Structure and Operation Sequencing
SyteLine routings are defined in the Routings form (Menu Path: Production > BOM/Routing > Routings) and stored in the route and routeoper tables. Each routing consists of ordered operations identified by operation number (typically sequenced in increments of 10: 10, 20, 30). Each operation specifies the work center, setup time, run time per piece or per lot, crew size, and overlap percentage with the next operation. The operation sequence determines scheduling order—APS (Advanced Planning and Scheduling) uses this sequence to schedule operations on the timeline. Use consistent operation numbering conventions: 10-series for cutting, 20-series for machining, 30-series for assembly, 40-series for quality, 50-series for packing. Define alternate routings for the same item using different routing names when items can be produced through different paths depending on equipment availability or order quantity. The routing revision system maintains historical versions while the current revision drives new job creation.
- Define routings in Production > BOM/Routing > Routings stored in route and routeoper tables
- Use operation number increments of 10 (10, 20, 30) for easy insertion of future operations
- Configure alternate routings for flexible manufacturing paths based on equipment or quantity
- Routing revisions maintain historical versions while current revision drives new production orders
Time Standards: Setup, Run, Queue, and Move Times
Accurate time standards on routing operations are the foundation of reliable scheduling and costing. SyteLine supports four time categories per operation: setup time (fixed per job regardless of quantity), run time (variable per piece or per lot), queue time (waiting before the operation begins), and move time (transit between work centers). Configure these in the routing operation detail. Run time can be defined as hours per piece (pieces per hour) or hours per lot depending on the production method—toggle this in the operation's Time Basis field. Queue and move times are often overlooked but critically affect schedule accuracy: a routing with zero queue times will produce optimistic schedules that the shop floor cannot achieve. Gather actual queue and move times from shop floor observation and MES data. For operations with significant setup, enable the Setup Matrix feature to define setup times that vary based on the previous item run on the same work center—this is essential for industries like plastics and printing where changeover time depends on the color or tool sequence.
- Four time categories: setup (fixed/job), run (variable/piece or lot), queue (wait), and move (transit)
- Configure Time Basis field to toggle between hours-per-piece and hours-per-lot run time calculation
- Include realistic queue and move times from shop floor data to prevent optimistic scheduling
- Enable Setup Matrix for sequence-dependent setup times based on previous work center production run
Routing Optimization and Maintenance
Routing maintenance directly impacts schedule accuracy and cost variance. Implement a quarterly routing review process that compares standard times against actual labor postings from the jobtrans table. SyteLine's Routing Comparison report identifies operations where actual times consistently deviate from standards by more than a configurable threshold. Update standards based on moving averages rather than single observations to smooth out variability. For high-volume items, use the Time Study functionality to capture actual setup and run times directly from the shop floor and feed them back into routing standards. Validate routings against capacity by running the Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) report to identify operations that exceed available work center capacity at current demand levels. Common routing errors include missing overlap percentages that prevent operation parallelism, incorrect crew sizes that overstate capacity consumption, and missing alternate work centers that reduce scheduling flexibility.
- Compare routing standards against actual times from jobtrans table quarterly for accuracy
- Use the Routing Comparison report to flag operations exceeding deviation thresholds
- Run RCCP reports to validate routing capacity assumptions against current demand levels
- Correct common errors: missing overlaps, incorrect crew sizes, and absent alternate work centers
Need accurate SyteLine routings? Our manufacturing consultants optimize routing standards for scheduling precision—schedule a routing review.
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