SyteLine Work Center Configuration and Optimization Guide
Work centers are the scheduling and costing units in SyteLine that represent physical production locations on your shop floor. They can model individual machines, groups of interchangeable machines, manual assembly stations, or outside processing locations. Correct work center configuration is essential because APS uses work center capacity and shift calendars to schedule operations, and the costing engine uses work center rates to calculate standard costs.
Work Center Definition and Capacity Setup
Work centers are configured in the Work Centers form (Menu Path: Production > Shop Floor > Work Centers) and stored in the wc table. Each work center requires a unique ID, description, department assignment, and capacity configuration. Capacity is defined by the number of machines or resources available simultaneously (the Number of Machines field), multiplied by the shift calendar hours. For example, a work center with 3 machines running an 8-hour shift has 24 available hours per day. The Efficiency Factor (stored as a percentage in the wc table's Efficiency column) adjusts theoretical capacity to realistic capacity—set this based on historical utilization data from the shop floor, typically 80-90% for well-run operations. The Queue Time and Move Time defaults on the work center apply to all routing operations assigned to it unless overridden at the operation level. Configure the Finite/Infinite Capacity flag to control whether APS respects capacity limits during scheduling—infinite capacity work centers allow unlimited concurrent operations, which is appropriate for bottleneck analysis but not production scheduling.
- Define work centers in Production > Shop Floor > Work Centers stored in the wc table
- Set Number of Machines and shift calendar hours to establish available capacity per day
- Configure Efficiency Factor (80-90% typical) to adjust theoretical capacity to realistic output
- Set Finite Capacity flag for APS scheduling or Infinite Capacity for rough-cut planning analysis
Shift Calendars and Availability Patterns
SyteLine's scheduling engine relies on shift calendars to determine when work centers are available for production. Configure calendars in the Calendar form (Menu Path: Administration > Calendars) and assign them to work centers through the Work Center form's Calendar field. Each calendar defines working days, shift start/end times, and non-working exceptions (holidays, planned maintenance). For multi-shift operations, create separate calendar patterns (e.g., CAL-1SHIFT, CAL-2SHIFT, CAL-3SHIFT) and assign them based on the work center's actual shift pattern. The calendar system supports pattern-based definitions where you define a weekly pattern and apply exceptions. Critically, calendar changes affect all future scheduling immediately—changing a work center from 2 shifts to 1 shift will double the scheduled duration of all operations on that center. Use the Calendar Exception form to handle temporary changes (maintenance windows, overtime shifts) without modifying the base calendar pattern. APS recalculates schedules during each planning run based on current calendar configurations.
- Assign shift calendars in Administration > Calendars to control work center availability windows
- Create shift pattern templates (1-shift, 2-shift, 3-shift) and assign to work centers by actual operation
- Use Calendar Exceptions for temporary changes (maintenance, overtime) without modifying base patterns
- Calendar changes immediately affect all future scheduling—validate impact before modifying calendars
Cost Rates and Overhead Configuration
Work centers carry cost rates used by SyteLine's costing engine to calculate standard production costs. Configure rates in the Work Center Rates form, which stores values in the wcrate table. Three rate categories apply: labor rate (cost per labor hour), machine rate (cost per machine hour), and overhead rate (either a fixed amount per hour or a percentage of labor/machine cost). The labor rate should reflect the loaded cost of operators assigned to the work center including wages, benefits, and applicable burden. The machine rate covers equipment depreciation, maintenance, power, and tooling amortization. For activity-based costing, create separate work centers for each cost-significant activity even if they share physical space—this gives more granular cost visibility. Rate effective dates allow you to pre-load future rate changes (e.g., annual wage increases) that automatically apply to cost rollups run after the effective date. Run cost rollups through the Cost Rollup Utility after any rate change to update item standard costs across all BOMs that reference affected work centers.
- Configure labor, machine, and overhead rates in the Work Center Rates form (wcrate table)
- Labor rate should include loaded cost: wages, benefits, and applicable burden allocations
- Use rate effective dates to pre-load future rate changes for automatic cost rollup application
- Run Cost Rollup Utility after rate changes to propagate updated costs through all affected BOMs
Optimizing SyteLine work centers? Our manufacturing consultants configure work centers for scheduling accuracy and costing precision—contact us.
Related Resources
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