[Feature request] Improve support for production planning based on contract manufacturing

ERPNext Feature Requests
1

I’m trying a production planning tool and it looks like it’s set up for operations where manufacturing is done in-house. I’ve checked this guide: Subcontracting

So as I understand, production planning tool can’t generate purchase orders, only work orders, and if I understand correctly, this practically makes it unusable for manufacturing process made only out of contract manufacturing operations, e.g where a company would:
purchase & supply raw chemicals to supplier A, supplier A does synthesis operation, ships synthesised product to supplier B, who packages the product and ships into a warehouse.

now we would have to create all these purchase orders manually.
any ideas, solutions?

also, I don’t know if other ERP systems have such thing, but I think a visual map of the production plan processes would be very cool, visually could look something like in those email automation softwares:
https://www.cleverreach.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/cleverreach_black_friday_thea__en_01.jpg
this could allow to view the state of each production, where it is at and etc.

2

It can generate Material Requests which can then be used to generate Purchase Orders.

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3

but if I subcontract packaging, does it make sense to generate packaging operation as material request?

4

For subcontract you need to place a Purchase Order. The items from the BoM are then transferred to supplier using the stock entry.

If we think generically, you need to get something made with the raw material that you have. If you do it internally then you need to generate a Work Order. If you do it outside then you need to generate a Purchase Order. This way it also takes care

  1. Record for raw material supplied to the subcontractor
  2. Take care tax requirements

Material Request is like a ticket which informs people something has to be done. Manufacturing maynot have rights to generate a Purchase Order. So they need to request Purchase Department to purchase a particular item/service.

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