Paper Mill Manufacture - Manufacturing Business Process on ERPNext

Hi guys,

i’m new to the forum, i try to search for the topic about this but can’t find one, so i create this.

I was working on paper mill manufacture company.

I was testing ERPNext for the manufacture module. It work for me until the point that i need to assign specific value upon the production output.

So the production process is, the raw materials is mixed into some kind of porridge on the mill, get into machine to be dried, rolled up into 4 meter long roll, then cut into smaller roll.

For the detail of the product, there are some properties that will be known only after it was finished. These properties are: Diameter, Thickness, Weight, and Quality Grade.

Because it have to be measured after the product is done, i can not use item variant for it.

Also the product need to have unique identifier to each of the cut for traceability. But the product UOM is in KG. I was testing the item with batch number setup, but still need to input those properties and can’t find any column or field to put the value.

If anyone interested in this and need some more detail, i’ll be more than happy to explain.

Hope to find the answer here :smile:

Thank you.

Not sure, but it sounds like this post might help you:

1 Like

Add these as custom fields in the Batch field and you can capture it there.

Are you saying you can’t see a place to key in the batch number? Or are you saying the parameters. If parameters, my approach should help you capture that.

When you pass a manufacturing entry, just don’t use a BOM, just record the actual consumption of raw materials!

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Jay

Can you explain how to do this?

Use Stock Entry, Purpose: Manufacture.

Enter only source warehouse for consumed materials and enter only destination warehouse for produced materials (you can produce multiple items as you are no longer held ransom by the BOM), but ensure the valuation rate balances out for consumed materials and produced materials

Thanks

Jay

Hi, thanks for replying.

I don’t even understand half of the words on that thread :sweat_smile:

I hope to find “generic” way to accommodate the condition, without customizing the system heavily like the thread is doing, so i can approach the issue by understanding the business logic first rather than the backend of it.

Thank you.

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Will try to approach it like this.

Thank you.

Hi @JayRam,

About the tracking of the finished goods, i want to discuss which one best suite for my case before i add the custom filed. Is it batch numbering or serial numbering.

So i’ll breakdown the business process a little more.

Let’s say we are manufacturing 1 item with BOM called “Jumbo Roll A” with total weight around 5k to 7k kg. This one is perfectly suitable to use batch numbering.

It will then go to a process called rewinding (in which the jumbo roll being rewinded and cut up into ordered width) where the output product name is “Roll A {width}”.

Fast forward, let’s say there will be output like this:

From Jumbo Roll A the finished goods is

1 x Roll A 1400, weight: 1273kg
1 x Roll A 1400, weight: 1275kg
1 x Roll A 1700, weight: 1545kg
1 x Roll A 1700, weight: 1523kg
1 x Roll A 200, weight: 185kg
1 x Roll A 200, weight: 193kg

So we know that Jumbo Roll A is 5994kg in weight.

We need those six roll to have unique identifier, but i can’t find how to assign one serial number to have qty of 1273kg.

I came to know this because i did test it out with both configuration either individually or combined (Batch nbr. only, Serial Nbr.only, or both).

I don’t find “batch” is fit to be used here, but please give me your suggestion on how to see it.

Thank you.

Just do batch numbers. Serial numbers will become a bit more complicated as the unit of measure of the item needs to be a whole number. Since Kg is the easier unit of measure for you, you have to do batches.

The other option is for you to do serial numbers by setting up the primary UOM as Nos (or any whole number). Then add custom fields for weight.

If you use serial numbers, and you want to know how may Kgs of the Paper Roll you have, your stoch balance report will say 2 Nos of 1400, 2 Nos of 1700 and 2 Nos of 200, you will need other reports to get the Kg totals.

Begin with Batch Numbers is my suggestion. And if you do, the reverse will be the issue. You will know how many Kg but you wouldn’t know how many rolls of what dimensions.

So depending on whatever is more important for you, rolls or Kgs, go with Batch or Serial Numbers.

You will of course need a labelling system where you label the rolls with the Batch/Serial Numbers as this would be required for every entry you make on ERPNext.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Jay

Hi @JayRam,

Thanks for the insight, will follow this up with batch nbr. for now.

Thank you.

Hi guys,

I just find a time to do the test, now i’m stuck.

So i was following this and this error happen upon save.

I split the produced qty to make sure every jumbo roll have their own batch number.

I was thinking that splitting the output qty on Job Card will give me a hand on batch number generation but eventually no.

Please kindly advice.

Thank you.

Do you have a BOM for this? If yes, use the BOM for your materials planning but when you begin the Stock Entry, don’t use the BOM to make the Stock Entry. Say purpose Manufacture, and just free form enter the materials and the finished goods items. And then try. If that doesn’t work, temporarily I have another plan. But try this first.

Thanks

Jay

Hi @JayRam,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, i have. In fact i already use it and tick on “From BOM” option. Here is the header detail.

Then i try to uncheck the “From BOM”, now the error changed to this.

image

Please advice.

Thank you.

Just post a Spreadsheet output of the Input and the Output Items and Rates and Quantities. Including your Item Codes and UOMs. I will research a bit and tell you how you can make the entries.

Thanks

Jay

Hi @JayRam,

Thank you for your reply.

Here’s the spreadsheet.

#|I/O|Item Code|UOM|Rates|Qty|Batch Nbr.
1|Input|CO0001|Kg|6,500.00|4,000
2|Input|RW0001|Kg|1,950.00|8,400
3|Input|RW0002|Kg|2,150.00|7,600
4|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,346.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050001
5|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,338.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050002
6|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,338.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050003
7|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,342.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050004
8|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,326.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050005
9|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,310.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050006

Sorry can’t attach the .xlsx files as the forum didn’t allow it (?).

Thank you.

You said you manufacture multiple items at a time. But I see just one item in this example. So is this the rule? Or is this the exception?

If you mostly manufacture one item at a time, (and apologies for changing my thinking here), why don’t you set up the Items as Serialized Items. You will have to change the UOM to a Whole Number (like Nos or EA) and capture the weight of the Roll in a Custom Field on the Serial Number Document.

Alternatively, you can retain the Batch Number concept, but simply use the Kg Number as the Batch. This way it is very simple and the good part is that you will not need to create a One to One relationship between the rolls you manufacture and the batch numbers (Like you can reuse the batch numbers).

I think ERPNext will allow you to only select one Batch per manufacturing entry (if you use BOMs), which sucks, so, just do a bit of customization so that you don’t use BOMs at all.

I will set this up later tonight or tomorrow and give you access to the instance and we can see if that works for you.

Thanks

Jay

Hi @JayRam,

Thank you for replying.

I’m not sure where i said this, can you quote it so i can understand more?

I don’t know how to follow all this up so, looking forward to it.

Thank you.

Hi,

Hope to clarify some information here

At this point there will be one Work Order transaction done, resulting in one Stock Entry type Manufacture that we are stuck on now.

This should be the representation of the Stock Entry. All the output is sub-assembly.

Now this one is the output of another Work Order, that uses one batch of the sub-assembly from previous work order as the input. All the output is products.

Thank you.

Okay, I was setting this up and I saw the complexities. So some questions:

Is SA0001-350-E150 the Jumbo Roll. So you consume up Pulp, Some additives to first produce the Jumbo Rolls and from the Jumbo Roll you do slitting and produce other paper Rolls?

If I am correct, from SA0001-350-E150 you get these:

1 x Roll A 1400, weight: 1273kg
1 x Roll A 1400, weight: 1275kg
1 x Roll A 1700, weight: 1545kg
1 x Roll A 1700, weight: 1523kg
1 x Roll A 200, weight: 185kg
1 x Roll A 200, weight: 193kg

I will set up the Jumbo Roll information for now and once I hear from you, I can proceed further.

Update: Actually I can’t. Some questions related to this:

#|I/O|Item Code|UOM|Rates|Qty|Batch Nbr.
1|Input|CO0001|Kg|6,500.00|4,000
2|Input|RW0001|Kg|1,950.00|8,400
3|Input|RW0002|Kg|2,150.00|7,600
4|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,346.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050001
5|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,338.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050002
6|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,338.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050003
7|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,342.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050004
8|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,326.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050005
9|Output|SA0001-350-E150|Kg|3,310.00|2,936|BATCH-SA0001-1908050006

Is the rate you’ve given per Kg? Is it possible that your label has interchanged Qty & Rate? Do the rates need to add up meaning the rates of the raw material = rates of transformed item. Ideally yes, if you are not marking up the rate of the transformed item to take into account, labour, utilities, etc.

Do the quantities need to add up? Meaning total quantity of raw material consumed in Kg = Total quantity of transformed item produced in Kg.

I mean the other approach I can take, is I can make suitable assumptions and show you how to make the entries, and you can work out the details for your specific implementation. Those details don’t affect the concept much. Onlly that I can set it up with data so that you can relate to it.

Thanks

Jay

Hi @JayRam,

Thank you for replying.

Correct.

Yes,

For the sample i given, that is correct. However i haven’t take waste into account as we are yet to able to measure the qty correctly (for now its [sub-assemblies] - [Products] = [Waste])

Once it’s possible for the waste to be measured correctly, the qty may not add up but the rate should always add up.

Thank you.