The quick answer
Open the manufacturing routing, click Edit and use the Operation dropdown on the Component Per Operation subtab to pick the operation that uses each component. Save, then enter a WIP work order on that routing. On its Items subtab each component shows the operation you chose and a Planned Component Issue Date equal to the start of that operation. A component with no operation is planned for the start of the first one.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own records and values when following the steps.
Before you start
You need Manufacturing Routing and Work Centers, Work Orders and Work In Process turned on, a manufacturing routing for the assembly's bill of materials, and a role that can edit routings and enter work orders. Labels and menu names can differ a little by account and form, so match the ones on your own screens. The assignment lives on the routing and is copied onto each work order when the work order is created, so change the routing first and enter the work order afterwards. In this example Example Supply Co. builds the HF-300 Solar Attic Fan at Reno Plant on HF-300 Fan Routing: 10 Assemble to Print, 20 Electrical Assembly and 30 Inspect.
01. Open the routing and look at Component Per Operation
Go to Lists > Supply Chain > Manufacturing Routing and open HF-300 Fan Routing. On Routing Steps, operation 10 has a setup time of 30 minutes and a run rate of 38 minutes per unit, operation 20 has 10 and 15, and operation 30 has 0 and 10.
Click Component Per Operation. The five components of the bill of materials are listed with Yield, BoM Quantity, Quantity and Units, and the Operation column is empty for every one.
02. Assign each component to an operation
Click Edit and open Component Per Operation. Each row has an Operation dropdown that lists the routing's own operations as sequence, operation name and work center. Choose 10 Assemble to Print, Manual Assembly Bench for HF-110 Frame Assembly and HF-120 Controller Assembly. Choose 20 Electrical Assembly, Electrical Assembly Bench for HF-130 Fan Blade, HF-140 Solar Panel and HF-150 Wire Harness.
03. Save and check the routing
Click Save, then Component Per Operation again. Each component now prints the operation it was assigned to.
04. Enter a WIP work order
From the Transactions menu, point to Manufacturing and choose Enter Work Orders. Select Halcyon US as the Subsidiary, Reno Plant as the Location and HF-300 Solar Attic Fan as the Assembly, and type 2 as the Quantity. Check WIP. Manufacturing Routing fills in as HF-300 Fan Routing because it is the routing marked Default for that bill of materials and location. If no routing is marked Default, choose one from the list.
Scheduling Method starts as Backward when WIP is checked. Choose Forward, so NetSuite schedules from the Production Start Date, 11/17/2026, then click Save.
05. Read Operation and Planned Component Issue Date
On the saved work order, the Items subtab has an Operation column and a Planned Component Issue Date column. HF-110 Frame Assembly and HF-120 Controller Assembly show Operation 10 and 11/17/2026 8:00 am. HF-130 Fan Blade, HF-140 Solar Panel and HF-150 Wire Harness show Operation 20 and 11/17/2026 9:46 am.
Check the result
- Each component's Operation matches what you set on the routing.
- Components on the same operation share a Planned Component Issue Date.
- The later operation's components are planned later than the first operation's.
06. Match the dates to the Operations subtab
Click Operations. Operation 10 runs 11/17/2026 8:00 am to 9:46 am, and operation 20 starts at 9:46 am. Each component's Planned Component Issue Date is the start of its operation. The clock times come from the work calendar, any lag and the scheduling method, so yours will differ from these.
An operation lasts its Setup Time plus its Run Rate times the quantity. For 2 fans, operation 10 is 30 + 38 x 2 = 106 minutes, so operation 20 starts 106 minutes after 8:00 am. Operation 20 takes 10 + 15 x 2 = 40 minutes and Inspect takes 0 + 10 x 2 = 20 minutes.
Common questions
What does the Component Per Operation subtab do?
It tells the routing which operation uses each component of the bill of materials. Yield, BoM Quantity, Quantity and Units come from the bill of materials. The Operation dropdown is the only part you set, and it offers the routing's own operations.
What is the Planned Component Issue Date?
It is the date and time a component line should be issued on a work order. For a component assigned to an operation it is that operation's Start Date/Time on the Operations subtab. It is a planning date and does not issue anything by itself.
What happens to a component with no operation assigned?
Its Operation stays blank on the work order and it is planned for the start of the first operation. On a routing where nothing is assigned, every component shows the same planned time.
If I change the operation on the routing, do existing work orders change?
No. The assignment is copied onto a work order when it is created. In the account used here, a component moved to a different operation on the routing kept its old operation and date on a work order saved before the change. Fix the routing for new work orders, and edit or re-enter an open order if it has to change.
Why is the Operation column empty on my work order?
Check that the work order is a WIP order with a routing selected, and that the components had an Operation on the routing when the work order was created. If you renumbered or deleted an operation after assigning, open Component Per Operation and check the assignments. Then enter a new work order to test.
How is the start time of the second operation worked out?
An operation lasts its Setup Time plus its Run Rate times the quantity. With Finish-To-Start, the next operation begins when the previous one ends, so the second start is the first start plus the first duration. For a Forward schedule the first operation starts when the working day opens on the Production Start Date, and the clock time depends on your work calendar.
Does saving the work order issue the components?
No. The Planned Component Issue Date is only a plan. Components leave stock when they are actually issued or when the order is built.
Does the Scheduling Method change how this works?
The assignment works the same way. Forward schedules from the Production Start Date and Backward schedules back from the Production End Date, so the operation start times, and with them the planned issue dates, come out differently. On a work order scheduled Backward in the account used here, each component's date still matched the start of its operation.
Does Component Per Operation issue the components for me?
No. It assigns each component to an operation so the order can plan and group it. Components leave stock through a work order issue, through a completion with backflush, or through a shop-floor process you have set up. The work order issue form can limit an issue to a range of operations, so a component on a later operation is left out until that range includes it.
Why does my operation start at a different time than the example?
Operations are scheduled from the work center calendar, the quantity, the connection type, any lag and the scheduling method. A nonworking period can push an operation to the next working time, so use the example to understand the relationship, not to predict your clock times.