The quick answer
Go to Manufacturing Mobile > Administration/Setup > Downtime Reason Codes and click New Mfg Mobile - Pause Reason Codes. Enter a Reason Code and a description, and check Chargeable - Machine, Chargeable - Labor or both, then click Save. Then open Downtime Reason Details, click New Mfg Mobile - Reason Details, choose the reason, a Location and a Work Center, and click Save. A code normally needs an active reason detail before it can be selected, and a detail can be global or limited to a location and work center.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own codes, locations and work centers when following the steps.
This guide sets up the reason only. It doesn't pause an operation in the Manufacturing Mobile app or show the paused minutes on a work order completion. Menu labels, list columns, list order and the available locations and work centers can vary by version, form and account.
Before you start
In this example, Alex Morgan at Example Supply Co. wants operators on a sewing cell to log training time during a run as labor time, without charging the machine. You need:
- Manufacturing Mobile installed, with the Manufacturing Mobile tab in your navigation and permission to create its custom records. The Mfg Mobile - Preferences record needs Enable Start-Stop feature for Work Order checked for operators to time and pause operations.
- A location and a work center that Manufacturing Mobile can use. The work center needs its location set and an active Work Center Preference record.
- A decision on what the paused time should be charged to: the machine, labor, both or neither.
- The custom form that shows the fields used here. A form with different fields or labels in your account may need adjusting.
01. Review the pause reason codes
Go to Manufacturing Mobile > Administration/Setup > Downtime Reason Codes. The menu label says downtime, but the entry opens the Mfg Mobile - Pause Reason Codes List. The reason details entry works the same way: Downtime Reason Details opens the Mfg Mobile - Reason Details List.
The list shows each code with its Chargeable - Machine and Chargeable - Labor values. In this example there are five. Maintenance (charge) charges the machine only, Downtime (charge) charges the machine and labor, and the other three charge neither. No code charges labor on its own.
02. Create the code
Click New Mfg Mobile - Pause Reason Codes. Enter Operator Training as the Reason Code, which is required, and Operator training during a run as the Description. Check Chargeable - Labor, leave Chargeable - Machine unchecked and leave Inactive unchecked so the code can be used.
The two check boxes work independently, so labor can be charged without the machine. Click Save. The saved record opens with the code under the page title and the values you entered.
Open Downtime Reason Codes again. The list now has six codes, and the Operator Training row shows No under Chargeable - Machine and Yes under Chargeable - Labor.
03. Make it available at a work center
A code does not say where it can be used. That comes from a reason detail. Open Manufacturing Mobile > Administration/Setup > Downtime Reason Details. In this example the list has ten rows. Each code has a global row with no location and no work center, and some codes also have a row for a particular work center. None is for Operator Training.
Click New Mfg Mobile - Reason Details. Choose Operator Training as the Reason. The Description fills in from the code and can't be edited here. Choose Ogden Plant as the Location and Ogden Sewing Cell as the Work Center, and leave Inactive unchecked. Check that the work center belongs to that location.
Click Save. The saved record shows the reason, the location and the work center as links.
Open Downtime Reason Details again. The list now has eleven rows, and the new row shows Operator Training with Ogden Plant, Ogden Sewing Cell and the description.
Check the result
- The pause reason code list went from 5 codes to 6, and Operator Training shows No under Chargeable - Machine and Yes under Chargeable - Labor.
- The reason detail list went from 10 rows to 11.
- The new reason detail row shows Operator Training, Ogden Plant and Ogden Sewing Cell.
Common questions
What do Chargeable - Machine and Chargeable - Labor do?
The two check boxes work independently. A chargeable machine pause adds to machine time, and a chargeable labor pause adds to labor time. Whether those actual times replace the routing's standard times on a work order completion depends on the Work Center Preference for the work center. Capture Actual Times must be on before Process Actual Machine Time and Process Actual Labor Time can be used.
Why does the menu say Downtime Reason Codes when the record is called Pause Reason Codes?
In the account shown, the menu entries are named Downtime Reason Codes and Downtime Reason Details, and they open Mfg Mobile - Pause Reason Codes and Mfg Mobile - Reason Details. The menu label and the record title differ, so look for either name.
Why doesn't the new reason appear when an operator pauses an operation?
A code normally needs an applicable reason detail before it can be selected. Check that the code and the detail are both active, that the detail is global or points at the operation's own location and work center, and that the work center has its location and an active Work Center Preference record. Confirm Start-Stop is enabled and that the operator's role can use these records. This guide doesn't show the pick list in the app, so confirm it in your account. One code can have several details, for example one per work center. Avoid overlapping global and specific details unless you have tested how your account treats them.
How do I make a reason available at every work center?
Create a reason detail for the code and leave Location and Work Center blank. A detail with both blank is global, and a detail with both chosen is limited to that combination. In the account shown, each existing code has one global row.
Do pause reasons complete a work order?
No. A pause reason only affects how the paused minutes are charged to machine and labor time. It doesn't finish the operation or the work order and doesn't change the quantity built.