The quick answer
In Manufacturing Mobile, badge in, choose the work order and operation, then use Setup and Run to start, pause and end the timing. Each pause asks for a reason. NetSuite saves every action as a record: on the work order, the Manufacturing Mobile subtab lists the Mfg Mobile - Run Details rows with start and pause times, the pause reason, the run status and the machine and labor minutes, and each action creates a work order completion that carries the time.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own work order, routing and badge when following the steps.
Before you start
In this example, Alex Morgan, a production manager at Example Supply Co., runs operation 10 Cut and Sew himself on routed WIP work order WO-5130 for 20 TR-410 Trail Daypacks at the Ogden Plant. The work center is Ogden Sewing Cell. After the timing is done, he reviews the records on the work order.
The example assumes:
- Work Orders, WIP and Manufacturing Routing are enabled. Start and Stop works on the operations of a routing, so a work order without a routing has nothing to time.
- The Advanced Manufacturing bundle and the Manufacturing Mobile SuiteApp are installed at matching current releases. A mismatch can cause errors.
- The Manufacturing Mobile preference Enable Start-Stop feature for Work Order is on.
- The work center has a Manufacturing Mobile work center preference. It sets the location and inventory status, whether actual times are captured (settings such as Capture Actual Times and Process Actual Machine Time and Process Actual Labor Time decide whether the recorded times replace the routing's standard times), whether a badge is required, and options such as auto badge-out and AutoStart Run, which can start the run automatically when the setup ends. Without it, logging in to that work center can fail.
- The operator has a badge, and the pause reasons you pick, here Team Meeting and Waiting on Material, exist as Manufacturing Mobile pause reasons for the location and work center.
- The minutes in this example are illustrative. The labor and machine cost of the recorded time comes from the work center and manufacturing cost template on the routing, and this guide does not show the resulting amounts.
01. Badge in and pick the work order
Open Manufacturing Mobile, start a session, and choose the location, work center and shift. The Select Work Order page lists the work orders for the work center. Choose WO-5130.
When Start and Stop is on, the Enter Id Number dialog asks for the employee badge before any operation is timed. Scan or type the badge, here MD-001, and click Enter.
02. Pick the operation
Select Operation lists each operation on the routing with its Setup Status and Run Status. Operation 10 Cut and Sew shows Setup Ready and Run Ready. Operation 20 Pack and Inspect shows Not Applicable for setup because it has no setup time. Enter operation 10.
The Report Time page offers Setup and Run. The two are timed separately.
03. Time the setup
Click Setup, then Start Setup. NetSuite starts timing. Manage Setup offers Pause Setup and End Setup.
To stop for a while, click Pause Setup. The Setup Pause Reason page requires a reason. Choose Team Meeting and click Confirm. When the work resumes, restart the setup from the next page, which shows the pause reason. Click End Setup when the setup is finished. You return to Report Time, and the setup cannot be started again for this operation. If AutoStart Run is on for the work center, the run may start by itself at this point.
04. Time the run
Click Run, then Start Run. Report Work offers Pause Run and End Run above the Consumption and Production tiles, which you can use during the run but which are separate from the timing. Click Pause Run, choose Waiting on Material and click Confirm. Restart the run when material arrives, then click End Run. An operation cannot be ended while required operators are still badged in, so badge them out first.
Select Operation now shows Setup Ended and Run Ended for operation 10.
05. Review the records on the work order
In NetSuite, open WO-5130 and its Manufacturing Mobile subtab. The sublists include Mfg Mobile - Run Details, Setup Details, Run Downtime, Setup Downtime and Work Transactions Details. In Mfg Mobile - Run Details the first row is the stretch that was paused: it starts at 8:24:05 AM, pauses at 8:31:20 AM with Waiting on Material, has the status Run Paused and 7.25 machine and labor minutes. The second row is the stretch that ended the run, Run Ended with 31.67 minutes.
Click the first row's Work ID to open the Mfg Mobile - Run Details record. It shows the work center, operation, employee, start and pause times, the pause reason, the run status and the durations, and links to the work order completion that was created, WOC-5133.
Open the completion. On its Operations subtab, the machine and labor run times are 38.9 minutes, the total of the two stretches, 7.25 plus 31.67.
Check the result
- Select Operation shows Setup Ended and Run Ended for operation 10.
- Mfg Mobile - Run Details on WO-5130 lists a Run Paused row with Waiting on Material and a Run Ended row.
- The run details record links to Work Order Completion WOC-5133.
- WOC-5133 shows 38.9 machine and labor run minutes on its Operations subtab.
Common questions
What does the Start-Stop feature in NetSuite Manufacturing Mobile do?
It lets an operator time the setup and the run of each operation of a routed work order from the mobile app. Timing is recorded against the work center and the employee badge, and pauses carry a reason.
Do I need a routing to use Start and Stop?
Yes. Start and Stop times operations, so the work order needs a manufacturing routing and the account needs WIP and Manufacturing Routing. A work order with only assemblies and no routing has no operations to select.
Why does Manufacturing Mobile create a work order completion every time I start or stop?
Each timing action is saved with a work order completion that carries the time, so the time and its cost come from the same entry and you can report on completions. The labor and machine cost of the recorded time comes from the work center and manufacturing cost template on the routing.
Can I restart a setup after I end it?
No. Once a setup is ended for an operation it cannot be restarted. A setup or run can be paused and restarted before it ends, and an operator can leave the operation and come back to a run.
Why is Setup or Run missing for my operation?
Setup is offered only for an operation that has setup time, and an operation whose setup has ended no longer offers it. Also check that the Start-Stop preference is on, that the work center preference captures actual times, and that the work order is a WIP work order with a routing.
Does a pause count toward the labor and machine time?
It depends on the pause reason. Each pause reason code carries separate Chargeable - Machine and Chargeable - Labor flags, so paused time is not automatically charged. Choose the reason that matches what happened, and check the flags on your pause reason codes. The minutes in this example are illustrative.
Where do I see the start and stop times the operators recorded?
On the work order's Manufacturing Mobile subtab. Mfg Mobile - Run Details lists each stretch with its start time, pause or end time, pause reason, status and durations, and the Setup Details sublist lists the setup. Each row links to a work order completion, and you can build saved searches on those records.
Do the recorded times replace the routing's standard times?
That depends on the work center preference. Settings such as Capture Actual Times and Process Actual Machine Time and Process Actual Labor Time control whether actual times from Start and Stop are used on the completion in place of the routing's standard times.
Why can't I end an operation?
An operation cannot be ended while required operators are still badged in. Badge the remaining operators out, then end the operation.
Why does the badge dialog appear?
When the work center preference requires a badge, Manufacturing Mobile asks for the employee badge before timing an operation, so the time is recorded against that person. The work center preference can also badge the operator out automatically when they leave the work order.