Managing Machine and Process Lifecycles in Aras?

Hi Duncan,

In terms of actually tracking processes and machines, I'd recommend taking a look at the Manufacturing Process Planning (MPP) solution. This adds a few custom ItemTypes including one to track Machines and one to track a Process Plan which also comes with an editor to allow you construct step-by-step operations to manufacture an assembly.

By default, the Process Plan ItemType comes with a simple, standard Life Cycle Map that can be modified and extended to fit the life cycle you have in mind. The Machine ItemType doesn't come with a Life Cycle Map by default, but since any ItemType can be configured to include a Life Cycle, you could similarly extend the Machine ItemType by adding your own custom Life Cycle to track things like maintenance and calibrations. You would likely also need some kind of Workflow Map for ordering maintenance and some versioning or other system to keep track of when maintenance occurred. 

Broad questions like these about the possibility of certain implementations can be difficult meaningfully. Aras is a flexible enough platform that almost anything is possible, but it does require some configuration and knowledge of the platform to do that configuration. If you decide to investigate the MPP application and have more specific questions on how it can be adapted to your business needs, please feel free to reach out again here. 

Chris

Christopher Gillis

Aras Labs Software Engineer