We buy hundreds of different aluminum and iron castings. For the most part, we buy the castings as one part number (typically ending -00) to stock, and then issue them to machining jobs for the machined part (typically ending -01). For machined castings that ultimately get painted, the machining job includes an op for clean/phosphatize. We are now buying some of the simpler parts machined-complete direct from the foundry. We need to buy these as Manufactured parts (not Purchased) wrt the Epicor part type because of the cleaning op that needs to be completed upon receipt (have the foundries complete this cleaning op is not an option). The lead time of the machined castings is typically 12-16 weeks. For whatever reason, Epicor is not generating PO suggestions on time. The solution suggested by our I.T. is to generate an additional purchased part number for the machined casting, buy this to stock, and then issue these machined castings to cleaning jobs as parts are needed. We don’t want to change the top level cast/machined/cleaned part numbers as they are used on hundreds if not thousands of BOMs. Is this the best approach?
How many part number variations do you have, just the -00 & -01?
If you are truly changing your business strategy to buying machines complete, why not just update the MOMs for the -01 to reflect that? You can update the standard cost too (if you are standard).
My input would be that if the purchased castings require cleaning but the vendor is not sending you cleaned castings (by design), then the vendor is not sending you the “machined-complete” part number. If we were doing this in our shop, I would suggest creating a new part number for the machined-but-not-cleaned casting which is what you create a PO for (-02?). That -02 part is then used as a material for a job to make the -01 where you clean and phosphatize the casting.
Sometimes one casting is machined into multiple variants, which killed another plan we were considering, to add the machined features to the casting part number. This may be a temporary change. If business slows down, we would machine these here. Right now we have five castings that get machined into seven machined parts. We may add a few more, but I suspect most castings will be continue to be machined in-house here.
Correct; a machined, but not cleaned casting doesn’t give us what we consider a “machined complete” casting. I think creating an additional part number is likely the direction we will be heading.
So, when you have the same casting to multiple finished parts, is it the same casting part number?
Why not just control this through revisions? -00 Rev 1 would be the raw casting and -00 Rev 2 would be the machined casting. That way you can use the effective dates to determine which one MRP picks. You could even go so far as to inactivate one of the revs if you know your business direction is going to be one way or another.
The same casting is often made into more than one machined version. I had not considered controlling this through revisions. Interesting idea. I will bring this up when we discuss today. Thanks!
That is fine, but the casting always has the same part number? You don’t give the casting different part numbers based on the finished good at the cast level?