Work center time off¶

In Odoo, work centers are used to carry out manufacturing operations at specific locations. However, if a work center cannot be used for some reason, work orders begin to pile up at the work center until it is operational again.

As a result, it is necessary to make the work center unavailable in Odoo so new work orders are routed to alternative work centers that are operational. Using Odoo’s Time Off app, it is possible to designate a work center as being unavailable for a set period of time. Doing so ensures manufacturing operations can continue until the impacted work center is available again.

Configuration¶

Before a work center can be designated as unavailable, the Odoo platform must be properly configured. First, it is necessary to enable developer mode. This allows the Time Off smart button to appear on each work center’s Working Hours page.

Next, install the Time Off app. This is the app used for managing time off for all resources within Odoo, including employees and work centers.

To do so, navigate to the Apps app, then search Time Off in the search bar. The card for the Time Off app should be the only one that appears on the page. Click the Install button on the card to install the app.

The last step is to properly configure work centers. For this workflow, it is necessary to have at least two work centers: one that is made unavailable, and a second that receives the work orders that the other cannot accept. If no second work center is configured, Odoo cannot route work orders away from the unavailable work center, and they pile up in its queue.

To create a work center, navigate to Manufacturing app ‣ Configuration ‣ Work Centers ‣ New.

Make sure both work centers have the same equipment listed under the Equipment tab. This ensures operations carried out at one work center can also be performed at the other.

On the work center that is made unavailable, select the second work center from the Alternative Workcenters drop-down menu. Now, Odoo knows to send work orders to the second work center when the first is unavailable for any reason.

Add time off for a work center¶

With configuration completed, time off can now be assigned to a work center. Begin by navigating to Manufacturing app ‣ Configuration ‣ Work Centers, and selecting the affected work center. Click the (Internal link) button on the right side of the Working Hours drop-down menu, to open the working hours page for the work center.

The working hours page displays the standard working hours for the work center. With developer mode activated, a Time Off smart button appears at the top of the page. Click it to open the Resource Time Off page.

On this page, click New to configure a new time-off entry. On the time-off form, note the Reason for the work center closure (e.g. broken equipment, maintenance, etc.), select the affected work center as the Resource, and choose a Start Date and End Date to specify the period during which the work center is unavailable.

Alternative work center planning¶

Once a work center is within its specified time-off period, work orders sent to it can be automatically routed to an alternative work center using the Plan button.

Begin by creating a new manufacturing order (MO), by navigating to Manufacturing app ‣ Operations ‣ Manufacturing Orders ‣ New. On the MO form, specify a Product that uses the unavailable work center for one of its operations. Click Confirm to confirm the MO.

On the confirmed MO, select the Work Orders tab. By default, the unavailable work center is specified in the Work Center column. There is also a Plan button at the top left of the page.

Click Plan, and the work center listed in the Work Center column of the Work Orders tab is automatically changed to the alternative work center.

Once the time-off period for the unavailable work center ends, Odoo recognizes the work center is available again. At this point, clicking the Plan button does not route work orders to an alternative work center unless the first one is at capacity.