Part Discontinuation process - How?

[KNielsen]

Version: Windchill 12.0

Use Case: Hello, My Employer wants our organization to Discontinue parts that are no longer used. This is to reduce non-value adding work in the entire global organization, make sure that we do not buy more inventory on parts that will never be used and ect. We have defined the work process and now we need Windchill to support the process. BUT I cannot find any recommendations on which objects to use for the process.. Do you close down components in your organization? How do you utilize Windchill? What would you recommend? What pit falls should we avoid? Best Regards Katrine Nielsen

Description:

What Windchill objects should be utilized to support a Discontinuation process?

[SWeiler_9940261]

It sounds like you are looking to mark objects as obsolete. Typically an object marked as obsolete is still in the system so as not to impact historic data, but is telling engineers not to use the object in future design. Policy administration should be used to insure that objects in obsolete state are read/download only.

If you are looking to "remove" the objects from Windchill, for example make it so that users cannot see them; you may consider creating a new context with none of the users on the team aside from an admin. When objects are moved to this archive context they would effectively be invisible to end users.

[KNielsen]

The parts should be marked Discontinued (customized state) and distribute to ERP, but same concept. 

They must stay in the system and be read only.

I am look for what process to use to document analysis/decision, make the state change on the Parts and distribute the parts to ERP systems.

Do you use any processes for this?

Best Regards
Katrine

[joe_morton]

It sounds like you're fairly early in your development of Windchill. To add to what SWeiler_9940261 said, it sounds like you'll want to review how your Windchill system's lifecycle states are configured.

You can start learning about Life Cycle administration here: https://support.ptc.com/help/wnc/r12.1.1.0/en/index.html#page/Windchill_Help_Center/sublandingpages/LifeCycleManage_LP.html#

At a minimum, you'll want to make sure the objects you want to Obsolete have an Obsolete lifecycle state, and then also review the ACLs (https://support.ptc.com/help/wnc/r12.1.1.0/en/index.html#page/Windchill_Help_Center/accesscontrol_chp/AccessControlChp_AccessCtrlListAbout.html#) to make sure that objects in Obsolete are appropriately restricted.

As for how to transition an object to Obsolete, you have 3 options:

• Set State. This is the easiest to implement, there is no workflow in Windchill. The authorized user simply sets the object(s) to Obsolete, based on some outside business process
• Promotion Request: This has a workflow you can configure. It can be relatively simple, or more complex. You can have required approvals
• Engineering Change Notice: This is the most complex. This allows linking from Engineering Change Requests. Ad Hoc tasks can be defined for each workflow and assigned to the responsible parties. 

Hopefully that gives you a good start to what you can search on to learn more about.

[KNielsen]

Thank you, but we are not new in the system 🙂

But needs to reconfigure, as we are trying to de-customize.

I am looking for a recommendation on which of the 3 options you mentioned will be most suitable?

PTC has no description of pros and cons for the 3 options.

Best Regard 

Katrine

[Marco_Tosin]

With respect to what @joe_morton wrote, there is no one answer for every occasion.

It depends on how a company operates.

In my case, for example, people who decide to make a product/code obsolete are NOT Windchill users but instead they work in the ERP system.

Thus, although Windchill is the master system for coding and managing master records, BOM, production plans, and changes, information about the obsolescence of a code is “downgraded” by SAP through a semiautomatic procedure that exports codes that arrive in that state and aligns Windchill accordingly.

[vnamboodheri]

Hello @KNielsen, 

It looks like you have some responses from some community members. If any of these replies helped you solve your question please mark the appropriate reply as the Accepted Solution. 

Of course, if you have more to share on your issue, please let the Community know so other community members can continue to help you.

Thanks,
Community Moderation Team.