Routing

A Routing in ERPNext is a reusable template that defines the sequence of manufacturing operations required to produce an item. Instead of configuring the same operations repeatedly in multiple Bills of Materials (BOMs), users can create a Routing once and reuse it across different BOMs that follow a similar manufacturing process.

A Routing stores important information about each manufacturing operation, including the operation name, workstation, hourly operating cost, operation time, batch size, and sequence. This helps standardize production processes, improve consistency, and simplify manufacturing planning.

Prerequisites

Before creating a Routing, ensure the following manufacturing masters are already configured:

• Operation – The manufacturing activities that will be performed during production.
• Workstation – The machines or work centers where the operations will be carried out.

Creating a Routing

Follow these steps to create a Routing:

1. Navigate to the Routing list and click New.
2. Enter a unique name for the Routing.
3. Add the required manufacturing operations in the BOM Operations table.
4. Select the appropriate Operation for each step.
5. The default Workstation associated with the selected Operation is automatically fetched.
6. Enter the Hourly Rate for performing the operation.
7. Specify the Operation Time in minutes.
8. Enter the Batch Size, representing the number of units processed during a single operation.
9. ERPNext automatically calculates the Operating Cost based on the Hourly Rate and Operation Time.
10. Save the Routing.

Once created, the Routing can be selected while creating a Bill of Materials (BOM). ERPNext automatically imports all operations defined in the Routing, reducing manual configuration and ensuring consistent manufacturing processes.

BOM Operations

The BOM Operations table contains the list of manufacturing activities included in the Routing.

For each operation, ERPNext stores the following information:

• Operation Name
• Default Workstation
• Hourly Operating Rate
• Operation Time
• Batch Size
• Operating Cost

This information is automatically transferred to the BOM whenever the Routing is selected.

Operating Cost Calculation

ERPNext automatically calculates the operating cost of each manufacturing operation using the Hourly Rate and the Operation Time entered in the Routing.

This calculated cost contributes to the overall manufacturing cost of the finished product, enabling more accurate production costing and profitability analysis.

Using Routing in a Bill of Materials (BOM)

After creating a Routing, it can be linked to one or more Bills of Materials.

When a Routing is selected in a BOM:

• All predefined manufacturing operations are automatically added to the BOM.
• The associated workstation, operation time, batch size, and operating cost are also populated automatically.
• This reduces repetitive data entry and ensures consistency across multiple BOMs.

Routing is particularly useful when several products follow the same manufacturing workflow but use different raw materials.

Sequence ID

The Sequence ID determines the order in which manufacturing operations must be performed.

By assigning a Sequence ID to each operation, ERPNext ensures that production activities are completed in the correct order during manufacturing.

For example:

• Operation 10 – Cutting
• Operation 20 – Drilling
• Operation 30 – Assembly
• Operation 40 – Painting

Each subsequent operation can begin only after the previous operation has been completed.

Business Benefits

• Standardizes manufacturing workflows across multiple products.
• Reduces repetitive configuration of operations in Bills of Materials.
• Automatically calculates manufacturing operation costs.
• Ensures production activities follow the correct operational sequence.
• Improves production planning and operational consistency.
• Simplifies maintenance of manufacturing processes by using reusable templates.

Key Summary

A Routing in ERPNext is a reusable template that stores manufacturing operations and their associated details, such as workstations, operation times, operating costs, batch sizes, and execution sequence. By allowing the same manufacturing process to be reused across multiple Bills of Materials, Routing helps standardize production, reduce manual effort, improve costing accuracy, and ensure operations are completed in the correct order.