Troubleshooting Production: What to Do When Something Isn't Working

The most common situations in the manufacturing vertical with causes and solutions: order not starting, unit stalled, operator not seeing work, nesting stuck, numbers not adding up.

This article compiles the most frequently asked questions across all production pages. Find your situation by heading: below it are the cause and what to do.

Most production problems boil down to three reasons. It's worth checking them first.

Missing routing or time standard. Without a routing, a part cannot be manufactured; without a standard, the lead time cannot be calculated.
Someone didn't mark work. The system only sees what's recorded. An unfinished operation or a missed report stops everything that follows.
Incomplete skills or assignments. A person doesn't have a skill recorded, a foreman isn't assigned to a hall, a machine isn't added to a hall.

Orders

Order not starting production

The system states the reason in the message. Most often, there is no released routing for one of the part types. Open Routings, filter by that type and "Released" status. If it's empty, create or complete the routing and release it.

A second possible reason: the technical package has been replaced by a newer one. In that case, the order needs to be updated to the current version.

"Create production units" button gives an error

The order is not ready: it's not released, a specification is not attached to it, or a routing is missing. The list of what's missing is in the error text.

Order disappeared from the production board

Check the stage filter and the "Hidden" button. Most likely, one stage was selected, and the order moved to another.

It says "Cannot close", even though everything is done

One of the specification lines is missing suitable items. Usually, this is unreplaced scrap. On the Foreman's Cockpit, click the "Scrap, pcs" tile and replace it.

Customer changed the order in their system

A new version of the line will appear as blocked in the import view. The system does not change an already created order by itself. Decide what to do with the existing one and reject the blocked line.

Units and Batches

Unit has been in "planned" status for a long time

Open its card. If there's a "Blocking reasons" block, it's waiting for other units: go to them. If there's no block, no one has simply started working on it: check Work Dispatch.

What does DEPENDENCY_NOT_READY mean?

The unit depends on another unit that is not yet ready. The same line states which one and in what state it is.

Welder doesn't see the assembly

Not all parts of the assembly are ready. The assembly card states what it's waiting for. If the parts are ready but the assembly isn't, the foreman hasn't combined them yet.

Cannot change batch routing

The batch is currently in progress at the station. First, stop the operation.

Work Dispatch

The pool is empty, although there are orders

Only ready work enters the pool: the order is launched, units are created, the previous step is completed. Check the order stage on the board.

The system doesn't suggest a person for an operation

The person doesn't have the required skill recorded, or its validity period has expired. Check the card in the workshop personnel register.

Operation is hanging for many hours

The employee started the operation and didn't complete it. Ask them to complete it or close it yourself. Otherwise, standard time, efficiency, and alerts are distorted.

Foreman sees people from another hall

They are not assigned to the hall as a foreman. Add them in the hall card.

Cannot assign a task to a person from another hall

The "Work between halls" rule is disabled. Enable it if your people genuinely help in an adjacent hall.

Too many notifications

Loosen the thresholds in the notification rules or increase the repeat reminder interval.

The kiosk shows people from its hall and those without a hall. Check which hall the employee belongs to and which hall the kiosk is assigned to.

"Too many attempts"

After five failed attempts, login is blocked for 15 minutes. Wait.

No "Arrived" button on the phone

This is by design, so that the mark cannot be made from home. Scan the QR on the kiosk screen.

Operator cannot start an operation

The machine has not been scanned or the batch is blocked. The reasons are written in the open batch.

No tasks in the app without internet

"Prepare" was not pressed while there was a network connection. Get online and press it.

Operator doesn't see drawings

Their access profile doesn't include the "Drawings" page.

Nesting

Part not included in nesting

In the specification, it's marked as purchased or as being outsourced. Check the list of skipped items after nesting planning.

Nesting task stuck

In "geometry ready" status, files for the machine have not yet been created. In error status, the reason is written in the task itself.

Cannot release nesting task

The "Require supply plan before release" policy is enabled, and the task was created manually. Create it through supply planning.

Everything says "Missing" in reconciliation

Operators are not reporting what was cut. Check the Post-Nesting Acceptance page.

The required task is not on the acceptance page

It has not been released to production.

Materials

Material card says "Unknown"

The demand has not yet been calculated. Click "Synchronize BOM".

Demand doesn't match the technologist's calculation

The order is calculated based on its fixed specification revision, not the latest one.

Error in material movement record

A journal entry cannot be edited. Make a reverse movement and record the correct one.

Engineering

Model import resulted in "Error"

The file is corrupted or has an unsupported format. Ask to save the model again as STEP.

Too many parts in the specification

Check if auxiliary geometry is included. There's a quick filter for this in 3D import.

I changed the model, but the workshop has the old drawing

The drawing doesn't update itself. Generate it again: a new revision will appear.

Cannot create configuration from family

The family is in draft status. Only current families can be configured.

Bent part marked "Not validated"

Its flat pattern has not yet been checked. Validation is done in the engineering section.

Quality

Inspection doesn't appear after operation

The routing step is not marked "Quality control required".

Scrap has been awaiting approval for a long time

Someone proposed writing it off, but there's no one to approve it. Check who has the right to do so.

How to replace a rejected part

On the Foreman's Cockpit, click "Replace scrap". A batch will be created exactly for the rejected items.

Planning and Deadlines

Order says "no forecast"

The steps don't have time standards, and the order is not planned. Enter standards in the "Gantt" view or plan through APS.

New plan not visible on the board

The revision has been calculated but not approved.

After recalculation, the operation changed day

It was not locked. Lock operations that need to stay in place.

"N+" is shown in workload

That many tasks on this day do not have a time standard. The actual workload is higher than what the cell shows.

Pricing

Pricing "not yet ready for customer offer"

Some prices or rates are assumptions. Confirm material prices.

Estimate differs significantly from actual

Open the "Accuracy" section in Costing Studio, find the operations with the largest deviation, and calibrate their time models.

One piece costs much more than each of ten

This is normal. Setup and preparation take the same amount of time for any quantity.

Store estimate total is less than expected

There are items without calculation. They are not included in the total and are shown separately.

Numbers Don't Add Up

Presence is low, even though the person went to work

They didn't clock in at the terminal. Presence is counted by logins.

Efficiency is not shown

This person's operations do not have a time standard.

Overtime is implausibly high

Someone didn't clock out, and the shift "lasted" until the next day.

Machine shown as free, although it's being worked on

The operator didn't start the operation in the system.

Numbers on the page are outdated

Click the refresh button. Not all pages update automatically.

If Nothing Helped

Write down three things: which page you were on, what you clicked, and what error message you saw. With this information, contact your administrator or support. The error text almost always states the reason, so don't close the message without reading it.