Plan2production combines flexibility and work details to provide a complete process planning and shopfloor control solution that has been proven in manufacturing, assembly and repair facilities. The system is built around an Oracle database used to maintain the status of each element from order details through container locations. Working with the database are a virtually unlimited number of workstations used by planning, order management, production control and shopfloor users.

The typical uses are categorized into one of four Computer Software Configuration Items (CSCI). Access to these CSCIs and their internal functions is configurable.

• Factory Floor (FF): This CSCI is the factory floor operator's interface to the information required to complete action on the requested part. The operator selects the Shop Work Order (SWO) to be worked, assigns the work to a workstation, records quality data, views graphics, and supports the movement of Numerical Control (NC) files to the factory floor machines (if appropriate).
• Order Management (OM): This CSCI is the system operator's interface to Plan2Production Enterprise system. The operator uses this application to enter, maintain, and view the customer, part, and system order information. The operator controls the work to be released to the factory floor by selecting the part quantity and releasing each SWO.
• Process Planning (PP): This CSCI supports the creation/edition of the detailed process plan to be used on the factory floor to complete action on the part. The CSCI links information such as the routing, graphics, NC-code, material needed, and inspection requirements to the process plan. This CSCI also allows the creation of a new process plan by editing an existing plan.
• Administration (AD): This CSCI maintains the configuration of the Plan2Production Enterprise system. It supports the users' ability to define specific work site parameters such as work calendar, shift times, Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) container configuration, system users, user privileges, user privilege groups, and the workstations that can support the various operations on the factory floor.
• Central Database (CD): This CSCI is the central repository for all the information/data necessary to support the operation of the Plan2Production Enterprise system.

Plan2Production Enterprise does not address changes to the existing site's ME system. An enhanced Process-Planning module, similar in functionality to the Process Planning module in Plan2Production Standard, is implemented to support this new version of the system. The key component of this update is the CD. The CD is designed to support the FF, OM, PP, and AD functions for production processes. To account for some requirement differences among the various processes at the sites, the system provides user-configurable interfaces to enable and disable selected capabilities.

The system operator has the ability to conduct OM functions from any installed location. The operator will use the OM Module to enter new customers, orders, parts, and other information.

The FF operator has workstation controllers whose functions are to provide data display and entry to the operator by retrieving and updating information contained in the central database. The operator can view the work currently available in the workcell. Once the job has been selected and assigned to a workstation in the workcell, the FF operator can view the associated graphics, NC Code, and operator text that is used to execute the operations at that location.

Specific integration and installation plans were developed for integrating the Anniston, Cherry Point and Tobyhanna site ME implementation to the Plan2Production Enterprise CD. Integrating the Cherry Point and Tobyhanna Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) functions to the Plan2Production Enterprise transportation system was also completed.