The resource load reports and inquiries display resource load subtracted from capacity in one-month increments. A positive remainder indicates undercapacity, while negative remainders indicate overcapacity. If you are over capacity in most or all periods, reduce planned production levels or add more resources for that item or product line.

Resource load can be displayed in graph format with load calculated as percentage of capacity.

To evaluate a product line plan—that is, to compare the capacity required by the plan with the available capacity for each resource—use PL Resource Load Summary Inquiry or Report (21.9 and 21.10) or PL Resource Load Detail Inquiry or Report (21.11 and 21.12).

The system calculates resource load using the production forecast for each product line and site and the resource quantity per entered for each product line in PL Resource Bill Maintenance. It multiplies the production plan quantity by the quantity per to determine the production load, or the number of resource units required to produce the plan.

To evaluate a manufacturing schedule—that is, compare the capacity required by the schedule with available resources—use Item Resource Load Summary Inquiry or Report (21.21 and 21.22) or Item Resource Load Detail Inquiry and Report (21.23 and 21.24).

A manufacturing schedule includes all manufacturing orders—repetitive scheduled orders and planned, firm planned, exploded, allocated, and released work orders—that identify a quantity of an item to be produced. These include master schedule work orders, MRP planned orders, repetitive schedules, and open work orders.

The item resource load reports and inquiries are similar to the product line resource load reports and inquiries.