Some operations may be performed by an outside supplier or subcontractor rather than by a work center. This requires some special setup, particularly if you want to include subcontracted operations in supplier load and capacity reports.

Set up at least one department for outside processing and a separate work center for each type of subcontract operation. Each supplier or type of subcontract operation should have at least one work center defined for it. This lets you specify the work center on dispatch reports, which provide visibility of upcoming operations.

Set the work center labor and burden rates to zero to prevent GL transactions from being created. You can express work center lead times in subcontract days if load reporting is not a requirement. Otherwise, use queue, setup, run, wait, and move times in conjunction with a work center calendar.

You can also add one or more departments for specific suppliers for whom capacity is a major concern. Review capacity for these departments by printing the department load reports in the CRP module.

See Managing Subcontracting.