Introduction to PCC
The Product Change Control (PCC) module is a flexible information storage tool that enables you to control and monitor product changes from inception through implementation. With PCC, you can modify item engineering data, product structures, routings, formulas, processes, and item specifications without affecting the records that control production activity. You can define an approval cycle for product changes. After approval, changes can be incorporated into the database tables that manage product definition.
PCC is built around two types of documents:
• Product change requests (PCRs) record requests for product changes. PCRs only affect your product definitions when incorporated into a product change order (PCO). Typically, they are not strictly controlled. More than one PCR can exist per item.
• Product change orders (PCOs) manage the introduction of changes into your product definitions. PCOs are usually strictly controlled through an approval process. Only one PCO can exist for an item at any one time.
PCRs and PCOs can be used to control changes to most item-related data in a manufacturing environment, including the following:
• Basic item and item-site inventory, planning, and cost data maintained in:
• Item Data Maintenance (1.4.3)
• Item Inventory Data Maintenance (1.4.5)
• Item Planning Maintenance (1.4.7)
• Item Cost Maintenance (1.4.9)
• Item-Site Inventory Data Maint (1.4.16)
• Item-Site Planning Maintenance (1.4.17)
• Item-Site Cost Maintenance (1.4.18)
• Additions, changes, and removals of product structure and formula records, including alternate BOMs maintained in Product Structure Maintenance (13.5) and Formula Maintenance (15.5).
Note: PCC replaces the engineering change order (ECO) programs available from menu 13.13.
• Additions, changes, and removals of product routings and processes maintained in Routing Maintenance (14.13.1), Routing Maintenance (Rate Based) (14.13.2), Process Definition Maintenance (15.13), and Process/Formula Maintenance (15.18).
• Additions, changes, and removals of item specification and test steps developed in QM Item Specification Maintenance (19.26.1.13).
A single PCO can affect numerous item numbers, formulas, product structures, routings, processes, or item specifications. New item numbers required by PCOs or PCRs can be created using a screen similar to Item Data Maintenance (1.4.3), accessed from PCR and PCO Maintenance. The revision number of an item added this way is blank until the PCO adding it is finally implemented.
Add new items needed by a PCR or PCO with an inactive status to ensure they do not appear prematurely on production reports, and are not visible to MRP. While new items are inactive, you can set up additional data, such as inventory, planning, and costing. When implemented, a PCO can change an inactive item’s status to active.
Note: You cannot use PCC to maintain alternate routings or co/by‑product structures
You can deactivate only the first level of a product structure or selected operations for a routing from with the PCC module.