The work centre model
A work centre is a group of physical equipment that performs one class of work — EN Plating Line 1, Anodize Line, Bake Oven Bank, Inspection Station, etc.
Fusion Plating work centres (fusion.plating.work.centre) extend Odoo MRP work centres (mrp.workcenter) one-to-one. Work orders live on the MRP side, but FP-specific data (shift schedule, certification requirements, KPI contribution) lives on the FP side.
Menu: Plating → Configuration → Work Centres.
Creating a work centre
Click + New:
| Field | What to set |
|---|---|
| Name | Human name ("EN Line 1") |
| Code | Short code (ENL1) |
| Facility | Which plant |
| MRP Work Centre | Linked Odoo work centre (auto-created if blank) |
| Capacity | Parts per hour (nominal) |
| Hourly Cost | $/hour — drives WO costing |
| Shift Structure | Day / Evening / Night / 24x7 |
| Required Certifications | Training types an operator must hold to clock in here |
Capacity + scheduling
Capacity drives:
- Planner's load view (can we take on another PO this week?)
- WO scheduling — when a WO is released, system estimates completion based on work centre capacity
- KPI utilization (actual hours / available hours)
Setup-heavy work centres should have a separate capacity for setup vs. run.
Hourly cost
Used for:
- WO actual cost calculation
- Quote template defaults (if pricing rule references work centre cost)
- Finance KPI margin calculation
Update when wages or equipment costs change. Historical WOs keep their cost-at-the-time.
Certifications
Linked training types block non-qualified operators from clocking in. Example: EN Line 1 requires:
- WHMIS current
- Cyanide handling
- EN-specific SOP training
An operator without all three can't start a WO at that work centre — Start button is hidden.
Attached baths + tanks
Baths tab: list baths attached to this work centre. Chemistry readings on those baths feed into the work centre's process monitoring.
Pairing with plant overview
The Plant Overview dashboard groups WOs by work centre. Any work centre you create here becomes a column on the plant overview.
What can go wrong
MRP work centre not created
Odoo requires mrp.workcenter for work orders. Leave the MRP Work Centre field blank on creation — we auto-create it. If it still fails, check permissions — user needs Manufacturing admin rights.
Capacity looks right, schedule says overloaded
Capacity is nominal. Actual effective capacity might be 70% due to setup time, cleaning, etc. Tune with planner observation.
Operator can clock in despite missing cert
Check the required-certifications list. Also check if the operator is in a manager group — managers can override.