Product routing

Product routing starts with a practical BOM question: which items are already available in material inventory, and which items will Azumuta track through production?

• An item available in the manufacturer's material inventory is a part. It may be purchased, produced elsewhere by the manufacturer, or supplied by a subcontractor. Azumuta treats its upstream sourcing or production as complete when this route starts. It records the part's use against the product order.
• An item whose production is tracked in Azumuta is an article. It receives its own product order. When another article depends on it, it is a subassembly.

This distinction determines how the BOM becomes product orders, how work instructions are selected, how parts are recorded, and how the work is routed to zones and workstations.

Each product order represents one article and contains one or more applicable work instructions. Those work instructions define the production sequence and can also define the parts expected at a particular step.

Terminology

Term	Meaning in Azumuta
Article	An item produced through an Azumuta product order. It can be a finished product or a subassembly.
Article category	A product family that provides work instructions and configuration options for its articles.
Part	Material available in the manufacturer's inventory and recorded as used while producing an article. Azumuta treats its upstream sourcing or production as complete for this route.
Resource category	The category used to organize parts and other resources.
Product order	One production instance of one article.
Subassembly	An article produced through its own product order and required by another article.
Zone	A shop-floor area where a work instruction is allowed or assigned to be executed.
Workstation	The station context recorded when an operator executes a work instruction.

An article category and a resource category serve similar organizational purposes, but they organize different objects. An article category organizes items produced through Azumuta product orders. A resource category organizes parts used during production.

Single-article routing: one produced article with parts

The first example is a P-100 Industrial Pump. Its initial BOM contains one produced article and four parts available in material inventory.

The initial BOM is:

• Article: P-100 Industrial Pump
  • Part: Motor
  • Part: Housing
  • Part: Seal kit
  • Part: Fastener kit

For Azumuta, this flow contains exactly one article: the P-100 Industrial Pump. The other four entries enter the route as parts from inventory. Azumuta records their planned and actual use against each pump order.

The P-100 article can be used to create one product order or many independent product orders. Each order represents one instance of the same article. For example, orders P100-00041 and P100-00042 each produce a P-100 pump.

When the order is created, Azumuta combines:

• The work instructions selected for the P-100 article.
• The parameters configured for that article or supplied with the order.
• The variants that determine which conditional instruction steps apply.
• The parts supplied through the ERP/BOM integration.

The result is an executable route such as Prepare parts -> Assemble pump -> Pressure test -> Pack. Every work instruction can then be routed to the appropriate shop-floor zone.

Batch orders are still single-article routing. A batch can create several child product orders for the same article. This is different from a subassembly, where different articles each require their own product order. See Create a batch order.

Multi-article routing: a main article with a produced subassembly

The P-200 Industrial Pump has a multi-level BOM. Alongside parts from material inventory, the main article depends on a C-200 Pump Cartridge produced through Azumuta.

The initial BOM is:

• Main article: P-200 Industrial Pump
  • Part: Motor
  • Part: Seal kit
  • Part: Fastener kit
  • Subassembly article: C-200 Pump Cartridge
    • Part: Impeller
    • Part: Shaft
    • Part: Bearing

This BOM contains two produced articles:

1. The P-200 Industrial Pump is the main article.
2. The C-200 Pump Cartridge is a dependent article used as a subassembly.

Each article requires its own product order. The cartridge order follows its own work instructions and shop-floor route. The final pump order follows a separate route. The impeller, shaft, and bearing enter the cartridge flow from inventory, so Azumuta records their use against the cartridge order.

Link the produced subassembly to the main product order

To record which physical cartridge was installed in which pump, add a Link product order check to the appropriate instruction step in the final pump's work instruction.

For the pump example, configure the check as follows:

1. Open the Install C-200 pump cartridge work instruction in the P-200 article category.
2. Open the instruction step where the cartridge is installed.
3. Open the Check tab and select Link product order.
4. Set Link product order by to Order number.
5. Under Product order must be of following article or category, select the C-200 article or the Pump Cartridges article category.
6. Enable Only allow linking this product order once when the same physical cartridge must not be linked into several pumps.
7. Configure the accepted barcode type or input format when the cartridge label follows a fixed format.
8. Close the instruction-step editor and approve the updated work instruction.

During assembly, the operator scans or enters the cartridge product-order identifier. The check can also be configured to use a parameter value and to restrict the accepted order by article, article category, or variant.

After the check is saved, Azumuta records the relationship in both directions. From the final pump order, an admin can inspect the linked cartridge order, its status, its parameters, and its recorded parts.

Linking provides traceability while the main and linked product orders retain independent completion states. When completion order matters, include that control in the production procedure. See Adding a Product Check to a Work Instruction for the general editor flow and Product Order Linking for all Link product order check options.

Configure routing in the order it is used

The BOM examples describe the production model. To make that model executable, configure Azumuta in this order:

1. Create the article category, articles, and work instructions.
2. Select the work instructions, variants, and parameters that apply to each article.
3. Add parts from material inventory through ERP/BOM data or to the relevant work-instruction steps.
4. Place each work instruction in every zone where it is allowed to be executed.
5. Configure operator devices so the correct zone and its Product orders tab are easy to open.
6. Create and activate the product order.
7. Assign an order's work instruction to a specific allowed zone when planning needs to narrow the route.
8. Execute from the correct zone context so Azumuta records the workstation used.
9. For multi-article production, scan the subassembly order in the Link product order check.

The following sections explain each configuration layer without changing the single-article and multi-article flows described above.

Configure articles within an article category

An article category defines the shared production structure for a family such as Industrial Pumps. Individual articles select and specialize that structure through three matrices.

Work instructions matrix

The work instructions matrix determines which work instructions are included for each article. The category may contain instructions for several models, while the matrix ensures that the P-100 and P-200 each receive only the work they require.

Variants matrix

Variants control conditional instruction steps. For example, a Painted housing variant can enable a surface-preparation step only for pump articles that use a painted housing. Operators see the steps that apply to the product order's selected variants.

Parameters matrix

Parameters provide article-specific production values such as supply voltage, target pressure, or torque. These values can be shown or checked during execution.

Article configuration is commonly maintained from ERP data. It can also be configured directly in Azumuta. When an ERP-created product order refers to an article, Azumuta combines the article's configuration with the parameters, variants, and BOM supplied for that order.

To configure an article manually:

1. Go to Quality Management > Quality Procedures.
2. Open the article category, such as Industrial Pumps.
3. Open ERP Configuration.
4. Use List to create or edit the P-100 and P-200 articles.
5. Use Work instructions to select which category work instructions each article receives.
6. Use Variants to select the conditional production options for each article.
7. Use Parameters to enter article-specific values.
8. Preview the article before creating production orders when you want to verify the resulting instruction set.

For more detail, see Create and edit an article, What Is an Article Category? What Is an Article? And What's the Difference?, What Is a Parameter?, and the Variants guides.

Register parts

Parts can enter the product-order record in two complementary ways.

Parts supplied with the product order

An ERP integration can send the BOM while creating the product order. Azumuta resolves each part number and stores the required quantity on the order. These parts are shown as originating from ERP.

Parts defined and recorded in a work instruction

A work instruction can define the expected parts for an instruction step, including quantities and whether scanning is required. During execution, a parts check records the actual parts used. Serialized parts retain their scanned serial numbers.

To set up this path:

1. Create the part under Management > Resources > Parts if it is not already available.
2. Open the work-instruction step where the part is consumed.
3. Use the Parts tab to select the expected part and quantity.
4. Add a Parts check when the operator must scan or confirm the actual part used.
5. Configure the barcode requirements and whether the scanned quantity must match the expected quantity.
6. Approve the updated work instruction.

These approaches answer different questions:

• The ERP/BOM entry describes what the order is expected to consume.
• The parts check records what the operator actually used at a specific point in production.

For a main product order with linked subassemblies, the parts view can also expose parts recorded on the linked child orders. This gives the final product a traceability chain through the produced subassembly and its parts.

See Parts for adding required parts to an instruction step and Advanced Product Checks for configuring a parts check.

Route work instructions to the shop floor

Azumuta keeps product configuration and shop-floor location separate. Article categories define what must be produced. Zones define where the work may be performed.

There are three location signals to understand.

1. Allowed zones

A work instruction becomes available in a zone when it is placed there or referenced there through the shop-floor structure. These placements define the allowed execution locations.

If the same work instruction is available in both Mechanical Assembly and Final Assembly, an unassigned product order may be routed through either location.

To configure allowed zones:

1. Open the work instruction in Quality Management > Quality Procedures.
2. Click the ⋮ (three-dot) menu next to the work instruction.
3. Select Assign to zones.
4. Select every zone where this work instruction is allowed to run.

This configuration applies to the work instruction itself and therefore affects future product orders that use it. See Assigning a Work Instruction to a Zone for the detailed library setup.

2. Assigned zones

For a specific product order, an admin can select Assign to zones on a work instruction and lock it to one or more allowed zones. This turns a general route into a planned route for that order.

An assignment can contain more than one zone. It restricts where that order's work instruction should appear, without changing the work instruction's allowed placements for other orders.

To assign one product-order work instruction:

1. Open the product order in Azumuta on Web.
2. Click the ⋮ (three-dot) menu on the applicable work instruction.
3. Select Assign to zones.
4. Select one or more allowed zones.

The normal menu first shows zones where the work instruction has been placed. If no applicable zone is available, return to the allowed-zone setup above. See Assign a Product-Order Work Instruction to a Zone for the same assignment flow in a production-monitoring example.

3. Recorded workstation

When an operator opens or executes the work instruction from a station context, Azumuta records that workstation separately from the assignment. This is execution evidence: it identifies where the work instruction was actually accessed.

The assigned zone and recorded workstation can both remain visible. This is useful when work is reassigned, resumed elsewhere, or accessed from more than one station.

If there is no explicit assignment and no recorded workstation, Azumuta falls back to the work instruction's default zone placement. When the work instruction is placed in several zones, this fallback can show several possible locations because the exact execution location is not yet known.

Configure operator devices for routing

Device configuration determines how operators enter the route. It does not replace allowed-zone placement or product-order assignment.

For a fixed workstation device, pin the zone's Product orders tab:

1. Go to Management > Devices in Azumuta on Web.
2. Click the ⋮ (three-dot) menu for the device and select Edit device.
3. Open Pinned screens.
4. Click Add pinned screen.
5. Select Explore as the screen type.
6. Under Location, select the workstation's zone, such as Final Assembly.
7. Under Tab, select Product orders.
8. Click Pin screen.
9. Optionally enable Go to first pinned screen when logging in so the operator lands directly on that zone after login.

The pin is device-specific. Repeat this configuration for each physical workstation. An admin with the manage devices right can also open the zone's Product orders tab in the Azumuta App and use Pin this screen.

For scan-driven stations, also review the device's Product orders settings. You can enable Hide product order list so operators must scan or enter an order, choose the accepted Product order barcode types, apply a Product order input mask, or enable Auto-start work instruction for the first applicable routed instruction.

Pinning a zone gives operators a consistent entry point. Azumuta records the workstation when the operator accesses or executes the work instruction from that zone context; creating the pin alone does not record execution and does not assign the order.

See Configure pinned screens for a device, Pin an item to the homepage and sidebar in the Azumuta App, and Device Settings: Product Order-Related for the full device options.

How Azumuta chooses the next routed work instruction

Within a product order, Azumuta considers the first activated work instruction that has not been finished to be the next work instruction. Finished instructions are skipped. Instructions that have not yet been activated are not presented as the next executable instruction.

On a zone's Product orders tab, an operator sees an order when its next work instruction:

• Is allowed in that zone through the work-instruction placement.
• Is assigned to that zone, when an explicit assignment exists.

This keeps the product order moving in its intended sequence while limiting each station to applicable work.

Follow routing and production on dashboards

Beta features. The Workstation board and Control board widgets are currently in beta and may still evolve. To join the beta or ask questions, contact support@azumuta.com.

Azumuta provides three complementary routing views:

• Workstation board (beta): follows the active product order, active work instruction, operators, timing, notes, and status at a selected station. Its live station state reflects the workstation context recorded during execution. See Live Job Order and Workstation Tracking.
• Control board - Individual zones (beta): shows the plan, actual output, and current work-instruction progress for each selected zone. It combines the selected zone structure with the work recorded there for detailed production follow-up. See Control board - Individual zones.
• Control board - Grouped zones (beta): aggregates the same zone-based production results into larger selected areas. It is intended for route-level production follow-up rather than one-station execution detail. See Control board - Grouped zones.

Use the workstation view to understand what is happening at one station. Use the individual or grouped control boards to compare progress across the wider route.

Routing checklist

Before activating a product order, verify the following:

1. Every BOM entry is classified as a part already available in inventory or an article whose production is tracked in Azumuta.
2. Every produced article has its own article definition and product order.
3. The article's work instruction, variant, and parameter matrices match the intended configuration.
4. Parts are supplied through the ERP/BOM integration or defined in the relevant parts checks.
5. Every work instruction has the required allowed zone placements.
6. Order-specific work instructions are assigned to zones when the default route is too broad.
7. The final assembly includes a Link product order check for every produced subassembly that requires traceability.
8. Each fixed workstation device pins the applicable zone's Product orders tab.
9. Product-order scanning and auto-start settings match the intended operator flow.
10. Operators start the work from the correct station context so the actual workstation is recorded.