Routes define the sequence of Production Stages that an item must go through during manufacturing.
Each route represents a complete workflow for a specific Mark, Category, or type of component.

By creating accurate Routes, you ensure:

A smooth and predictable production workflow

Consistent processing of similar item types

Automatic assignment of WorkStations

Clear tracking from start to finish

Correct durations and capacity planning

Reliable reporting and production analysis

Routes are the backbone of Fabritec’s production workflow.

🔍 What Is a Route?

A Route is a predefined sequence of Production Stages linked to specific WorkStations.
It defines how an item is manufactured — step by step.

For example, a Built-Up Column may follow this route:

Cutting → CNC Plasma Cutting Machine

Welding → MIG/MAG Welding Station

Rolling → Plate Rolling Machine

Painting → Drying Area

Routes help ensure that every item is processed consistently, regardless of who is operating the machine or shift.

📂 Where to Find Routes

Navigate to:

Production Setup → Routes

Here you will see a list of all defined Routes with:

Mark

Name

Category

Operation Type (Manufacture / Stock / Outsourcing)

Track per Unit (true/false)

Route (a visual preview of all stages & workstations)

Actions (Edit / Delete)

You can also:

Export Routes to Excel or PDF

Filter and search based on Marks, Categories, or Operation Type

➕ Add a New Route

Click New Route to open the configuration window.

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Complete the following fields:

Mark (Required)

The item mark this route applies to.

Examples:

CL (Column)

B (Beam)

BM (Built-Up Member)

MC3001 (Machine Component)

This helps Fabritec automatically assign the correct route to BOM items.

Name (Optional)

A descriptive name for the route.

Examples:

Column Manufacturing Route

Hot Rolled Beam Workflow

Category (Required)

Choose the item Category that this route belongs to.

Options include:

Built up

Hot rolled

Trusses

Purlins

Cold Forming

Selecting the correct Category ensures consistency between BOM imports and production logic.

Operation Type (Required)

Defines the purpose of the route:

Operation Type	Description
Manufacture	Full in-factory production workflow
Stock	Items delivered directly from inventory without production
Outsourcing	Items processed partially or fully by subcontractors

Description (Optional)

Write details about the workflow, notes to operators, or special handling requirements.

Track per Unit (Optional toggle)

Enable if you want Fabritec to track each individual piece of this mark separately.

Useful for:

Assemblies with multiple identical items

Items requiring unit-by-unit inspection

High-precision manufacturing

Select from Existing Mark (Optional)

Quickly load an already-created route to reuse its:

Stages

Workstations

Durations

Inspection settings

This saves time and ensures consistency.

Add Production Stages to the Route

After entering basic information, scroll to the Production Stages section.

You will see the following fields:

Field	Description
Order	Arrange the sequence by dragging items up/down
Stage	Choose the Production Stage (Cutting, Welding, Rolling, etc.)
Require Inspection?	Enable QC check before moving to next stage
Outsourcing?	Mark stage as performed outside the factory
WorkStation	Choose the machine or station responsible
Duration (hh:mm)	Time expected to complete this stage
Sub-item requirement	Define which assembly parts must be available before work can begin at this Production Stage

🧩 Sub-item Requirements

The Sub-item Requirement setting defines which assembly parts must be available before work can begin at each Production Stage.

In some manufacturing workflows, an early Production Stage does not require every part of the assembly.

For example:

A Cutting stage may require only specific plates.

A Cold Forming stage may require only cold-formed components.

A preparation stage may require only the main assembly item.

A Fitting stage may require all assembly parts.

Welding and Painting may continue after the complete assembly has been brought together.

This setting allows each Production Stage to require only the parts it actually needs instead of forcing all assembly parts to be available from the beginning of the Route.

Sub-item Requirement Options

Each Production Stage includes the following options:

Option	Description
All Parts	The Production Stage requires all sub-items belonging to the assembly.
Selected Parts	The Production Stage requires only specific sub-items. The required parts are identified using Mark conditions or selected directly, depending on where the Route is configured.
Main Part Only	The Production Stage requires only the main item or parent assembly. Assembly sub-items are not required at this stage.

All Parts

Select All Parts when the complete assembly must be available before the Production Stage can begin.

This option is commonly used for:

Final assembly

Fitting

Welding after all components are assembled

Final finishing processes

Production Stages that process the item as one complete assembly

Example

A Built-Up Column contains:

Main member

Base plate

Stiffeners

Connection plates

The Fitting stage may require All Parts because all components must be available before the complete assembly can be fitted.

⚠️ All Parts Sequence Rule

The final manufacturing stage must require All Parts.

After a Production Stage is configured as All Parts, every following Production Stage must also require All Parts.

Fabritec displays the following validation message when the Route does not follow this rule:

The final manufacturing stage must require All Parts, and every stage after an All Parts stage must also require All Parts.

Why Is This Rule Required?

Once all assembly parts are required at a Production Stage, the complete assembly has been brought together.

Every Production Stage after that point continues processing the complete assembly. Therefore, a later stage cannot return to:

Selected Parts

Main Part Only

Valid Example

Order	Production Stage	Sub-item Requirement
1	Cutting	Selected Parts
2	Cold Forming	Selected Parts
3	Fitting	All Parts
4	Welding	All Parts
5	Painting	All Parts

Invalid Example

Order	Production Stage	Sub-item Requirement
1	Cutting	Selected Parts
2	Fitting	All Parts
3	Welding	Selected Parts ❌

In this example, the Welding stage cannot use Selected Parts because the previous Fitting stage already requires All Parts.

Selected Parts

Select Selected Parts when a Production Stage requires only specific assembly sub-items.

This option is useful when different components enter the production workflow at different stages.

Examples:

Cutting requires only plate parts.

Cold Forming requires only cold-formed components.

Machining requires only specific connection parts.

A preparation stage requires only parts with a specific Mark pattern.

The way Selected Parts are configured depends on where the Route is being edited.

Selected Parts in Route Templates

When creating or editing a Route from:

Production Setup → Routes

the Route acts as a reusable template.

At this stage, the Route is not connected to the actual parts of a specific project. Therefore, Fabritec identifies the required sub-items using their Mark values.

After selecting Selected Parts, define one or more Mark conditions.

Each condition includes:

A matching method

A Mark value

The available matching methods are:

Matching Method	Description
Contains	Selects sub-items when their Mark contains the entered value anywhere in the Mark.
Exact match	Selects sub-items only when the complete Mark exactly matches the entered value.
Starts with	Selects sub-items when their Mark begins with the entered value.

Example

Assume an assembly includes the following sub-item Marks:

PL-01

PL-02

ST-01

ST-02

BR-01

To require only the plate parts:

Select Selected Parts.

Select Starts with.

Enter PL.

Fabritec will apply the requirement to all sub-items whose Marks begin with PL.

Add Multiple Mark Conditions

Click the + icon to add another Mark condition.

For example, a Production Stage may require:

Marks that start with PL

Marks that start with ST

Add a separate condition for each required Mark pattern.

Use the Delete icon beside a condition to remove it.

Selected Parts During Bulk Route Editing

When editing Routes in bulk, Fabritec uses the same Mark-based configuration used in Route Templates.

Use one or more of the following matching methods:

Contains

Exact match

Starts with

This allows the same sub-item requirement logic to be applied across multiple Routes without selecting individual project parts.

Selected Parts in a Single Project Route

When editing an individual Route inside a specific project, the actual BOM items and sub-items already exist.

In this case, Fabritec displays the available sub-items directly.

Select the required parts using checkboxes instead of creating Mark-matching conditions.

Use this method when a specific project requires a unique Route configuration that differs from the standard Route Template.

Example

An assembly contains:

PL-01

PL-02

ST-01

BR-01

If the Cutting stage requires only:

PL-01

PL-02

select these two parts directly from the available sub-item list.

Main Part Only

Select Main Part Only when the Production Stage requires only the main item or parent assembly.

The assembly sub-items do not need to be available at this stage.

This option is useful when:

Work begins on the main member before additional parts are added.

The main profile requires preparation before plates or attachments are introduced.

An early Production Stage can begin independently from the assembly sub-items.

Example

A main column profile may enter an initial preparation stage before the following parts are required:

Base plates

Stiffeners

Connection plates

In this case, select:

Sub-item Requirement → Main Part Only

Example: Assembly Route Using Sub-item Requirements

Assume a fabricated assembly contains:

Main member

Plates

Stiffeners

Brackets

The Route may be configured as follows:

Order	Production Stage	Sub-item Requirement
1	Main Member Preparation	Main Part Only
2	Plate Cutting	Selected Parts
3	Stiffener Preparation	Selected Parts
4	Fitting	All Parts
5	Welding	All Parts
6	Painting	All Parts

This configuration allows each early Production Stage to begin using only the parts it requires.

Once the Route reaches Fitting, all assembly parts are required. Every following Production Stage continues with the complete assembly.

Example Route Configuration

Order	Stage	WorkStation	Duration
1	Bending	Pipe Bending Machine	01:00
2	Rolling	Plate Rolling Machine	02:00
3	Galvanizing	Galvanizing Bath	02:00
4	Fitting	Select Line	00:40

All settings can be modified easily before saving.

Saving the Route

Once the stages are defined:

Click Add Route

Your new route will appear in the Routes list and becomes immediately available for:

BOM items in Phase Explorer

Production planning

Shop-floor tracking

Editing or Deleting a Route

In the Actions column:

✏️ Edit → Modify route configuration

🗑️ Delete → Remove the route

⚠️ Routes linked to active Revisions or in-progress production cannot be deleted.

⭐ Best Practices

Create a route for each major item type (Columns, Beams, Trusses...)

Keep stage order accurate for real production flow

Assign realistic durations to improve planning and progress accuracy

Use “Track per Unit” for assemblies requiring individual control

Separate manufacturing vs outsourcing workflows

Reuse existing routes to maintain consistency

Production Stages – Steps used inside Routes

WorkStations – Machines linked to each stage

Categories – Item families that define route applicability

Phase Explorer – Where routes are applied to imported items

Routes

📂 Where to Find Routes#

➕ Add a New Route#

Mark (Required)#

Name (Optional)#

Category (Required)#

Operation Type (Required)#

Description (Optional)#

Track per Unit (Optional toggle)#

Select from Existing Mark (Optional)#

Add Production Stages to the Route#

🧩 Sub-item Requirements#

Sub-item Requirement Options#

All Parts#

Example#

⚠️ All Parts Sequence Rule#

Why Is This Rule Required?#

Valid Example#

Invalid Example#

Selected Parts#

Selected Parts in Route Templates#

Example#

Add Multiple Mark Conditions#

Selected Parts During Bulk Route Editing#

Selected Parts in a Single Project Route#

Example#

Main Part Only#

Example#

Example: Assembly Route Using Sub-item Requirements#

Example Route Configuration#

Saving the Route#

Editing or Deleting a Route#

⭐ Best Practices#

🔗 Related Articles#

📂 Where to Find Routes

➕ Add a New Route

Mark (Required)

Name (Optional)

Category (Required)

Operation Type (Required)

Description (Optional)

Track per Unit (Optional toggle)

Select from Existing Mark (Optional)

Add Production Stages to the Route

🧩 Sub-item Requirements

Sub-item Requirement Options

All Parts

Example

⚠️ All Parts Sequence Rule

Why Is This Rule Required?

Valid Example

Invalid Example

Selected Parts

Selected Parts in Route Templates

Example

Add Multiple Mark Conditions

Selected Parts During Bulk Route Editing

Selected Parts in a Single Project Route

Example

Main Part Only

Example

Example: Assembly Route Using Sub-item Requirements

Example Route Configuration

Saving the Route

Editing or Deleting a Route

⭐ Best Practices

🔗 Related Articles