DEMO guide to the GartPlan Basis version

 

Launch

 

When the program is launched the following dialog appears. In all dialogs you may click the [OK]-button in order to prepare and run the Demo version of GartPlan Basis.

 

  1. Registration window


    Click the [OK]-button in order to run the Demo version of the program.

  2. If it is the first time that the program is activated an empty database is created.

  3. Click the [OK]-button in the next dialog in order to install the Demo data.

  4. Demo-version


    Demo version dialog

    Click the [OK]-button if this is the first time that you run GartPlan.
    This activates GartPlan Basis, which is a good basis for the first time user when evaluating the look and feel of the program. Later the Demos of the Standard version and the Maxi version may be evaluated.
    The differences between the 3 versions are described in the document ”Product versions”.

Now a dialog describing the demo limitations is displayed. Click the [OK]-button in order to proceed to the programs main menu:

 

 

On the line just below the title line you may chose between one of the following menu items using the mouse:

 

  1. General
  2. Data files
  3. Analyses
  4. Control
  5. Window
  6. Help

 

 

General

 

The submenu ”General”

 

This submenu contains functions for general setup, backup, database maintenance, renumberation, change between greenhouse/data set, and program registration.

By ordinary use of the program the functions in this submenu are only used when making a backup and will not be described any further in this paper.

Data files

 

The submenu ”Data files”

 

This submenu contains functions for maintenance and printing of recorded data. It is in this part that the major part of work within the program takes place. In the following a brief description of each data file is given.

 

 

Greenhouse

 

 

The window contains 3 tab sheets that are accessed by clicking the appropriate tab:

 

  1. Greenhouse
    Here general information regarding the greenhouse is entered. This general information has no implications regarding the way the program calculates and it is only the name that appears in report headers.
  2. Plan descriptors
    Here describing names for the plans are entered. A plan defines the collection of crops/batches that make up the production plan. Each batch size and each batch placement is defined in the planning file (see below).
  3. Phase descriptors
    In the batch file (see below) production recipes are defined describing the course of each batch from start to selling. The recipes are divided into phases and the phase descriptors are used for naming these.
    E. g.: Start, Space, Selling.

 

 

Departments

In the department file area information for the greenhouse is entered. When a production plan is made in the planning file (see below) it must be indicated which department a batch is placed in phase by phase. The department file therefore must reflect the units, in which the total area of the greenhouse divided, that are to be used as a planning basis.

Departments may be regarded as types of area equipped with different facilities (growth light, blackout, CO2 dosing, propagation (fog), etc.).

At least one department must be defined, which then represents the greenhouse as a whole.

 

 

In the upper part of the window each department is assigned a number and a suiting description.

 

In the lower part of the window gross space is indicated corresponding to the outside dimensions of the department, and net space is indicated corresponding to the bench area available. If the space varies over time, more lines applying to different periods are created.

Operations

In the Operation file the processes used in the production are defined. The operations are referred to by the production recipes in the crop/batch file (see below).

 

 

In the window each operation is assigned a number and a suiting description.

 

Legends are used when printing out bar plans.

 

In the ”Type” field one of the following must be selected:

  1. Start. The hours are applied in the first week of the phase in which the operation is used.
  2. Even. The hours are applied evenly in the phase in which the operation is used.
  3. Sale. The hours are applied on basis of selling quantities and not on basis of the current number of plants.

 

”Std. normtime” in Min/1000 plants is used as a proposal in the files using the operation.

 

 

Crop

In the crop file the crops to be used in the production plan are defined. The crop file contains the information that applies to all batches belonging to a crop. The actual production recipe per phase is connected to the batches and is defined in the batch file (see below).

 

 

In the window each crop is assigned a number and a suiting description.

As ”Operation” a process common to all batches may be selected. This operation typically will be one such as irrigation/maintenance.

 

In the fields ”Min/1000 pl.” and  ”Min/Net.Ym²” the corresponding normtime is entered.

”Min/1000 pl.” should be used when the amount of work depends on the number of plants, whereas  ”Min/Net.Ym²” should be used if the amount of work depends on the space that the plants consume.

 

 

Batches

The batch file is a sub file to the crop file. Here the production recipes for each batch under the crop are defined. A batch comprises plants started in a given week. The batch number is defined by the starting week, e.g. batch "23/2004” denotes plants started week 23 in year 2004. In the batch file no decision is made regarding the number of plants to be produced. This decision is made in the planning file (see below).

 

 

In the upper part of the window batch intervals having the same production recipe are indicated. It is possible to define a recipe for each week, but normally these will be identical for a period of several weeks. There might be 5 or 6 intervals during a year. Often it is only the duration of the production time that varies between intervals.

 

In the lower part of the window the course of production is described by means of a number of phases that the batch goes through from start to selling.

 

Each phase contains information on:

  1. Phase description
  2. The duration of the phase in weeks
  3. The number of plants per m² in the phase
  4. A waste %, if any
  5. A selling %, if any
  6. A number of operations with corresponding normtimes in minutes per 1000 plants.

 

The number of plants wasted or sold is calculated on basis of the number of plants remaining in the beginning of the phase using the indicated percentages. The space required is not influenced by the reduction until the next phase.

 

The number of phases is determined by the variation during the course of production. In this way any change in plants per m² (e.g. by spacing) or any change in the number of plants remaining (e.g. by selling) will require a separate phase. In the same way a single hour consuming process may demand that an extra phase is inserted in order to obtain a correct distribution of the hours used.

 

 

Plan

In the planning file the production plan is defined by entering a number of starting quantities and placement indications for the crops/batches that are to be produced.

 

 

In the upper part of the window crop/batch together with a starting quantity is entered.

 

I. the lower part of the window department placements are indicated for each phase.

 

If a number of plants are started in one department, and later, e.g. when spacing, are split and placed in two different departments then two lines must be created in the upper part of the window having the same batch no. On each of these two lines a starting quantity is entered corresponding to the division into two departments, and in the lower part of the window the different placements are indicated for each partial batch.

 

Click the [Graphics]-button in order to produce a graphical representation of the production plan.

 

 

Area graphics. The poor space utilization in the above example is due to the demo limitations.

 

The graphics are interactive. This means that any change in starting quantities is reflected immediately in the graphics.

Under [Settings] it is possible to choose between the following subjects in the graphics window:

 

  1. Area
  2. Hours
  3. Sale

 

Furthermore the display may be restricted regarding departments and crops, and it is possible to specify a gauge value.

 

The current crop is represented by the green bars, and all other participating crops are represented by the red bars. The current batch is represented by the white bars.

 

Double clicking on the red bars triggers a survey of all participating crops to be displayed. Next to each crop it is indicated whether the crop participates in the week clicked. The week in question is stated in the header.

 

Double clicking the current crop switches the current batch in the planning file to the plan batch that matches the week clicked the best.

 

The [Show]-button toggles the showing of a legend box.

 

 

 

Reports

 

GartPlan Basis contains the following reports in the submenus under “Analyses” and “Control”:

 

  1. Area use, e.g. as a department survey
  2. Labor use
  3. Sales survey
  4. Bar plan
  5. Production plan

 

All reports have their starting point in a request dialog, where the delimitation of calculation and printing is specified. The request dialogs are more or less identical for all reports, and as an example the request dialog for the sales survey is shown below:

 

Request dialog for the Sales survey

 

 

In the field ”Period indication” it is indicated whether the report is made per week or per month.

 

Under ”Delimitation” the period as well as the departments and crops that participates in the report are specified.

 

If the field ”Per department” is checked the result is printed per department. If the opposite is the case the total result for all selected departments is printed.

 

”Sales unit” offers the possibility of printing the result in another unit than the number of plants. If the plants will be boxed in trays with 12 plants in each then the sales unit value can be entered as “12” and the printed result will reflect the number of trays.

 

The report can be display on the screen or send to a printer by either clicking the buttons [Show] or [Print] in the top of the window.

The layout of the report is almost similar for all reports, and as an example the sales survey is shown below.

 

Print of the sales survey

 

Topmost the delimitations of the report are displayed.

Then a header containing the crops participating in the report is displayed.

The leftmost column shows the weeks (or months), that are contained in the period.

All other columns contain the result for each crop, using the specified unit. In the current example it is the selling quantities, and in other reports it will be m², hours, etc.

The rightmost column contains the total for all crops.