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Add Production Resources — Machines, People, Facilities and Tools

Overview​

A resource is anything a job needs a slot of time on — a machine, a worker or team, a place, or a tool. You set each one up once, and from then on it can be booked onto the schedule board and costed. This guide shows how to add a resource, and how to keep its rate and skills up to date.

note

Availability depends on your plan and your role.

Before you start​

  • Decide the skills your business uses ("Welder", "CNC Turning", "Powder Coating"). You can add new ones as you go, but a short agreed list keeps everyone using the same words.
  • Have at least one working calendar ready, or plan to set one up next. See Working calendar.

Step-by-step: add a resource​

Step 1: Open Resources​

From the left sidebar, open Production, then Resources. On the Resources list, click + Add Resource.

Step 2: Name it​

Give the resource a clear, recognisable name — the name your team already uses on the floor. "Lathe 2", "Paint Booth", "Assembly Line A", "Mould — 500ml bottle".

Step 3: Choose the kind​

Pick what kind of resource it is:

KindChoose it for…
MachineA piece of equipment that does work
LabourA person or a team
FacilityA place work happens in
ToolA tool, die, jig or fixture a job needs while it runs

The kind is just how the resource is grouped and read on the board — pick the one that matches what the thing really is.

Step 4: Set the rate​

Enter the resource's rate — usually its cost per hour. This is what lets a job be costed: the time a job spends booked on this resource is multiplied by the rate. If you don't cost by resource yet, you can leave it and add it later.

Step 5: Add the skills it has​

Add one or more skills this resource can do, chosen from your list. A machine might carry "CNC Turning"; a worker might carry "Welding" and "Assembly". A job stage that asks for a skill will only ever be booked onto a resource that has it — so tag them honestly.

If a skill you need isn't in the list yet, add it to the list first (see Manage skills below), then tag the resource with it.

Step 6: Attach a calendar​

Choose the working calendar this resource follows — its working days, its hours, and its holidays or shutdowns. This is what tells the board when the resource is free to be booked. Day-shift and night-shift resources can follow different calendars. See Working calendar.

Step 7: If you have several identical units​

If this resource is really several identical copies — six identical moulds, four identical hand tools — record how many you have. Bizconnekt will then allow that many bookings in the same slot, and refuse the one after that. See Resource Scheduling overview.

Step 8: Save​

Click Save. The resource now appears in your Resources list and can be booked on the schedule board.

Manage resource rates​

A rate can change — a new electricity cost, a revised labour rate, a machine that's now cheaper to run once it's paid off. Open the resource from the Resources list, update its rate, and save. New bookings will be costed at the new rate.

Manage skills (the shared list)​

Skills are chosen from a shared list rather than typed freely, so the same capability is always spelled the same way. To add, rename or tidy the list, open Production → Skills. Add a skill once, and it becomes available to tag on any resource and to ask for on any job stage.

Keeping the list tidy is what makes "find me a welder" reliable — one "Welding" skill, tagged on everyone who can weld, beats three near-identical entries that each catch only some of your people.

Need help? Contact support at support@bizconnekt.com