Labor
Every operation requires labor to be carried out. The specification of labor requirements for every operation is done through the Operations Dialog: Labor etc. Tab. Labor requirements can also be defined on a section basis for operation-independent tasks (Operating Cost Adjustments Dialog: Labor Tab and Operating Cost Adjustments Dialog: Lab/QC/QA Tab). SuperPro Designer keeps track of the instantaneous as well as the cumulative labor demand of the process.
Definitions in System DB and User DB
The program maintains a (currently limited but easily extended by the user) list of options for labor types in its Labor databank (contained in the ‘SuperPro (User)’ database) that can be used whenever labor demand is required (see Labor Types Databank). To review the list of such available labor types, select } from the main menu (or hit Shift + F3 as a shortcut). You can extend the list of available labor types, by adding more to your labor databank (and saved as part of your ‘SuperPro (User)’ database). Changes made in the labor types databank do not affect existing process files or other parts of the databank even if the edited labor types are used as the basis for labor declared in sites.
Labor Types Currently Used by the Process
In selecting a labor type for an operation or section, you can choose from a list of generic-type labor defined in the databank or, for operations or sections carried out in allocated sites (see Section Allocation), from the corresponding site labor. Labor types currently in use can then be inspected from the List of Labor Types Currently Used by the Process dialog, accessed by selecting } } } or } } from the main menu. From here you may edit the properties of a labor (see Labor Type Properties).
If at any time the user wishes to change the Labor type used in the process with another labor, instead of visiting all the locations the labor is used and replacing it, the Replace Resources Dialog can be used to perform a global switch of resource(s) with another resource(s).
Labor Types in Database Sites
To add, edit, or delete labor declared in sites, select } from the main menu. From the Sites & Resources Databank Dialog interface that appears select the desired site from the left pane (site tree) and the labor node on the right pane and you may add new, edit, or delete labor by clicking on the appropriate button from the toolbar. In the same way and for each labor site added you may also add specific staff members, who are responsible in carrying out the required tasks.
When adding a new site labor you will be presented with the Add Labor Type Dialog which displays all currently available labor types in the databank. From there you can select one or more labor resources that you want to include in the site.
Once a new user-defined labor is added to a site then you cannot delete it from the labor type databank; first you must remove the labor from the site.
If a section is allocated to a site, then available to operations of this section are not only labor/staff of this site but of its parent sites as well. This implies that labor/staff belonging to a site are available to all sub-facilities within that site.
Changes made in site labor may affect existing process files. Even though SuperPro Designer will not attempt to reconcile process files currently residing in files (but not open by the application), it will require to enforce consistency in any process files that are currently open (when the site-related changes are confirmed). Therefore, all changes done in the site-labor databank will automatically be propagated to open process files even if de-allocation (i.e. substitution with generic-type labor/staff) is needed to maintain consistency. Such changes could affect economic results re-doing economic calculations might be needed for all affected process files.
Labor Type Properties
The parameters for labor type as shown in the labor types databank are the default parameters that are used the first time any of the processing steps in your process file employs that labor type. If you decide to use different values for your specific process file, then you can adjust those parameters without affecting the default values in the databank, by bringing up the List of Labor Types Currently Used by the Process dialog that appears when you select the } } option from the main menu or just the } option from the flowsheet context menu. The List of Labor Types Currently Used by the Process that pops up displays a list with all labor types currently employed by the process file. To view or edit the properties of a labor type, you should click on the corresponding index column to select it and then press the Edit button (
). Alternatively you can double-click on the labor's index column. The Labor Type Properties Dialog that comes up contains the labor data organized in tabs. If you want a labor in this process file to take up the properties of the same labor in the databank (in case they are different) select the labor by clicking on the labor's index column and press the Update Properties from DB button (
) If you change the properties of a labor in this process file and you want them to be stored in the user's database select the labor by clicking on the labor's index column and press the Update Properties into DB button (
). If you wish to deposit the selected power type to the databank, then click on the Deposit Record in DB (
) button.
The Properties tab lets you specify economic data that will be used to calculate the labor cost per hour. These data include a basic rate (in $/hr) along with benefits, supervision, operating supplies and administration factors, or a comprehensive lumped rate (in $/hr). The selection of what option (itemized or lumped) to use is done at the section level of every process file so it is recommended that you provide meaningful values for all cost data. As labor unit costs tend to fluctuate in time, if your company regularly updates values in the ‘SuperPro (User)’ database, you may decide to bring all prices in your SuperPro Designer model up-to-date. This can be easily done by invoking the Update Resource Prices from SuperPro (User) DB Dialog (select } from the main menu of the application).
The Availability Limits tab lets you define bounds on the availability of this labor type. There are two types of limits: rate limits (instantaneous or time-averaged over a user-defined time span) and cumulative limits over a user-defined time span. Upon request, these limits will be plotted on the resource consumption charts (see Labor Requirement Chart) so that you can compare them against the actual labor need. Note that for staff there is an inherent availability rate limit of 1 labor-hr/hr and a cumulative limit that cannot exceed its defined time span, e.g. a person cannot deliver more than 24 labor hours within a day.
Site labor and staff data are not editable through the List of Labor Types Currently Used by the Process dialog. The reason is that site labor could be shared by different process files and only through the site databank their properties can be modified. To edit those values, you will need to visit the sites databank through the } menu item. As with site utilities, if site labor data are modified, changes are propagated to all open process files that use them in order to maintain consistency with the databank.
The locations where a selected labor is currently employed in the process can be viewed by clicking on the button 
.This can be in operations or sections, which are displayed in order of first use.