Switch operational context

Your operational context is the single plant you are currently working in. In Bulk a plant (also called a site or an entity) is one self-contained facility — a factory, workshop, or fabrication plant — with its own production, quality, scheduling, inventory, and people. Almost everything you see and record in Bulk is scoped to your current plant, so switching context is how you move your whole workspace from one site to another without signing out.

You switch context whenever your work moves between sites — for example a manager who oversees two plants, or a supervisor covering a second site for a shift. If you only ever work in one plant, you rarely need to switch: Bulk keeps you in that plant automatically.

Before you start

Access to more than one site. Switching is only useful when your account can open two or more plants. You can only switch into sites you have access to; your administrator grants that access. If you can reach just one plant, the switcher shows that single site and there is nothing to switch to.
You are signed in and inside a plant. The switcher lives in your workspace, so you need to be signed in with a plant already open. See Sign in to Bulk and Select an entity.

Where to find the site switcher

The site switcher sits at the top of the left sidebar. It shows your current context as Hub / [plant name], with the plant's short code on the line beneath it — for example Hub / Leeds Fabrication Plant with the code LEEDSFABRI. On most pages the same switcher also appears at the far left of the top header. On a narrow phone screen it collapses to just the plant name with a small arrow.

The site switcher at the top of the sidebar showing Hub slash Leeds Fabrication Plant with the plant code LEEDSFABRI. — The site switcher at the top of the sidebar shows your current plant and its short code.

Switch to another plant

Select the site switcher at the top of the sidebar (or in the header). A menu opens under the heading Switch site.
The menu lists the sites in your workspace. Your current plant is marked with a check.
Select the plant you want to open.

Bulk switches straight away — there is no page reload and you do not sign out. The plant name and code at the top update, and the whole workspace re-scopes to the plant you chose: production orders, quality records, scheduling, dashboards, and people all now reflect that site.

The open site switcher menu headed Switch site, listing plants with the current one checked, plus See all sites and a disabled Add new site option. — The Switch site menu lists the plants you can open; a check marks the one you are in now.

Your choice is remembered

When you switch, Bulk remembers the plant on this browser for the rest of your session and saves it as your current plant, so it is the one that opens the next time you sign in. Switching is fully reversible — open the menu again and pick the previous plant to switch back.

Beneath the list of plants the menu has two more entries:

See all sites (with a count of how many sites you have, such as 1 site) opens the full plant-selection screen. That screen shows a card for every plant with what is running right now, lets you search, and is where you request access to a site you cannot yet open. See Select an entity.
Add new site… appears but is not active from this menu. Creating a new plant is an administrator setup task, not part of switching context.

When switching is not available

On some full-screen views the switcher shows your current plant but is locked — you cannot switch context while that view is open. This keeps a focused, single-site screen from changing site underneath you. Locked views include:

Workstations — the shop-floor screen an operator runs at a machine or station. Here the switcher shows the workstation name instead of an open menu.
Boards and certain full-screen dashboards — where the switcher displays the current site as a fixed label.

To switch context from one of these views, leave it first (return to the Hub), then use the switcher as usual.

Example: covering a second site at Granite Peak

Say Granite Peak Manufacturing, a UK precision-fabrication company, runs two plants: the Leeds Fabrication Plant and a Sheffield Finishing Plant. Dana Winters manages Leeds day to day but is covering Sheffield for an afternoon.

Dana signs in and lands in Leeds Fabrication Plant — the switcher reads Hub / Leeds Fabrication Plant.
She opens the site switcher and selects Sheffield Finishing Plant from the Switch site list.
Bulk re-scopes instantly: the dashboards, orders, and people she now sees all belong to Sheffield, and the switcher reads Hub / Sheffield Finishing Plant.
When she is done, she opens the switcher again and picks Leeds Fabrication Plant to return. Because Bulk remembers her choice, Leeds is what opens the next morning.

Expected result

After switching, the plant name and code at the top of the sidebar match the plant you chose, and every module reflects that site's data. Your selection sticks for the rest of your session on this browser and becomes your default plant the next time you sign in.

Availability and limits

Switching operational context is generally available to every Bulk user who has access to more than one plant.

You can only switch into plants you have access to. Access is enforced by Bulk, so choosing a plant you are not permitted to open will not grant access — request it from the full plant-selection screen instead. See Select an entity.
Single-plant accounts have nothing to switch. If you can reach only one plant, Bulk opens it for you and the switcher simply shows that site.
Context switches are recorded. For traceability, Bulk logs an entry in the audit trail each time you change your current plant.

If switching does not work

You do not see another plant in the menu. The menu only lists sites you have access to. If a plant you expect is missing, it is an access matter, not a fault — open See all sites to view every plant and request access, or ask your administrator. See Select an entity.
The switcher is greyed out or shows no menu. You are on a locked full-screen view such as a workstation, a board, or a full-screen dashboard. Return to the Hub first, then switch.

The site switcher shown as a locked, non-interactive label reading Hub slash Leeds Fabrication Plant on a full-screen Boards view. — On full-screen views like Boards and Workstations the switcher is locked to the current plant.