The Little Blue Book On Scheduling
APS Scheduling
Adding a smart scheduling system to an existing ERP system may be the answer. Scheduling is where the “rubber meets the road” and implementing a good scheduling system should have an immediate and lasting impact on a company’s ability to service its clients and improve the bottom line.
A good scheduling system should deliver all the functionality missing from an ERP system. Below is a list of the basic functionality that is needed in a scheduling system.
- The ability to schedule more accurately at the machine level as opposed to the work center level and to assign different shifts and run speeds for each machine.
- The ability to schedule each machine finitely or infinitely.
- The ability to schedule using multiple constraints (such as tooling and operators).
- The ability to calculate sequence dependent setup times.
- The ability to schedule precisely (minutes or seconds) as opposed to time buckets (usually days or weeks).
- The ability to integrate easily with other systems like ERP and Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC).
- The ability to sequence orders based on due date, priority or some other attribute.
- The ability to schedule quickly (minutes or seconds) and maintain a real-time view of the schedule.
- The ability to easily make changes such as adding new orders, changing priorities, adding machine downtimes or completing operations.
- The ability to synchronize the schedule with material constraints.
Explaining the wonders of sequencing is one of the fun things I get to do in my seminars. I have described the basics of a good scheduling system. Now I need to prove that there is a whole new world out there to explore. That world is the world of sequencing
I sincerely believe that scheduling is the brain center that drives the operations side of a manufacturing company.
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