Manufacturing Scheduling

The main goal of any company should be to have the quickest and most efficient manufacturing process. This not only means every machine has to be running efficiently, but the technology and systems in place must be top notch as well. Optimizing your production scheduling systems is one of the clearest ways to create a more efficient process. Some systems will use a scheduling system based on the best production conditions, but those conditions rarely occur. However, unexpected obstacles always occur on the production floor, so optimizing production scheduling can create a more efficient workflow.

Advanced Production Scheduling

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) with an Advanced Production Scheduling (APS) function combine to make a smoother production process. From a production planning and scheduling standpoint, the APS looks at what’s going on currently and does short-term planning based on those facts and figures. Since it looks at real-time data, you can make adjustments accordingly. Production managers also can feel confident making scheduling decisions since the data is provided under any and all shop floor conditions.

Automated Systems Are Critical

Companies who still use manual scheduling are way behind in the game. Not only does manual scheduling leave the door open for human error, but it also makes workflow less efficient. Automated production scheduling takes care of all the nuances of scheduling, which frees up more resources and increases productivity.

The best thing about automated systems is they can be installed at any and all stages of the manufacturing process. It’s important to have automated scheduling from the planning stage all the way through the end product. This leads to quicker turnaround times and an overall better product.

Impact of Automated Scheduling on Business Operations

Having automated production planning and scheduling systems help companies produce products in higher volumes, limit downtime, improve response time to unexpected issues, raise price margins and generate more profit overall. A bump in the scheduling process can often send the whole day off the rails. However, when you have an automated scheduling system in place, any issues can be addressed and corrected almost instantly to the point where you don’t even notice a dip in production.

Optimizing your production scheduling system is a necessity for your company to remain efficient. The great thing is automated scheduling can run with the current systems and setups you have in place. For more information about optimizing scheduling systems for your company specifically, be sure to contact us.

One of the biggest and most serious mistakes manufacturing companies make is only reacting to problems when they occur, instead of identifying their potential early in the process.

Manufacturing processes are in most cases quite complex and not transparent by themselves, so any sort of down time is detrimental to production. The best way to sustainably improve productivity and efficiency on the shop floor, is a proactive production management approach. There are several technical and organizational ways to be more proactive. Using a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) as the technical platform in combination with Manufacturing Operation Management (MOM) methods is the optimal approach to achieve immediate sustainable results.

Identify Small Issues Before They Become Bigger Ones

A minor glitch at any point in the Manufacturing Business Process could be just an isolated, non-serious issue. But in context with the complete production activity chain, the impact can become immense in a very short time. An MES / MOM combination is one of the best methods to immediately identify a small issue inside the larger manufacturing process chain without losing too much time or too many resources.

An MES allows a plant manager, supervisor or workcenter operator to look at the broad view of the production process chain and analyze the production data in real time. If a small issue is identified, then it can be addressed immediately to prevent bigger problems later on.

Track Employee Performance

Another benefit of MES applications is the ability to track employee performance in the context of executed production activities. You don’t want to wait until a production disaster occurs before you realize an employee hasn’t been meeting certain standards. The key to successful manufacturing scheduling is knowing all employees are doing their jobs. With all of the moving parts in a production plant, it can be difficult for managers to identify slacking employees on a daily basis. If managers had software to track employee performance in real time, then the statistics could be measured more accurately and appropriate action could be promptly taken.

View Production as a Whole and on a Small Scale

Many people in the MOM role can get too caught up in the bottom line, rather than looking at the individual processes. MES applications can simplify both aspects by giving a one-page view of production as a whole, as well as certain departments or processes.

In order to improve productivity on the shop floor, you have to be proactive as a manager. Depending on the size of the operations, you may not be able to walk around and monitor everything in person. Plant managers have too many other responsibilities to be micro-managing, so having the proper manufacturing execution system will help consolidate the important real-time data into your system.

The Manufacturing Business Process is difficult enough to manage, but the DIAMES team of professionals has solutions to help managers be more proactive at their jobs. Find out more about your options by contacting us today.

Category: Manufacturing Scheduling

How to Optimize Your Production Scheduling System