In the last 75 years post World war II, manufacturing has changed immensely in terms of how it functions and how it has been refined. Customers’ demands in modern manufacturing have spanned from product mix to just-in-time delivery of items. The entire concept of producing commodities has become arduous, due to the broad range of product compositions that the enterprise must supply. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to implement production in such a methodical and integrated manner. This is where Product Scheduling enters the equation.
The adoption of production scheduling software and practices is a main factor for goods being delivered to a buyer on time and without defects. Today, no industry can operate without top-of-the-line production scheduling systems. During the industry’s technological leap over the 20 years or so, it has evolved as the cornerstone for robust manufacturing.
PRODUCTION SCHEDULING
Production scheduling is the process under which all manufacturing activities are planned or scheduled on a timescale for a specific length of time. Production scheduling entails planning manufacturing activities such as procurement of raw materials, investment, work force, logistics, and so on for a specific time period in a sequential manner. It determines what resources would be used at what stage of production. A time-based plan is established based on the estimates so that the company does not run out of resources during production.
The following are the most vital factors of this process:
- Scheduling – The sequence of process flow in terms of time and date, as well as the goods manufactured. Manufacturers regularly refer to a master timetable, which is a comprehensive plan for key resources to use time on raw materials for manufacturing products.
- Planning & Sourcing – Raw materials for the process must be acquired through all the appropriate channels and in significant measure. To ensure that customers receive goods as scheduled, resource planning, raw material analyses, and daily output must be executed.
How does Production Scheduling help the industry?
The negative impact on a brand image, the bottom line, and share prices (for publicly traded companies) would be terrible if companies did not deliver manufactured items on schedule and in good condition to their customers. The following are some of the reasons for the requirement for production scheduling:
- ENHANCED EFFICIENCY: A good scheduling plan boosts the manufacturing unit’s efficiency when it’s running at full capacity. By building optimised scheduling, this results in increased output to match demand and even tackle potential errors. The visibility of resource capacity is critical in this regard, since it puts the spotlight on the resources that may be used to maximise production.
- REDUCED EXPENSES: Production scheduling directly contributes to accurate resource allocation, on-time production, and successful distribution, all of which minimise expenses. This can be accomplished by balancing product efficiency and delivery to maximise output.
- DIVERSIFIED PRODUCTION: Production scheduling enables the rapid production of two different goods that share the same fundamental systems/tools with no need for pricey machinery upgrades. An interactive scheduling approach can efficiently produce enough products that fulfil both demands, bolstering the firm’s revenues and net income.
- INVENTORY CONTROL: A well-defined production schedule aids in maintaining inventories to a bare minimum. This aids in budgeting and identifying its most key flowing commodities in the supply chain.
- INCREASE IN REVENUE: Customer satisfaction is higher when there are less delays in the manufacturing of goods, with faster delivery of products being a crucial fulfilment. By executing a large number of orders, the ability to increase revenue and meet unperceived demands increases dramatically.
- DECISIONS INSPIRED BY DATA INTERPRETATION: Companies rely on the strength of data collected by them to make decisions that increase output and profits. Production scheduling can assist businesses in reducing time lag between resources and goods, boosting their product output with better sequencing, and thereby contributing to profits – all the while making the best use of data.
- BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS: A solid production schedule can tell a company which sectors it should focus on to bring in revenue, which sectors are under-performers, as well as which sectors are hidden gems. In addition to forecasting, the scheduling process assists businesses in picking the optimal and most in-demand product offerings.
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE SOFTWARE
Production scheduling software is a series of common functionalities used for the design, planning, production and distribution of commodities produced in an installation under the aegis of manufacturing and planning. The software for production planning provides the ideal framework for tracking, analysing, and optimising production processes using automated planning and quality control loops. There are also several main functions, like inventory management, vendor management and process re-scheduling to match demand.
Overall, production planning software alleviates manufacturing constraints caused by manual processes and ensures that resource load capacity and due dates are perfectly aligned.
ATTRIBUTES OF PRODUCTION SCHEDULE SOFTWARE
- Purchasing & Vendor Administration
- Inventory Control
- Planner for raw materials
- Tools for Process Management
- Labour Allotment
- Production Planning & Predictive Analysis
- Order Book
- Bill of Materials
- Notifications
- Reporting
Companies in every industry that manufacture and supply finished products require a well-designed production scheduling software. In other words, Industries require the use of production planning software or a manufacturing planning tool.
A production planner is the single point of contact in a company who uses software to allocate resources and optimise production efficiency. Unless restricted by user access protocols, all personnel on the shop floor have access to the software’s functions. The software is frequently used by the heads of the manufacturing department to extract reports on the plant’s production capabilities and further optimisation.
