Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Planning and scheduling practice that applies whichever system you run.
Featured Guides
Capacity Buffers and Safety Capacity: Protecting Manufacturing Throughput
Learn how capacity buffers and safety capacity protect manufacturing throughput against variability. Includes formulas for sizing buffers, buffer management techniques, and practical implementation guidance.
Capacity Planning Formulas: The Complete Manufacturing Reference Guide
Every essential capacity planning formula for manufacturing - from basic utilization calculations to advanced throughput analysis, load ratios, OEE, and queue time estimation.
Capacity Planning Software for Manufacturing: Features, Selection Guide, and Top Tools
Compare manufacturing capacity planning software features, learn what to look for in a scheduling tool, and discover how finite capacity planning software eliminates overloaded schedules and missed deliveries.
Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP): How It Works in Manufacturing
Understand Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP), how it compares to rough-cut capacity planning, the formulas behind it, and how CRP integrates with MRP to validate production feasibility.
Capacity Utilization Rate: Formulas, Benchmarks, and Optimization for Manufacturers
Master the capacity utilization rate formula, understand benchmarks by resource type, and learn why optimizing utilization - not maximizing it - drives better manufacturing outcomes.
Finite vs Infinite Capacity Planning and Scheduling: Key Differences
Finite vs infinite capacity planning and scheduling compared: a 12-row table, a load vs sequence diagram, and one job scheduled both ways with real hours.
Labor Capacity Planning in Manufacturing: Formula and Examples
Labor capacity formula with a worked example, plus how to plan availability, skill matrices and absenteeism so operators and machines are scheduled together.
Machine Capacity Planning: How to Calculate and Optimize Equipment Utilization
Learn how to calculate machine capacity, plan equipment utilization, and schedule production to get maximum throughput from your manufacturing equipment without overloading.
Multi-Resource Capacity Planning: Scheduling Machines, Labor, and Tooling Together
Learn how multi-resource capacity planning schedules machines, operators, and secondary resources simultaneously to produce truly feasible manufacturing schedules.
Overcoming Capacity Constraints in Manufacturing: 12 Proven Strategies
Discover 12 proven strategies to overcome manufacturing capacity constraints, from low-cost operational improvements to strategic investments that increase throughput and reduce lead times.
Resource Constraints in Manufacturing: Identification, Analysis, and Solutions
Learn how to identify, analyze, and manage resource constraints in manufacturing. Discover practical methods to maximize throughput at bottleneck resources and improve production flow.
Rough-Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP): A Quick Guide for Manufacturers
Learn what rough-cut capacity planning is, how it validates your master production schedule, and when to use RCCP versus detailed capacity requirements planning in manufacturing.