Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Featured Guides
Sequence-Dependent Setup Times: The Scheduling Problem That Costs You Capacity
When changeover time depends on what ran before, standard scheduling fails. Learn how setup matrices, sequence optimization, and APS software recover 10-25% of hidden capacity in paint lines, food, and coating operations.
Subcontracting in Your Production Schedule: When and How to Outsource Operations
Learn how subcontracting changes your production schedule — modeling OP lead times, outside processing routing steps, vendor capacity constraints, and single-source subcontractor risk.
Shift Scheduling and Production Scheduling: The Link Most Planners Miss
How 2-shift vs. 3-shift decisions directly impact production schedule throughput. Learn available capacity math, bottleneck shift strategies, and when to add a shift vs. add equipment.
Schedule Nervousness: Why Your Planners Ignore the Production Schedule (And How to Fix It)
Schedule nervousness destroys planner trust and floor execution. Learn what causes it, how time fences fix it, and why a stable 90% schedule beats a volatile 100%-optimal one.
Backorders in Manufacturing: Causes, Customer Management, and How Finite Capacity Scheduling Prevents Accumulation
What causes backorders in manufacturing, how to manage customer backorder situations effectively, and how finite capacity scheduling stops backorder accumulation before it starts.
Make-to-Stock vs Make-to-Order vs Assemble-to-Order: Production Strategies and Scheduling Requirements
Full comparison of MTS, MTO, and ATO production strategies — what each means, when to use which, and how scheduling requirements differ across all three approaches.
Manufacturing Workforce Management: Shift Planning, Skill Coverage, and Connecting People to Machines
How to plan, schedule, and optimize manufacturing workforce capacity — shift planning, skill matrix management, and integrating labor with machine scheduling.
Mass Customization in Manufacturing: 4 Types and How Scheduling Software Makes It Work
Learn the 4 types of mass customization, how it differs from configure-to-order, and how production scheduling software keeps custom manufacturing efficient.
Product Lifecycle Management in Manufacturing: From Design to End-of-Life
Learn what product lifecycle management (PLM) is, its 4 stages, how it connects to BOM management and production scheduling, and when manufacturers need PLM software.
Production Control: How Manufacturers Manage Shop Floor Execution Against the Schedule
Production control is the discipline of monitoring and adjusting shop floor activity to keep jobs on schedule. Learn the methods, metrics, and tools that make it work.
Production Routing: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Drives Better Scheduling
Production routing defines the step-by-step path a job takes through your shop. Learn how accurate routings unlock faster scheduling, better capacity planning, and fewer delays.
SKU Rationalization: How to Cut Product Complexity Without Hurting Sales
SKU rationalization reduces product complexity, improves margins, and simplifies production scheduling. Learn the process, metrics, and how to execute a rationalization program.