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.
Activity Based Costing in Manufacturing: A Practical Guide
Learn how activity based costing allocates overhead more accurately than traditional methods, and how scheduling data powers ABC in discrete manufacturing.
Andon-Triggered Rescheduling: How Real-Time Machine Alerts Should Change Your Production Schedule
Andon alerts signal a production problem - but most plants stop at the alert. Learn the complete andon-to-reschedule workflow that protects delivery commitments when things go wrong.
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.
What to Measure Before Buying Scheduling Software: Your Pre-Implementation Baseline
Learn the six key metrics to measure before implementing scheduling software so you can prove ROI, set targets, and report results to leadership with confidence.
Bottleneck Migration: What Happens to Your Schedule After You Solve the First Constraint
Solve your bottleneck and it moves. Learn how constraint migration works, how to predict where it shifts, and how to re-optimize your schedule after capacity changes.
Cellular Manufacturing Scheduling: How Dedicated Cells Change Your Scheduling Approach
When you create manufacturing cells, the scheduling problem changes fundamentally. Learn how cell scheduling differs from functional layout and when to make a cell dedicated vs. shared.
Composite Manufacturing Scheduling: Cure Time Constraints, Autoclave Capacity, and Layup Sequencing
Composite manufacturing scheduling software that handles autoclave cure cycles, prepreg shelf life, layup sequencing, and NDT inspection holds for aerospace and automotive suppliers.
Concurrent Engineering: How Overlapping Design and Manufacturing Phases Cuts Time-to-Market
Concurrent engineering overlaps design and production phases to reduce time-to-market. Learn how scheduling software supports cross-functional simultaneous development.
Cost of Goods Manufactured (COGM): Formula, Calculation, and How Scheduling Reduces It
Master the Cost of Goods Manufactured formula with step-by-step examples. Learn how production scheduling efficiency directly lowers COGM and improves gross margin.
Decoupling Inventory: Buffer Positioning and Independent Stage Scheduling
Learn what decoupling inventory is, where to position buffer stocks in a production system, and how decoupling points enable independent scheduling of manufacturing stages.
Edge vs. Cloud for Real-Time Manufacturing Scheduling: Which Deployment Is Right for Your Shop?
Compare edge computing vs. cloud deployment for manufacturing scheduling software: latency, ITAR compliance, hybrid architectures, cost, and a practical SMB decision framework.
Fastener and Hardware Manufacturing Scheduling: High-Throughput, Die-Constrained Production
Fastener manufacturing scheduling software that manages heading die life, heat treat batch loads, plating line capacity, and kanban replenishment for screws, bolts, and rivets.