Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Manufacturing SOPs: How to Write, Implement, and Maintain Standard Operating Procedures
Learn how to create effective manufacturing SOPs that reduce defects, improve training time, and connect to production scheduling for consistent throughput.
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.
Material Shortage Rescheduling: How to Respond When Raw Materials Arrive Late
When materials don't arrive on time, your schedule breaks. Learn the job-shop playbook for material-constrained scheduling, real-time rescheduling, and supplier communication.
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) in Manufacturing: What It Means and How to Negotiate It
Understand what MOQ means for suppliers and buyers, how to calculate economic order quantities, and how production scheduling affects your MOQ strategy.
MRO Inventory: What It Is and How to Manage It in Manufacturing
Learn how MRO inventory management reduces unplanned downtime, controls costs, and keeps your production schedule on track. Includes best practices and benchmarks.
MRP Data Accuracy: The #1 Reason MRP Implementations Fail (And How to Fix It)
Poor data quality kills MRP before it starts. Learn the three data pillars, how to hit the 98% inventory accuracy target, and a practical implementation checklist.
MRP Time Fences: Frozen, Slushy, and Open Planning Zones Explained
Time fences stop MRP nervousness by protecting your near-term schedule. Learn how to set frozen, slushy, and open zones—with real examples for job shops and flow shops.
One-Piece Flow Scheduling: What a Batch Size of 1 Does to Your Lead Time and Schedule
One-piece flow eliminates queue time between operations and compresses lead times dramatically. Learn the math, when OPF is feasible, and how it changes your scheduling logic.
Operator Skill Constraints in Scheduling: Managing Certified Bottlenecks
When certified operators are your real bottleneck, machines sit idle. Learn skill matrix scheduling, cross-training ROI, and how to model operator constraints in scheduling software.
OTIF (On Time In Full): The Manufacturing KPI That Measures Delivery Performance
OTIF measures whether customers receive the right quantity at the right time. Learn how to calculate it, what drives poor scores, and how scheduling software closes the gap.
PCB Fabrication Scheduling: Managing Phototool Sequences, Plating Tanks, and Layer Constraints
PCB fabrication scheduling software that handles phototool sequencing, plating bath chemistry, drill allocation, and AOI queues. Built for electronics manufacturers.