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.
Lean-MRP Hybrid: How to Combine Pull Scheduling with MRP for Long-Lead Materials
Lean and MRP appear to conflict - but most lean shops still need MRP for long-lead purchased materials. Here's how to combine pull scheduling and MRP at the right decoupling points.
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 Overhead: Allocation Methods, Cost Drivers, and Scheduling Impact
Learn how manufacturing overhead is classified, allocated, and controlled. Discover how scheduling software reduces overhead absorption variances and improves product costing.
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.