Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Pegging in MRP: How to Trace Customer Orders All the Way to Raw Materials
Pegging lets you trace any MRP planned order back to its demand source—and forward from any supply shortage to the customer orders at risk. Here's how to use it.
Predictive vs. Prescriptive Analytics in Manufacturing Scheduling: What Your System Should Actually Do
Understand the four analytics levels—descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive—and why SMB manufacturers need prescriptive scheduling to compete.
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.
Product Recall Management for Manufacturers: Lot Traceability, Serialization, and Rapid Response
How to manage a product recall in manufacturing — covering lot traceability, serialization, regulatory obligations, and how scheduling software speeds response.
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.
Why Your Quoted Lead Time Never Matches Actual: The Data Behind Job Shop Quoting Accuracy
Queue time is 80% of lead time. Learn Little's Law, capacity-based quoting, and how to track quoting accuracy as a KPI to fix broken job shop delivery promises.
The Real Cost of Rush Orders in Job Shops: What They're Actually Doing to Your Schedule
Rush orders cost far more than expedite fees. Learn the cascade math, capacity buffer strategy, and how to quote rush orders with accurate finite capacity data.
Remanufacturing Scheduling: Variable Yield, Uncertain Content, and Teardown-to-Rebuild Workflows
Remanufacturing scheduling software that handles variable work content, probabilistic routing, core inventory constraints, and serial number traceability for rebuilt engines and equipment.
SaaS Scheduling Software Pricing Traps: Per-User, Per-Machine, Concurrent, and Named Licenses Explained
Understand the four SaaS pricing models for scheduling software, what they actually cost over 3–5 years, and how to calculate total cost of ownership before you sign.
How to Run a Scheduling Software Pilot: Test Before You Commit to Full Rollout
A practical guide for manufacturers on designing a scheduling software pilot that produces trustworthy results — and a clear go/no-go decision framework.
Scheduling Software Vendor Lock-In: How to Protect Your Data and Your Options
Discover the five forms of scheduling software vendor lock-in, the right questions to ask before signing, and how to protect your manufacturing operation.