Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Everything we have published.
What Is a Setup Family? Taming the Changeover Matrix
A setup family groups products with identical changeover behavior, collapsing a 10,000-cell setup matrix to 64 cells. Definition, paint-shop math, and setup.
What Is a Transfer Batch? Definition, Example, and Setup
What is a transfer batch? The number of pieces moved downstream at one time, letting the next operation start early. Definition, worked math, and setup guide.
What Is a Work Center Group? Machine Pools Explained
A work center group is a machine pool: route a step to 'any mill' and the scheduler picks the best member each run, by speed, availability, or a set priority.
What Is an Optimality Gap in Production Scheduling?
The optimality gap measures how far a schedule can possibly be from the best one: proven within X% of optimal. What the number means and how a solver earns it.
Attend Fraction Explained: One Operator, Seven Machines
Operator attend fraction defines how much human attention a machine-hour consumes: 0 for lights-out, 0.5 for one person tending two machines, 2.0 for a crew.
Why Did My Job Jump 2 Days After a Reschedule?
Your job moved after a reschedule and the new end date looks wrong. Here are the four real causes, how to confirm which one you have, and the fix for each.
Why the Optimizer Returned the Same Schedule (And When That's Correct)
A schedule optimizer showing no improvement is not always broken. The never-worse rule, locked jobs, and time budgets explain it, and each has a check.
Work Center Showing Overload: Causes and Fixes
A work center overloaded beyond its capacity is either a data error, planned overtime, or synchronized parallel work. How to tell which, and the fix for each.
AS9100 Scheduling Requirements: Aerospace Production Compliance
Guide to AS9100 Rev D scheduling requirements for aerospace manufacturers. Covers clause 8.1, operational planning, configuration management, and on-time delivery tracking.
Audit-Ready Scheduling: How to Prepare for Manufacturing Compliance Audits
Prepare your scheduling system for regulatory audits. Covers audit trail requirements, documentation checklists, mock audits, and common audit findings for ITAR, FDA, and AS9100.
Change Control in Manufacturing Scheduling: Best Practices
Implement effective change control for production scheduling in regulated manufacturing. Covers change types, approval workflows, documentation, and audit trail requirements.
Compliance Documentation for Manufacturing Scheduling Systems
Guide to compliance documentation for production scheduling. Covers documentation requirements across FDA, AS9100, ITAR, SOPs, record retention, and system validation.