Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Everything we have published.
Cash Conversion Cycle for Manufacturers: How Scheduling Affects Working Capital
The Cash Conversion Cycle measures how fast operations convert materials to cash. Learn how production scheduling directly compresses CCC and frees working capital.
Sequence-Dependent Setup Times: The Scheduling Problem That Costs You Capacity
When changeover time depends on what ran before, standard scheduling fails. Learn how setup matrices, sequence optimization, and APS software recover 10-25% of hidden capacity in paint lines, food, and coating operations.
Scheduling Shared Equipment Across Multiple Product Lines: Allocation Strategies
One bottleneck CNC serving aerospace and commercial lines - how do you schedule it fairly? Learn capacity allocation strategies for shared equipment across product lines.
Subcontracting in Your Production Schedule: When and How to Outsource Operations
Learn how subcontracting changes your production schedule - modeling OP lead times, outside processing routing steps, vendor capacity constraints, and single-source subcontractor risk.
Integrating Supplier Performance Into Your Production Schedule: On-Time, Quality, and Lead Time Metrics
Learn how to use supplier scorecards - OTD, quality PPM, lead time accuracy - as direct inputs to your production schedule and reduce supply chain disruptions.
Throughput Accounting: The TOC Financial Framework That Replaces Cost Accounting
Throughput Accounting from the Theory of Constraints replaces overhead allocation with T, I, and OE - decision rules that help manufacturers schedule and prioritize for profit.
Dual-Sourcing Strategy: How to Schedule Across Two Suppliers With Different Lead Times and Costs
Learn how to implement a dual-sourcing strategy in manufacturing - allocating orders between primary and secondary suppliers with different lead times, costs, and quality levels.
What Is FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)? Manufacturing Guide
FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a systematic risk method that scores failure modes by severity, occurrence, and detection to prioritize corrective actions.
What Is RCA (Root Cause Analysis)? Definition, Methods, and Manufacturing Examples
RCA (Root Cause Analysis) is a systematic process that identifies the fundamental cause of a problem so corrective actions prevent recurrence, not just fix symptoms.
What Is SCM (Supply Chain Management)? Definition and Manufacturing Guide
SCM (Supply Chain Management) is the active coordination of planning, sourcing, production, delivery, and returns to maximize customer value and competitive advantage.
OEE-Adjusted Capacity Planning: How to Model Planned and Unplanned Downtime
Most capacity plans assume machines run at 100%. OEE tells you they don't. Learn how to build realistic OEE-adjusted capacity models that account for downtime.
Schedule Adherence vs. On-Time Delivery: Why You Need Both Metrics (They Measure Different Things)
Schedule adherence measures plan accuracy; on-time delivery measures customer satisfaction. Learn why tracking both reveals root causes that neither metric shows alone.