Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Everything we have published.
What Is TEEP (Total Effective Equipment Performance)? Definition, Formula, and Examples
Learn what TEEP means in manufacturing, how to calculate it using the OEE × Loading formula, and why world-class plants target 85%+ TEEP.
Inventory Cycle Counting: How It Works and Why It Beats the Annual Stocktake
Inventory cycle counting improves record accuracy, reduces disruption, and feeds better data into MRP and production scheduling. Learn the process, methods, and best practices.
Job Costing in Manufacturing: Track Costs by Work Order and Improve Margins
Learn how job costing tracks materials, labor, and overhead by work order, how to calculate job cost accurately, and how scheduling software improves cost control.
Kitting in Manufacturing: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters
Learn what kitting in manufacturing means, how kitting differs from picking, and how a kitting process improves production scheduling and throughput.
Can You Do Lean Manufacturing in a Job Shop? Yes - Here's How to Adapt It
Lean manufacturing works in job shops - with the right adaptations. Learn which principles transfer directly and which need modification for high-mix, low-volume production.
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.