Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Everything we have published.
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.
Operator Skill Constraints in Scheduling: Managing Certified Bottlenecks
When certified operators are your real bottleneck, machines sit idle. Learn skill matrix scheduling, cross-training ROI, and how to model operator constraints in scheduling software.
OTIF (On Time In Full): The Manufacturing KPI That Measures Delivery Performance
OTIF measures whether customers receive the right quantity at the right time. Learn how to calculate it, what drives poor scores, and how scheduling software closes the gap.
PCB Fabrication Scheduling: Managing Phototool Sequences, Plating Tanks, and Layer Constraints
PCB fabrication scheduling software that handles phototool sequencing, plating bath chemistry, drill allocation, and AOI queues. Built for electronics manufacturers.
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.