Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Planning and scheduling practice that applies whichever system you run.
Multi-Resource Capacity Planning: Scheduling Machines, Labor, and Tooling Together
Learn how multi-resource capacity planning schedules machines, operators, and secondary resources simultaneously to produce truly feasible manufacturing schedules.
Overcoming Capacity Constraints in Manufacturing: 12 Proven Strategies
Discover 12 proven strategies to overcome manufacturing capacity constraints, from low-cost operational improvements to strategic investments that increase throughput and reduce lead times.
Resource Constraints in Manufacturing: Identification, Analysis, and Solutions
Learn how to identify, analyze, and manage resource constraints in manufacturing. Discover practical methods to maximize throughput at bottleneck resources and improve production flow.
Rough-Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP): A Quick Guide for Manufacturers
Learn what rough-cut capacity planning is, how it validates your master production schedule, and when to use RCCP versus detailed capacity requirements planning in manufacturing.
Seasonal Capacity Planning: How Manufacturers Handle Demand Fluctuations
Learn proven strategies for seasonal capacity planning in manufacturing, including demand smoothing, flexible workforce models, inventory buffering, and scheduling techniques for peak periods.
Theory of Constraints (TOC) in Production Scheduling: A Practical Guide
Apply the Theory of Constraints to manufacturing scheduling. Learn the 5 Focusing Steps, Drum-Buffer-Rope, and how TOC-based scheduling maximizes throughput at your bottleneck resource.
What Is Finite Capacity Planning? A Manufacturer's Complete Guide
Learn what finite capacity planning is, how it works in manufacturing, and why scheduling against real resource limits eliminates overloads, cuts lead times, and improves on-time delivery.
Cash Conversion Cycle for Manufacturers: Formula and Benchmarks
CCC = DIO + DSO - DPO, and lower is better. Cash conversion cycle benchmarks for manufacturers (20 to 70 days) and how scheduling cuts WIP to free cash.
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.