Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Everything we have published.
Batch Size vs Flow Time: The Transfer Batch Trade-Off
Batch size vs flow time: a smaller transfer batch lets the next operation start sooner and shrinks makespan, at the cost of more handoffs, with worked lot-streaming numbers.
Dedicated Cells vs Shared Work Centers
Dedicated cells vs shared work centers: a cell cuts queue and transit for one product family, a shared functional layout raises utilization but adds contention, with numbers.
Aerospace Multi-Level Assemblies: Scheduling Sub-Assemblies That Feed the Line
Aerospace multi-level assembly scheduling rolls sub-assembly hours and dependencies up through the routing, so a top-level job waits for the slowest feeder, not a guess.
Chemical Processing: Scheduling Continuous and Batch in One Plan
Chemical processing scheduling that handles both worlds: mark reactors and lines as continuous with an hours-based overlap, and schedule discrete packaging by piece count.
CNC Shops and Operator Skills: When the Setter Is the Constraint
CNC operator skill scheduling models the certified setter as a finite resource, so lights-out cells start on the hours one operator actually has, not machine count.
Consumer Goods: Sequencing Lines to Cut Changeover Waste
Consumer goods changeover sequencing that holds up: price each flavor and scent change per line in a matrix, then let the optimizer order the run to minimize total setup.
Consumer Goods: Scheduling Through a Seasonal Peak
Seasonal capacity scheduling for consumer goods: add a shift, raise a line's hours for a peak week, and let finite-capacity planning show whether the season actually fits.
Contract Manufacturers: One Schedule Across Many Customers
Contract manufacturer scheduling that shares machines across customers: route steps to machine pools, weight jobs by priority, and load every customer against one finite plan.
Electronics Quoting and What-If: Comparing Scenarios Before You Commit a Date
Electronics quote what-if scheduling compares scenarios like weekend shifts or extra line capacity against a real simulation, so an EMS quotes the date it can defend.
Food Manufacturing Traceability: The Production Record Behind Every Batch
Food manufacturing traceability starts with a production record: which line ran the batch, when, how many good and scrap pieces, and the exact routing used.
Foundries: Scheduling Furnace Batches and Casting Lots
Foundry lot scheduling: run a furnace as parallel chambers with one job each per day, then model the cooling delay before castings can move to machining.
Furniture Manufacturing: Pool Your Routers and Sanders Into Work Center Groups
Furniture work center group scheduling lets a routing say ANY ROUTER, so the scheduler picks the machine with real capacity on every run and idle machines stop sitting.