Scheduling Software for Contract Manufacturers
Every customer thinks their order is the priority, they all share the same machines, and we quote lead times we cannot keep. What scheduling software works for a contract manufacturer?
A contract manufacturer needs every customer on one finite capacity plan. EDGEBIC by User Solutions loads all orders onto shared machines and machine pools, weights jobs by priority, charges setups by sequence, and quotes new work against the real load, so you see which customer slips before you accept the next order.
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Why Contract Manufacturing Schedules Break
A contract manufacturer sells capacity. Many customers share the same machines, each with its own routings, setups and due dates, and each new program changes the load for everyone else. When the schedule is a spreadsheet or an ERP module at infinite capacity, the first sign of trouble is a customer asking where their order is.
Quoting is the other half. A lead time quoted from a standard table, not from the current load, is a promise made without checking whether the machines are free.
- Priority goes to whichever customer called last
- A new program is accepted without checking what it displaces
- Quoted lead times come from a table, not the current load
- Setups multiply because each customer runs separately
- Planning depends on one person who knows every customer
- Nobody can show a customer a credible date on the phone
How EDGEBIC Schedules a Contract Manufacturer
EDGEBIC by User Solutions puts every customer order on one finite capacity schedule across machines, labor, tooling and shifts, so the trade-offs between customers are visible and deliberate.
Every customer on one plan
All orders, from every customer, are scheduled against the same machines and shifts. There is one set of dates, not one spreadsheet per account.
Shared machines, used well
Route steps to machine pools or allow alternate work centers, so work lands on whichever capable machine frees up first, whoever the customer is.
Priorities you set on purpose
Weight jobs by priority so strategic customers and firm commitments are protected, and see in Days Late what that choice costs everyone else.
Fewer setups across customers
The setup matrix charges changeovers by sequence, and the optimizer can group similar work from different customers to cut total setup time within due dates.
Quote from the real load
Quote simulation schedules a prospective order against the current plan without changing it, and available-to-promise answers what can ship and when.
Test a new program before you sign
Load a new customer program as a what-if scenario and compare it with the current plan: which orders move, which machines overload, and whether an extra shift fixes it.
From one person’s experience to an optimized, ERP-integrated schedule in one week
Plastilite Corporation
Plastilite Corporation of Omaha, Nebraska makes insulated and protective packaging for many companies that ship perishable and fragile products. Its planning had been basically one person’s hands-on experience, and its new ERP scheduling module could not handle many injection molding machines, each with different tool configurations.
User Solutions arrived on a Monday. By Friday Plastilite had routings with alternate workcenters, variable chest and tool sizes, open orders imported from the ERP, an optimized finite capacity schedule, and updated dates exported back to the ERP and MRP.
Who Makes EDGEBIC
EDGEBIC is made by User Solutions, Inc. of South Lyon, Michigan, which has built manufacturing scheduling software since 1991. EDGEBIC is RMDB 2.0: the current generation of RMDB (Resource Manager DB), the scheduling engine behind results at the US Navy, GE, Cummins and BAE Systems. RMDB customers remain supported. EDGEBIC is an installed Windows application (.NET 8, SQLite or SQL Server) that works alongside any ERP through Excel, CSV and database import and export. See the EDGEBIC product overview.
EDGEBIC Pricing: Published, One-Time
Two editions of EDGEBIC by User Solutions, both perpetual licenses with updates included and no per-seat annual fee. EDGEBIC is an installed Windows application, not a subscription service. See EDGEBIC pricing and editions or how this compares with the market.
| Edition | What it includes | One-time license |
|---|---|---|
| EDGEBIC APS | Finite capacity scheduling and optimization: graphical routing designer, forward and backward scheduling, Theory of Constraints anchoring, parallel work centers, sequence-dependent setup, lot streaming, operator skills, and a two-layer schedule optimizer. | $25,000 |
| EDGEBIC Complete | Everything in EDGEBIC APS plus MRP, inventory, purchasing and material pegging, so material availability constrains the schedule alongside machines and labor. | $35,000 |
Read More on This Problem
Contract Manufacturing Scheduling FAQs
Customer Stories
Manufacturers scheduling with EDGEBIC and RMDB, the User Solutions engine behind it.
Put all your customers on one plan in a demo
Send an export of open orders across your customers. We will schedule them in EDGEBIC on your shared machines and show where the conflicts are.
Or see EDGEBIC pricing or the EDGEBIC product overview.