What-If Analysis for Manufacturing
Test production scenarios before committing. Evaluate new orders, capacity changes, workforce options, and outsourcing decisions — with real data, in minutes. The capability that secured the largest customer order in Turner Bicycles' history.
Answer Critical Questions Before Committing
“Can we take this order?”
Enter the new demand, schedule it, and instantly see if you can deliver on time without impacting existing commitments.
Turner Bicycles secured their largest order ever
“Should we add capacity?”
Model adding shifts, machines, or labor to see the ROI before spending. Compare in-house production vs. outsourcing.
Turner Bicycles evaluates labor vs. outsourcing
“Where is the bottleneck?”
Identify which workcenter, skill, or material is constraining your throughput and test solutions before implementing.
Technical Glass Products found and fixed bottlenecks
“What if we cross-train?”
Test cross-training scenarios to see how workforce flexibility impacts capacity and delivery before investing in training.
Technical Glass: 4% capacity increase
“What if a machine goes down?”
See which deliveries are at risk and identify alternate routings or workcenter reassignments to minimize impact.
Alternate workcenter support built-in
“What are the real costs?”
Every scenario shows actual manufacturing costs — labor, materials, overhead — so you can evaluate profitability before accepting work.
Turner Bicycles: cost visibility per scenario
How RMDB What-If Analysis Works
RMDB what-if analysis operates on your real production data — actual workcenters, real capacities, current open orders, and true material availability. Scenarios are not theoretical projections — they are fully scheduled plans that account for every constraint, delivering actionable answers in minutes.
- Run scenarios on real production data — not theoretical models
- See impact on existing commitments before accepting new orders
- Compare workforce changes (add shifts, cross-train, outsource)
- Evaluate capacity expansion ROI before investing
- Identify bottlenecks and test solutions before implementing
- Generate Gantt charts showing scenario outcomes
- View manufacturing cost impacts per scenario
- Test schedule changes without disrupting current production
“The owner came back from a trade show in Japan with the biggest order in our history. When he asked me when we could deliver — I simply entered in the demand, scheduled it, and printed out a Gantt Chart schedule showing exactly when we could deliver the product and what our manufacturing costs would be. He was ecstatic.”
Mike Votaw, Production Manager
Turner Suspension Bicycles
What-If Analysis in Action
Largest Order
In company history — secured using what-if scenario planning
Turner Bicycles
4%
Capacity increase discovered through cross-training scenario analysis
Technical Glass Products
2 Weeks
Lead time reduction confirmed via what-if scenario testing
Technical Glass Products
Easy
To model different scenarios to determine schedule and bottom-line benefit
ACE Controls
Frequently Asked Questions
What-If Analysis Success Stories
See how manufacturers used scenario planning to make better production decisions.
Electronics
Li-Ion Battery Production Scheduling for Enevate
Enevate Corporation
Read storyConsumer Products
Affordable MRP for Smaller Manufacturer
Sleepmaster Ltd
Read storyWoodworking
Amish Manufacturer Rapidly Amortizes Scheduling System
Homestead Furniture
Read storyGlass Manufacturing
Job Shop Increases Throughput and On-Time Shipping
Technical Glass Products
Read storySoftware / Manufacturing
ERP Vendor and Manufacturer Turn to RMDB
ERP Partners
Read storyConsumer Products
Production What-If Scenario Secures Largest Customer Order
Turner Suspension Bicycles
Read storyExplore Related Solutions
Discover how these capabilities work together to transform your manufacturing operations.
Finite Capacity Scheduling
Schedule to real machine, labor, and material limits
Learn moreMaster Production Schedule
Long-horizon capacity planning and MPS generation
Learn moreOn-Time Delivery
Improve OTD with realistic capacity-based dates
Learn moreJob Shop Scheduling
High-mix, low-volume finite capacity planning
Learn moreProduction Scheduling
Finite capacity planning, MRP, and ERP integration
Learn moreReady to stop guessing and start planning?
See RMDB what-if analysis in action with your own production data. Test a scenario live during your free demo.