MES or Mess? Why a Scheduling AP is Only as Good as its Rescheduling Capabilities

In previous posts, I’ve written about how rescheduling—rather than creating the original schedule–is the main job of any operations manager.  How many times has a set schedule played out exactly as planned? It’s probably the rare occasion. This need is … Continued

Picture This: What Scheduling and Hawaii Have in Common

Using a good scheduling app can surely save you enough money for a trip to Hawaii, but that’s not what I’m getting at in this blog post. The subject this time is how to search for an optimal schedule. We … Continued

Sequencing and Product Models in Manufacturing Scheduling

Here’s a bold assertion:  The best schedules result from using the right descriptive model of the manufacturing environment. Some would argue that the best schedules result from some type of optimizing logic.   The fact is that optimal solutions are obtainable … Continued

Pardon the Schedule Interruption

There’s always something new to discover in the scheduling world. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, someone has a need that you haven’t thought of! Here’s one that just came up: Some environments have activities that, once started, … Continued

The Dirty Dozen: 12 Flaws in Many Scheduling Applications

“A bargain ain’t a bargain unless it’s something you need.”  –American screenwriter, Sidney Carroll   Identifying what your company really needs and finding the best-fit application to fill that need is the crux of every purchasing decision. The same can … Continued

Organizing the Alphabet Soup: The Case for Universal Scheduling Applications

Traditionally, manufacturing support software has been developed in various packages–each type identified with a three-letter acronym. MRP, MRP II, CRP, ERP, MES – – -. And each type of support software aims to manage the activities that produce something over … Continued

Scheduling Backward is Looking Forward

It’s not always a race to the finish line. For manufacturing, the goal is to produce an order on time–but not too early. Why?   Finishing early creates an inventory that has to be stored and it creates an expense … Continued

Plan A Redefined (Until You Need Plan B)

Scheduling is creating a plan for the future. But how often does reality conform exactly to the plan? The original plan might offer the blueprint for an activity, but it offers little help for determining what to do when the … Continued

Where Does Schedule Chaos Originate?

If everything went according to plan, there would never be a need for rescheduling. But Murphy’s Law says that if things can go wrong, they will. Because of this, every good business owner knows the value of flexibility and that … Continued

The Best of Both Worlds

I’ve written a lot about Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. And I’m guessing that if you’ve come this far in the blog, we’re in agreement on their benefits to an efficient organization. So let’s take it one step further. In … Continued