Job scheduling is not just about assigning jobs to machines. At the same time, manufacturers need to manage material availability, machine capacity, labour availability, routing sequence, lead times and customer deadlines. ERP software UK introduces these factors to the integrated planning environment, enabling a flexible production schedule to react to the real world of operations.
For business owners, the aim is simple. Improve the utilisation of the business’s assets, and minimise delays, idle assets, overtime and missed delivery commitments.
Why production scheduling becomes difficult
With more product variants, more production stages and more order quantities, it becomes more difficult to schedule production environments. Several operations can be performed at different work centres on the same customer order, and each operation has to be performed in the previous one.
Some typical scheduling considerations are:
- Limited machine capacity
- Material availability
- Operator skills
- The set up and changeover time.
- Production priorities
- Maintenance windows
- Customer delivery dates
Schedules can be captured on the traditional spreadsheet but are unable to recalculate complex constraints if there are changes. Their planning control is where the integrated manufacturing software solutions work better.
Match the demand and production capability.
A good program starts with good demand data. No manual transfer of sales orders, forecast and confirmed delivery dates into production planning.
Convert orders into production requirements
An ERP platform can convert orders into manufacturing orders according to product structures, routing data, inventory status and due dates. The scheduling engine can then determine if available resources are able to handle the requested workload.
This empowers management to have a view of capacity pressures before they turn into operational issues. ERP software UK also can assist planners test different production dates and resource allotments without having to manually rebuild schedules.
Use finite capacity planning
Infinite capacity scheduling is based on the assumption that machines and labour are always available. In a real factory, that assumption leads to unrealistic plans for production.
Finite capacity planning takes into account the capacity of each work centre as it exists. If the machine is already busy, the system can shift another operation to a free time or to an alternative resource that is appropriate.
Manufacturers should keep the following things in mind when choosing manufacturing software solutions:
- Machine availability
- Working calendars
- Shift patterns
- Planned maintenance
- Operation duration
- Setup requirements
- Existing production commitments
The resulting schedules are more realistic based on the physical capabilities of the factory.
Intelligent production sequences management
The sequence of jobs to be processed may have a significant impact on throughput. Set up time may increase if frequent change in product or prioritising urgent orders may impact overall capacity utilisation.
Prioritize and switch between priorities
ERP scheduling can have policies on due dates, production priorities, operation dependency, and machine suitability. Planners can then find sequences that minimise the need for unnecessary changeovers without compromising key customer commitments.
For instance if materials or processes are similar, they can be grouped which may decrease set-up requirements. The schedule should, however, still adhere to the commitments of delivery dates and production dependencies, but not optimizing one measure alone.
Ensure materials are in sync with planned activities
Capacity available but not used due to the need for the material. Hence, production scheduling must have direct visibility of procurement and inventory.
Planners can use the schedule to identify if components are:
- Available in stock
- Set aside for another order
- Please expect the delivery via purchase order.
- Below safety stock
- Subject to delivery lead time.
This ensures that production orders are not scheduled without taking into account the readiness of materials. It is possible to link material planning with their scheduling on-site using ERP software UK, thereby identifying any material shortages before they interfere with production.
Be able to track changes in production in real-time
Changes are rarely made to production plans. Even if the schedule is optimal, machine breakdowns, absenteeism, quality control issues, rush orders, and late deliveries from suppliers can cause it to be unsound.
A connected ERP environment empowers planners to keep the operational data pertinent and re-evaluate downstream activities.
Reduce schedule disruption
The system can reveal dependencies between operations and identify activities that could be delayed, rather than having to check each affected work order manually. Planners can then reschedule jobs impacted by the delay, adjust priorities, or utilize alternative resources.
This responsiveness can be especially important for manufacturers in make-to-order or engineer-to-order situations where the manufacturing conditions can vary at any given moment.
Improve shop-floor visibility
With the ability to visualize the production floor, scheduling can be improved. The actual start times, quantities completed, downtime and units rejected can feedback to the planning system.
A modern manufacturing platform should be able to bridge the gap between scheduling and execution on the shop floor and allow for comparison of the planned and actual performance.
Key visibility areas are:
- This will be compared against actual production time.
- Work-centre utilisation
- Order completion status
- Delayed operations
- Bottleneck resources
- Production downtime
These insights will enable management to determine if the schedule assumptions are viable and where the capacity needs to be increased.
Make use of scheduling data for business decisions
The scheduling of production should not be a part of the operation without any management decisions. It can be used to help with capacity planning, outsourcing, workforce planning, and investment analysis.
When a specific work centre consistently becomes a bottleneck, management can consider other shifts, new equipment, subcontract, or re-engineer the process. Capacity strategy is therefore important too, and software solutions have a place in that too.
Production, inventory, procurement, and financial data can be interwoven into a single platform in Sowaan ERP to facilitate connected operational planning.
Conclusion
Coordinated decisions on demand, materials, capacity, labour, machines and production priorities are necessary for complex scheduling. ERP software UK will help you plan and control these dependencies more accurately, as it provides data integration capabilities.
To business owners, it’s about mitigating static production plans and building a responsive production floor that maximises resources, enhances delivery reliability, and helps to control production.