Jeremy Wiegman
In today’s marketplace, each industry has its own nuances and challenges to overcome in order to be successful. Those companies that can correctly identify the source of their challenges and effectively address the root cause of those challenges will be more profitable and viable in the marketplace.
Not long after World War II ended, W. Edwards Deming (a statistician, professor, and consultant) was sent to Japan and became instrumental in helping to rebuild the country. He did this by effectively teaching principles associated with quality control and manufacturing. His efforts led to Japan becoming a major economic engine on the world stage. Today, manufacturers look to the principles that made Japanese companies successful and are implementing those same principles.
One of the main principles that have become commonplace is a concept called Lean Manufacturing. In general terms, Lean Manufacturing is the process of recognizing and reducing as much waste as possible while becoming more efficient in the process. Waste can be considered almost anything, but usually is found in the form of scrap, excessive motion, increased inventory, long lead time, etc.
Another concept introduced into modern manufacturing is the idea of continuous improvement. As the term suggests, continuous improvement needs to be a process that is considered part of the journey versus a destination. In order for manufacturers not to stagnate on the successes of the past, manufacturers must always be looking to the future, understanding where they would like to go, then building a plan to get there. This often includes process improvement, cost reduction, and capital expenditures. The return on investment of these efforts often justifies the process of getting there.
Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement opportunities go hand in hand, driving results that spur the economic engine of the nation and world. One challenge that manufacturers feel in every industry all over the world is having the right access to the right information which allows decisions makers to make the right decision at the right time, especially when it comes to planning and scheduling. In many cases, production schedulers and planners are spending long hours per day/week reviewing orders, material, labor and equipment in an effort to provide a schedule to the shop floor, only to have it change as a result of newly acquired information. This dynamic plays out daily, creating stress, wasted time as well as chaos for all involved.
An effective method of addressing this continual chaos is to implement an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system. An APS system will utilize the information already available in the form of orders, jobs, material, equipment, labor and present a schedule based on set parameters. By utilizing the proper APS system, planners and schedulers will make more informed decisions, faster and with greater accuracy. This in turn reduces the amount of waste and chaos associated with “firefighting” due to last minute changes.
Planet Together is the Advanced Planning and Scheduling software package of choice. It has the functionality and versatility to address the specific needs of the many manufacturing industries today. Planet Together provides a visual view of each job, when it is scheduled to be completed and how the timing of each job relates to other jobs. It allows the scheduler to create what if scenarios to experiment with different scheduling scenarios. Planet Together also calculates KPI’s based on the schedule which helps planners and schedulers align the plan with corporate goals and objectives.
By implementing an Advanced Planning and Scheduling software, such as Planet Together, manufacturers will be taking one more step on the road of continuous improvement and lean manufacturing, which in the long run is the most effective way to go.
Check out our website at https://lsi-scheduling.com or contact us at info@lsi-scheduling.com for more information on how Planet Together can benefit your facility.