Production scheduling is part of the process of digitization of factory production processes, born with the concept of Industry 4.0, which now permeates the activities of companies in Italy and around the world to make them more efficient and cost-conscious.
Basic Principles of Scheduling
In industrial manufacturing processes, we talk about production scheduling and process scheduling (a word derived from the English Schedule) and refers to how work and processes are timelined one after the other. Creating a project schedule is about getting timelines and deadlines in order, starting with a schedule that limits delays and stop-and-go production as much as possible.
Industrial production scheduling and the basic steps to follow
- Divide the activity into phases: within large projects and processes, it is important to be able to break down the entire process into many individual steps, to “disassemble” the entire life cycle, which is by itself very complex, into micro sections that are easier to control.
- Define key steps: each process has its own project milestones, which can be easily identified and measured
- Involve teams: offering the total picture enables understanding the entire production process and why certain specifications are required
- Define the who-does-what: it is crucial that each resource knows its role, activity, and timing.
In a nutshell, scheduling means:
- Minimize production costs
- Maximize production efficiency
- Develop activities with flexible scheduling.
The scheduler operates by taking into account everything that is happening at any moment, including changes, and how the various components of the process interact, such as orders coming in, available raw or processed materials, and other downstream and upstream production process variables.
Production scheduling with MES
The MES (Manifacturing Execution System) is the computerized system that manages and controls the company’s production activities. It links the various stages, starting from orders, through production and warehouse, in detail:
- Collects data
- Controls the various moments of production
- Adjusts the resources involved
- Monitors the machinery and the product at its production stages
all aimed at optimizing the end result.
Discover more about how in sedApta we optimize these processes with the Web Supply Engine to achieve collaborative management of warehouse and supply activity that can contain costs and generate strategic business benefits.
You may be interested in learning more about the Resource & Supply Planning.