Participants Will Learn...

Some Basics

• Lean Manufacturing and what it requires from scheduling.

• How to clarify conflicting scheduling objectives.

• To measure and track scheduling performance.

Inventory, Capacity, & Backlog

• The role of inventory in Lean Manufacturing.

• How scheduling can reduce the financial demands that inventory makes on your company.

• Why excess capacity can be profitable.

• How to determine utilization goals.

• Why capacity decisions are strategic and NOT financial.

• Make-To-Stock, Make-To-Order, or Assemble-To-Order.

Forecasting

• The limitations of forecasting and how to overcome them.

• How to guard against forecasting surprises.

The Science Behind Scheduling

• Scheduling Dynamics, Chaos and feedback.

• Why scheduling and inventory systems go berserk from chaos, oscillation and instability.

• How the Theory of Constraints improves scheduling.

Rationalized Lot Sizing

• How to calculate the best Lot Sizes. 

• Why small lots ease planning & reduce inventory.

Production Scheduling Methods

• About six basic scheduling methods and where they apply:

►Direct Link

►Broadcast

►Kanban

►Period Batch Control

►Re-Order Point (ROP)

►Materials Requirements Planning (MRP)

• How Kanban simplifies MRP and improves performance.

• To simplify, streamline & integrate MRP.

Developing Your Strategy

• How to select the optimum method for each process and each product group.

• About integrating various methods into a comprehensive scheduling strategy.

• How to develop an implementation action plan.

Program Outline

1. Introduction

What Is Scheduling?

Identify Your Objectives

How To Measure Performance

2. Forecasting

The Components of A Forecast

Forecasting Methods

How Good Is Your Forecast?

 3. Inventory, Capacity & Backlog

 Inventory Record Accuracy

The Role of Inventory

Capacity

How To Measure & Define Capacity

What Capacity Should You Provide?

What Is Backlog?

Backlog, Inventory, & Capacity

Make-To-Stock, Make-To-Order, or Assemble-To-Order?

 4. Lot Sizing

What Lot Size Should You make?

How Lot Size Affects Scheduling & Inventory

5. Theory of Constraints (TOC)

Marching Exercise

The Corrupting Effects of Variability 

How To Apply TOC

6. The Dynamics of Production Systems

The Beer Game

Instability & Chaos

 7. Six Production Control Methods

What Is Kanban?

Exercise: Operating A Kanban System

How To Design A Kanban System

Re-Order Point (ROP, Min-Max)

Materials Resource Planning (MRP/ERP)

How Does MRP/ERP Work?

The Hazards of MRP/ERP

How To Make MRP More Effective

Integrating MRP/ERP With Other Methods

 8. Putting It Together

Developing Your Strategy

The Hierarchy of Methods