"I don't want to produce too early! I want backward scheduling to optimize my short term plan!"
From time to time, our customers are asking for this…And most of the time, it's caused by a mix of different processes.
My approach to address this typical requirement is split in Two phases:
- Phase One: Mid term planning.
I decide what to produce, when and with which capacity. The result will allow me to produce the right products with the right timing. It can be sequenced backward to minimize stock and maximize capacity or even forward if combined with the right parameters (like relevant lead time to manage proper WO earliest start date, load levelling parameters to minimize advanced production,…) .
(In DELMIA Ortems context, it can be addressed ideally with Manufacturing Planner but Production Scheduling can also be useful for some specific contexts like campaign optimization)
- Phase Two: Short term optimization.
If previous step is properly executed, you know what should be produced and when, building up a realistic load (about 100%). It's now time to maximize your resources usage.
We use forward sequencing / scheduling to perform this step in most of the cases. If we face a bottleneck in the middle of the process, there is a very valuable option (at grouping level) to sequence backward the upstream operations in order to minimize the WIP.
(In DELMIA Ortems context, it's mainly addressed with Production Scheduling but if the detailed sequencing is not required Manufacturing Planner with daily or shift load leveling can also cover customer use case)
Depending on industrial context and puzzle, DELMIA Quintiq offer can also address the same logic.
One word as a conclusion, it's important to take the right decision at the right time. Trying to fit many use cases in a single iteration might not be efficient as the decisions may have different process/granularity/frequency/owners.
