Realtime Production Scheduling and Capacity Planning
• Published 9:00 AM EDT, Tue Jul 11, 2023
The production floor is one of the busiest places in a manufacturing company, where countless processes are executed simultaneously. Production planning - determining what and how much to do, and production scheduling - deciding who will perform the operations and when, are vital for the survival of the business. Even minor errors in capacity planning and scheduling can have a significant impact on the entire organization. While it is crucial to plan ahead and manage production, determining the best resource mix to meet production demands is intricate and often too difficult to be done manually.
This is where intelligent planning systems come into play. With the use of Intelligent production and scheduling software, manufacturers can meet client needs with shorter lead times and adapt quickly and intelligently to unforeseen changes.
How does Xeptagon IPS improve production scheduling?
Xeptagon IPS uses a proprietary AI-based production planning algorithm to generate intelligent production schedules that assure on-time delivery, reduced waste and optimal utilization, providing improved manufacturing process synchronization and better visibility of scheduling-related events and problems. Xeptagon IPS will schedule the production plan of your projects by considering multiple constraints and competing objectives and suggest all possible schedules with the time duration and total cost of employing each schedule.
Xeptagon IPS creates a digital twin of your factory that enables you to optimize your production schedules. Our software considers the following elements to develop intelligent production schedules that balance production capacity and workload, reduce bottlenecks, and ensure the timely delivery of products or services.
- Processing Time – The time required for machine set-up and operation of each of the tasks in the production process to convert the input fed to each machine into the desired output.
- Availability of Resources – The availability of raw materials, machinery, equipment and labour required for production within the selected timeline.
- Intermediate Stock – Materials or products left over from previous productions that are awaiting further processing and assembly that can be utilized for the new project.
- Production Capacity of Machines – The maximum possible output that can be produced and the concurrent output that can be handled by a certain machine.
Xeptagon IPS improves production scheduling by generating optimal plans and schedules that can be easily customized to adapt to changes in the environment or unforeseen events with the power of its artificial intelligence scheduling.
Benefits of Xeptagon IPS Scheduling
- Realtime Production Updates – You can monitor production data extracted from our IoT devices in real-time which are then analyzed into actionable insights. These analytics can then be used to optimize production scheduling and resource allocation, prevent downtime, and improve product quality. The centralized dashboard displays real-time production updates in a clear, intuitive format enabling you to quickly assess the status and make data-driven decisions based on real-time information.
- Reduction of Costs – The schedules are developed by the production planning AI to ensure optimal resource consumption, reducing idle time, minimizing production bottlenecks, and increasing overall productivity, resulting in cost savings. Our production scheduling system also reduces inventory levels by generating production schedules that align with customer demand enabling reduced storage costs and risk of obsolescence. With the optimization of the production process, costs associated with scrap and rework are also minimized.
- Time Savings - By streamlining production processes, delivery times are improved, and lead times are reduced, which will help your organisation to better meet customer demands. It also reduces miscommunications and errors that can waste time. With Optimal resource allocation for the project, the system reduces wait times, downtime, and idle time.
- Rush Order Handling – Handle rush orders seamlessly and ensure urgent needs are met efficiently and effectively. Reschedule existing jobs and allocate resources to jobs with tight deadlines while maintaining a high level of product quality. You can prioritize rush orders and adjust production schedules accordingly to reduce the risk of missing deadlines and improve customer satisfaction.
- Intermediate Stock Management – Effective management of intermediate stock ensures that production processes are not delayed due to shortages of materials, frees up working capital and improves overall productivity. Deliver products on time and in full and maintain a competitive edge with Xeptagon IPS.
- Handle Unforeseen Events and Machine Breakdowns – Proactively manage your production processes minimize downtime caused by unforeseen events. During unforeseen events such as machine breakdowns, Xeptagon IPS will reroute the production plans to keep the impact on delivery schedules minimum. In addition, monitor machine performance in real time with detailed insights and make informed decisions about your production schedules. Receive predictive maintenance alerts and schedule maintenance activities before any issues arise and find the root cause of the problems in the event of a breakdown. Keep your production schedules on track and meet your demands without any delays with Xeptagon IPS.
- Production Quantity Suggestion – Suggests production quantities that balance demand, inventory levels, lead times, machine capacities, and resource availability to optimize production efficiency and meet customer needs. Output quantities of each task are calculated for all feasible machinery, labour and other resource combinations and presented to assist you in making sound production decisions.
- Schedule Machine Maintenance Slots – Schedule routine maintenance activities and reserve specific machines for maintenance during specific time periods. Prevent machines from being scheduled for production during maintenance and reduce the risk of unplanned downtime caused by breakdowns. Reserve machinery for maintenance easily with just a few clicks for a proactive approach to machine maintenance and improve the reliability of your factory machinery.
- Easy to use User Interface-based Scheduler – With the intuitive design, the system allows you to quickly and efficiently input production requirements, set deadlines, and adjust schedules as needed. The system is designed with an easy-to-use user interface that simplifies the scheduling process and requires minimal training allowing you to focus on your core business activities.
Read more details about the Xeptagon Intelligent Production Scheduling (IPS) System here.
