Without the right planning and scheduling tools on hand, a shop floor could spiral out of control. This in turn could have the domino effects of overworked employees, incorrect stock monitoring and overspending to make it up to clients who have been affected by internal manufacturing issues. Such a need for a robust planning and scheduling system is what prompted the creation of tools like Global Shop Solutions’ Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) software.
What’s at risk when a planning or scheduling tool isn’t implemented with manufacturing processes? From a scheduling standpoint, if orders can’t get fulfilled efficiently, every proceeding client order afterwards could be at risk of suffering a delay. Then necessary stock and materials would need to be express-ordered in-house to prevent damage to customer relationships, wasting more money.
From a planning point of view, improvements in manufacturing efficiency can’t be made if feedback and data gathered from internal systems isn’t collated into an easy-to-understand format.
According to Global Shop Solutions, some of the most effective planning and scheduling tools will be user-friendly; for example, making it easy to comprehend the new software with a drag-and-drop scheduling system. Alongside providing a simple user experience, the right planning and scheduling tool will also recommend where efficiency improvements could be made.
Once an effective planning and scheduling tool, like Global Shop Solution’s APS, has been implemented within a firm’s manufacturing processes, leadership could expect to see an injection of important data insights. If acted upon, these insights could ultimately result in firms becoming more agile and adaptable, saving time and money while improving overall customer service. Having real-time data directly from the shop floor could make it easier for companies to identify when and where to enact change to enhance processes, which could result in improved manufacturing for an entire business.
