Orchestrate Your Manufacturing Process Through Advanced Production Planning & Scheduling Erp

A production schedule is a process of syncing and planning the steps involving manufacturing processes. So the order processes are completed in an as efficient and orderly manner as possible.

According to Wikipedia, production scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling, and optimizing works and workloads in the manufacturing process. Scheduling is used to allocate machinery resources, plan production processes and human resources, and purchase materials.

Simply put, it is nothing but streamlining the production processes efficiently. Production scheduling can have a significant impact on the efficiency of a process.

The main objectives of production scheduling in manufacturing are to:

• Balance demand and supply
• Ensure the product's availability according to customer demands
• Avoid unnecessary inventory
• Keeping the production time and cost to a minimum
• Taking decisions on the production facility
• Maximizing the operational efficiency
• Minimizing costs

Read Also: Why Choose a Centralized Database for Your ERP?

Why production scheduling ERP?

In manufacturing businesses, production and manufacturing often operate on strict schedules. Sometimes, orders come in simultaneously. Manufacturers need to plan their production schedule.

However, production scheduling is actually at the core of a process manufacturing business. At any given time, a process manufacturing business needs to know:

• What needs to be produced
• When it needs to be produced
• How many total resources will be required as input to finish this?
• Calculating time required for both by resource and the complete task

That's where the need for production scheduling comes in. Here production scheduling helps process manufacturing businesses by providing exact time schedule, available commitment date, and quantities.

It also denotes what the business should produce in specific configurations, dates, and quantities. If necessary, it considers forecasting, production planning, backlog, availability of capacity, material availability, etc.

Production Scheduling in ERP Software

The lack of automated planning tools hinders the rapid flow of manufacturing activities. This forces businesses to spend lots of time creating a schedule using paper, excel sheets, and so on for store floor activities.

This is not only time-consuming but unreliable as well. However, a production scheduling ERP leads to efficient scheduling because it is precise, reliable, and updated. An ERP software basically does more than just production scheduling.

It does a lot for process manufacturing beyond just planning and scheduling module. An ERP software monitors, tracks, and keeps updated on any real-time supply chain events.

So, businesses can quickly and efficiently adapt to changing customer needs and delivery requirements. An ERP software features Master Production Scheduling (MPS) and Material Requirement Planning (MRP) modules.

These modules provide material and production planning suggestions depending on the supply and demand. Instead, it ensures that batches are efficiently designed to meet present and future requirements.

Besides, materials are optimally available to continue production without shutdown or shortage. Furthermore, data plays an essential role in well-organized planning. With ERP software, one can get access to vital business data.

Thus, it becomes easier to plan business operations considering orders inventory levels, sales forecasts, warehouse transfers, inbounds, deliveries, expiries, etc. ERP system further helps businesses to perform analysis.

So they can set the maximum schedule that fulfills the customer demands and their business goals. A production scheduling ERP software leads a manufacturing business to

• Be demand-driven
• Make the best use of available resources
• Meet on-time delivery
• Minimize cycle times
• Reduce inventory costs
• Maximize plant floor quantity
• Cut wastage, etc.

How is Production Scheduling Handled within ERP Software?

ERP software uses color codes to create work order status and facilitates drag and drop redesign. This allows efficient manufacturing processes. In process manufacturing, ERP software has solid capabilities for production scheduling.

It provides the flexibility needed to adjust to a changing market, altered quantities, variations in product types, etc. Production scheduling within the ERP system can help increase efficiency in three ways.

• Integration of schedule systems

For batch process manufacturing, an ERP gives company stakeholders the ability to access important information at their fingertips. Instead of searching for information over multiple spreadsheets, they can get it at the touch of a button.

An ERP shares data in real-time. So the employees quickly get the information to monitor quality control, manage customer relationships, and access financial information. It eliminates the need for an information silo.

• Dependence on high-quality data

Cleansing the data is essential for successful production scheduling. This highlights the phrase, "garbage in, garbage out." When the information is entered correctly, it will eliminate planning errors.

However, manual handling of production scheduling is cumbersome. There is a possibility of inaccurate data, which can hinder success. Using ERP software ensures the correct data in a suitable situation.

• Connect to a Warehouse Management System (WMS) system

When production scheduling within ERP is used in conjunction with a WMS, it simplifies inventory activities. These activities include planning, organizing, and controlling resources.

It ensures all areas are organized with items in their proper place. Thus, there is less chance for any errors. Above all, it provides products are shipped on the correct dates in the correct quantities.

Final Words

Hitherto, you must have understood how important production scheduling ERP is for the process manufacturing business. If you are still using manual production scheduling in your manufacturing business, it's time for a change. Upgrade your production scheduling within an ERP software solution now.