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Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$er
July 2017 #10216 Page #24
PRODUCTION SCHEDULING PROBLEMS T
here is nothing like the scheduling of orders to bring out the worst in people. Timely delivery of orders naturally creates a division between salespeople on one side of the issue and production on the other. Management normally plays the role of referee, with a tendency to favor the salespeople. Management and salespeople have the common goal of maximizing sales, which increases the commission for the salespeople and produces profits that satisfy management’s goals. Production has one goal: work steadily to produce the orders at a reasonable cost. This process can cause a lot of problems when production cannot process the orders requested. When the orders are failing to meet the timeline established, what are the most common problems affecting the process? Each organization experiences the same types of problems, but they handle them differently when scheduling becomes an issue. Strangely, this problem with the scheduling of orders typically falls into the same pattern. Each group within a company feels it is somehow unique and that scheduling is always some “other” department’s problem. If you want to resolve this issue in your company, then look at the four primary issues that affect scheduling.
1. The scheduler cannot say no. This is by far the worst culprit and creates the most problems. A scheduler knows that he has overbooked the production levels, but either he cannot tell the salespeople “No,” or he tells them “No” and upper management overrules him, insisting that the schedule should stay overbooked. I personally have been on both sides of this issue. If management cannot understand that production has limits, then this is a dead issue: your company will never face up to the reality that it cannot be everything to everybody. What will happen, if it hasn’t already, is that customer relations will devolve, because you will fail too many times when your production hits its ceiling. If you’re the manager, it is a difficult thing to admit, but sometimes you may be causing the scheduling problems. PHONE: 800-289-5627
Sometimes it is the person you have scheduling who simply cannot say the word “No.” I have found that if the scheduler was or is a salesperson, he has a much harder time saying, “No can do.” He must understand that production cannot pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat and produce more orders simply when asked. If production has had a habit of actually being able to do that in the past, then it is more than likely that the production scheduling level has been set too low. Tell the salespeople that, if they want to move an order up, they have to find something to push out. Keep in mind, however, that if one order is being moved up and another one is being moved out, this change cannot interfere with current production. Think of the order process in a production facility as a train leaving the station. Each car tied to the locomotive represents an order. If you want to replace one of the cars after the train has already left the station, the change will affect all of the other cars.
2. Scheduling the maximum amount of production every week. Are you not allowing for any problems or rush orders? History will show you what your production levels are averaging each week. Let’s say your limit is 100 units per day. Does your schedule show that you are booked for four weeks with 510 units every week? Yes, orders may be delayed after they have been scheduled for whatever reason, but you are not allowing for rush orders or production problems. We all make mistakes, and some orders have to be put ahead of others, but your scheduling does not allow for this. Equipment breaks down, and people do not show up to work, so you have to allow for fluctuations in production levels. Have you ever realized how much easier it is to ask a customer if he wants his order quicker than ask if he minds a delay? Try it a few times; you will sleep better at night because you have happy customers.
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