In a manufacturing shop of any size, it's critical to have the right resources in the right places at the right time. However, coordinating all of these moving parts is a major challenge that manufacturers face on a regular basis. Scheduling processes and tools have significantly improved over the years to help organizations arrange, control and optimize workloads. Let's take a look at a few of the ways that manufacturers can improve their scheduling:

1. Understand the entire supply chain

The manufacturing supply chain is much like a complex dance, where different elements work together to deliver a singular product. Manufacturers must work with suppliers and distributors to have the right materials on hand and deploy the completed goods. In order to make accurate scheduling forecasts, organizations must understand how each part of the supply chain works and how it operates. The Houston Chronicle contributor Susan S. Davis suggested that manufacturers can use this knowledge to make the supply chain more efficient and create better scheduling plans. Businesses must align their scheduling considerations with their partners to get requests in on time and ensure that they receive the services they need.

2. Map out processes and potential risks

A typical manufacturing shop is made up of a variety of steps and processes, but these should all be standardized to ensure that tasks are completed the same way every time. This will help uphold quality standards and enable operators to reliably predict how long jobs will take. According to the Business Development Bank of Canada, manufacturers should map out their processes in the order that they happen and incorporate the average time it takes to finish. It's important to consider that not all steps will happen in a sequence; some may occur at the same time. This type of overview will be useful for standardizing timelines and establishing future routings.

In addition to processes, operators should also consider the potential risks involved with each step, and the time it might take to address it. Collecting historical information on similar experiences can help put in controls to eliminate or minimize issues that may emerge. This can improve scheduling considerations and overall planning capabilities.

3. Utilize capable tools

Workers can only do so much on their own. With the right tools, manufacturing staff can significantly bolster their scheduling processes. Pairing ERP and inventory management solutions can be critical to keeping tabs on available resources and ensuring that decision-makers have a full picture of progress across their projects. These tools can also generate reports concerning how long it took to complete a job as well as the flow of materials throughout the organization. Metrics like these will help inform scheduling decisions for the future.

Being able to coordinate resources across every part of the manufacturing process is important, and scheduling can help accomplish this. With the right tools, standardized steps and an understanding of the supply chain, businesses can improve their scheduling capabilities and make their operations more efficient.