Why Are So Many Manufacturers Still Firefighting Their Production Schedules?
Manufacturing scheduling should be the beating heart of production – ensuring every order is completed on time, machines are fully utilised, and waste is minimised.
Instead, for many businesses, it’s a constant battle.
Last-minute changes, supply chain disruptions, and shifting priorities mean planners spend more time firefighting than optimising. Despite automation in nearly every other aspect of manufacturing, scheduling still relies on outdated methods
Why Is Scheduling Stuck in the Past?
The core issue is over-reliance on manual processes and intuition.
- Spreadsheets still dominate. Many manufacturers still use Excel or homegrown scheduling systems that lack real-time adaptability.
- Traditional APS tools can’t keep up. While APS systems introduced structure, they still rely heavily on human intervention to finalise schedules.
- Scheduling depends too much on key individuals. When an experienced planner leaves, their knowledge and intuition leave with them.
- Decisions are subjective and slow. Schedulers often make gut instinct decisions without knowing if a better schedule exists.
The Hidden Cost of Poor Scheduling
A suboptimal schedule doesn’t just waste time – it impacts the bottom line.
- Excess waste – Poor scheduling leads to underutilised machines, unnecessary inventory buildup, and lost production time.
- Unnecessary costs – Last-minute changes cause overtime, expedited shipping, and excessive setup time.
- Increased downtime – If schedules don’t optimise machine sequencing and labour, unnecessary production downtime can occur meaning delivery deadlines suffer.
- Customer dissatisfaction – Late deliveries and inefficiencies create unreliable service, damaging relationships with customers.
Does Scheduling Have to Be This Difficult?
What if scheduling didn’t have to be a reactive, manual
process?
What if businesses could:
- Analyse thousands of scheduling scenarios in minutes?
- Make scheduling decisions based on data, not gut feel?
- Optimise production automatically to reduce waste and increase efficiency?
In our next blog, we’ll explore how AI is reshaping manufacturing scheduling – solving these challenges once and for all. Stay tuned.
