/ Smart manufacturing / Lean factory / Pull planning
Lowering WIP improves both order flow and cash flow. It also reduces the space needed for processing and minimizes employee downtime. With less need for frequent rescheduling, the planning department benefits from greater predictability. Our pull planning tool, based on QRM (polca) principles, is the ideal lean solution for any job shop environment.
Excessive intermediate stock (WIP) slows down order flow. Of course, you need to ensure there is enough capacity (people/machines) to reduce this stock. What definitely doesn’t make sense is to have supplying departments produce even more. Instead, this gives the supplying department more time to support other customer departments with the necessary supplies or assist the bottleneck department in eliminating the excess stock.
There is a method derived from the QRM methodology that helps manage excessive intermediate stock, particularly in job shop environments with a low mix/high volume. In this approach, each department works in a customer-oriented way, meaning you only produce something if the next department requires it. The key variable is production time (pre-calculation time), and you only produce for customers up to a set maximum amount of intermediate stock within a specific time frame. The maximum allowed intermediate stock in each department can be configured in our application.
Importantly, the employees executing tasks don’t interact directly with this algorithm; they simply follow a planning list that clearly indicates which order to start next. Planners still have control over the priority of orders, but they can no longer allow intermediate stocks to grow too high. The end result is a significantly smoother order flow, improving predictability, delivery reliability, and reducing inventory costs. Fewer adjustments are required to meet deadlines, and urgent orders move through the organization much more quickly.
- Complete control over intermediate stock levels (WIP).
- This boosts order flow and helps eliminate unnecessary waste.
- By targeting the right operations more effectively, you can enhance cash flow.
- The monitor highlights bottleneck processes, enabling you to implement targeted improvement actions to further increase order flow.
Working Digitally
Every employee always receives only the correct order information in a user-friendly way.
Monitor and control
You want to monitor daily operations and make immediate adjustments as needed.
Transparency in the office
Gain insight into how much your support and service departments can contribute to value-added activities.
Workload planning
A reliable output starts with the right input. Seek a smart solution that can continuously monitor and (re)schedule 1000+ orders.
Data-driven stand-up meeting
Always up-to-date operational data for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and People (SQDCP).
What you measure, you know
Let's integrate all production and logistics resources to enhance the order flow.
Pull planning
Prevent overproduction and high WIP in assembly and job shop environment.
Assembly
Prevent overproduction and high WIP in assembly and job shop environment.
Zero mistakes
Let’s optimize processes in a way that continuously minimizes the chance of errors
OEE measurement
Maximizing machine productivity starts with understanding the biggest disruptions and downtime.
Collaboration between human and machine
Let's integrate all production and logistics resources to streamline and enhance the order flow.
