The Delivery DatemesChallenge

PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY DATES When we work with the industry, we see many production system orientations: make-to-stock, make-to-order, assembly-to-order, engineering-to-order, as well as hybrid systems that mix these different orientations. It's quite common for some industries to select products with high demand and long life cycles to be produced for stock in order to reduce market resupply lead mes and gain production efficiency. While customized products, which don't have much continuous demand or have a very short life cycle (as in the fashion industry), are produced only to order. While the challenge of make-to-stock (MTS) is to produce in the right quantities to avoid obsolescence or high inventory costs, the challenge of make-to-order (MTO) is to deliver products quickly from the moment a customer places an order, without compromising production efficiency and, perhaps even more importantly, without delaying delivery! To be clear, the fact is that we have two delivery dates: the one the customer expects to receive the product and the one the industry commits to delivering it. Often, these dates are quite different. In some cases, there is no choice, and the customer will define the delivery date that the supplier must meet based on market requirements and standards. However, there are still cases where there is a dialogue between companies to define a definitive delivery date. This is where PPC plays a crucial role in improving customer service (or at least it should). production , ideally the PPC/PPC M department should MES responsible PPC this, as it is the area capable of analyzing all production variables (current production volume, materials, available resources, shifts, maintenance, tools, etc.) to determine when and how these orders will enter production. In many cases, we see companies working with fixed lead PPC mes promise mes dates, sometimes with standard values ​​for each and every product. However, reality shows that each product has specific manufacturing schedules and needs, which can mean that one product can be produced much faster than another, making it pointless for both to have the mes deadline. Therefore, it is recommended that methods and process engineering departments analyze and classify products appropriately according to the production effort required for each one. It's not problematic to work with fixed lead mes per product family, and if the products are similar, it's also not wrong to have a fixed lead time for all your products. This can be a very beneficial facilitator for the sales department. However, the PPC needs to analyze these orders that arrive for production, validate their on-time delivery, and have contingency processes in place for delays. Whether an order arrives without a delivery date, and the PPC will define it mes it on to the sales department for communication to the customer, or an order that arrives with a delivery date, and the PPC confirms whether or not it is possible to deliver that order on time, this department needs to do so in a manner consistent with the reality of the factory(s), otherwise, we'll be making a promise mes 're not sure we can keep. And there's nothing worse for a company's image, besides product quality factors, than failing to meet delivery deadlines. PROMISE WHAT YOU CAN DELIVER. It's in these times that technological support can give us the necessary support to avoid unnecessary delays and disruptions. To have a good delivery date promise process mes we need two things very well implemented and internalized by the industry areas: an agile communication and information process between the commercial and PPC , aligned with the company's commercial characteristics (1), as well as an accurate and reliable production scheduling system that can accurately assess production variables (2). [caption id="attachment_2067" align="aligncenter" width="547"]

Feasible Delivery Date Query in Preactor APS Software[/caption]To establish this process from the first point raised, it's necessary to understand whether the market requires immediate responses to demands or whether it's possible to standardize a process with time windows to perform bulk order analysis. For the first case, a higher level of automation is required, as orders will arrive dispersed over time and require fast, individualized feedback. This allows PPC to be more focused on generating business rules so this systematic process can occur without the need for a team member to be available at all times to promise deadlines. For the second case, where one can work with one- or two-shift deadlines for information feedback, a process with greater involvement between departments and scheduled simulations can be created to generate delivery dates for all orders received within a time window. This allows, in cases where there isn't enough production capacity, or where the factory's schedule needs to be more extensively modified to meet a specific need, a highly aligned dialogue and consensus can occur between sales and PPC to make decisions. Regarding the second important point, regarding a reliable production scheduling system, it's essential to consider that our factory(s) have a finite capacity, and that this isn't decipherable solely with machine/person load analyses. Rather, we need a system capable of handling a wide range of variables, from the machinery available for production, the synchronization between production operations, to critical tooling, labor, or even physical space constraints. Otherwise, confirming an order by looking at a spreadsheet or flipping a coin is mes as effective. To learn more about these systems and how they work, learn more about Preactor APS and contact NEO ! [noptin-form id=2822]