Manufacturing Scheduling Software & Production Scheduling Systems

The PIMSS production software provides advanced planning and optimization capability for operations where the principles of lean manufacturing planning are vital for success in a competitive environment. PIMSS integrates demand planning, capacity planning and line scheduling capability to provide a complete solution across all production planning time frames, ranging from long term strategic level optimization of production capacities to real-time dynamic manufacturing scheduling at a detailed level. For more information please click on the following links:

• Manufacturing Scheduling & Production Planning Software
• Real-time Manufacturing Planning Software
• Capacity Planning Software
• Manufacturing Resource Planning & Enterprise Resource Planning
• 'What-if' Scenario Modelling for Production Planning & Scheduling
• Lean Manufacturing Software

MJC²'s manufacturing software PIMSS is the fastest production scheduler currently available in the market. PIMSS is capable of automatically planning and optimizing very large manufacturing operations at record speeds and its flexibility enables it to model highly complex production processes accurately without the need for approximation or compromise.

The business objectives of PIMSS (Process Industry Manufacturing Scheduling System)-based solutions are to maintain high customer service levels in terms of order fulfillment and stocking levels while ensuring that manufacturing efficiency is not compromised. PIMSS is focused on scheduling highly complex manufacturing operations which may process thousands of products in an environment where minimising changeovers and balancing resource usage are vital. The system is particularly applicable to operations which produce short shelf-life or fast-turnover goods against a backdrop of tight order fulfillment windows and increased demand for flexibility from the customer.

The system takes into account:

• Actual or forecast product demands by customer and due date(s);
• Actual or forecast demand for own label products;
• Ideal stock levels, taken as a constraint or calculated by PIMSS;
• Raw material/blending process requirements, as a constraint or calculated by PIMSS;
• Labour requirements, shift patterns, and break cover, taken as a constraint or calculated by PIMSS;
• Process capacities and throughputs by product or product type, links to secondary processes, packing/bottling areas, machines and any associated constraints;
• Work in progress constraints, intermediate products (core blends), inter factory movement, on-line and off-line packing; and
• All changeover times and constraints (e.g. product mix changes, formers and pack size, packaging material, product type etc.).

Taking account of these and various other constraints and rules as required, PIMSS produces an integrated and detailed schedule for the manufacturing operation covering time intervals from one shift to several weeks (thus providing the opportunity to balance resource usage). The system is fully configurable and may be used to model highly complex, interdependent production lines.

PIMSS is a fast and responsive computer integrated manufacturing software solution, allowing dynamic rescheduling to take place when, for example, a machine breaks down, orders are revised or other deviations from the plan occur. The system is driven by a user-friendly graphical interface and integrates easily with existing databases. All reports, which can be both graphical and tabular, can be customised to meet the business needs of the user.

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The power and flexibility of PIMSS enable it to tackle the most challenging scheduling and optimization problems in the manufacturing environment. In addition to providing strategic and tactical level planning capabilities, PIMSS is fast enough to schedule complex operations in real-time. For businesses that need to operate with minimal inventory levels while maintaining high customer service it is vital that the planning process is not a constraint on the agility of the operation. PIMSS's ability to automatically reschedule very large operations in a matter of seconds enables it to respond dynamically to new customer orders or operational issues while maximising the efficiency of the production process.

The PIMSS toolset includes a suite of powerful optimization algorithms that have been designed to tackle real-world planning and scheduling problems. These algorithms enable PIMSS to respond quickly to new events such as last minute customer orders, breakdowns or raw materials shortages. PIMSS integrates with corporate databases and/or ERP systems to obtain live updates about orders and stock positions. PIMSS can also interface to production scheduling control systems (e.g. SCADA) to obtain real-time data about actual production performance. For distributed or Just in Time (JIT) manufacturing operations PIMSS is not only capable of modelling the complexities of inter-line, inter-site or customer-supplier relationships, but can also schedule dynamically in response to events along the supply chain.

Reducing resources used per unit of output is the goal of all world class manufacturing companies and it is a goal that we share with our clients. Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) are critical elements in the competitive strategy of lean manufacturing firms, delivering lower costs while improving delivery times and maximising quality. The PIMSS software includes computer aided manufacturing optimization tools for lean manufacturing planning and capacity planning. The scheduling program is fast and responsive, allowing PIMSS to schedule large and complicated manufacturing operations in seconds while taking into account all business constraints and rules.

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PIMSS's capacity planning toolsets provide tactical and strategic planning and scheduling of the manufacturing operation over extended timescales. PIMSS has the flexibility to model specific operational constraints, ensuring that capacity plans and "rough-cut" schedules are still accurate enough to be of use for planning purposes. The system takes actual or forecast orders as input and automatically generates production schedules and inventory requirements based on production capacity. Capacity planning constraints can be modelled taking account of factors such as line throughput, labour availability, raw materials availability, planned preventative maintenance, seasonal profiles, transport constraints, etc.

Capacity planning can take place over days, weeks, months or years depending on the requirements of the business. The timescale and degree of granularity of the capacity plan is configurable, ensuring that PIMSS optimises according to the requirements of the business. PIMSS provides a powerful graphical user interface which displays the schedule in the form of gantt charts, histograms or tabular reports, depending on the preference of the user. The system includes flexible analysis and reporting tools to enable users to quickly assess the schedule and identify potential opportunities or issues.

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PIMSS is an enterprise-level manufacturing resource planning and production optimisation system. Demand planning, capacity planning and line scheduling are integrated to ensure that all aspects of the operation are optimised. PIMSS is readily integrated with other enterprise resource planning systems or with process control or process automation systems, enabling real-time exchange of information between the manufacturing planning system and other enterprise control systems. In a computer integrated manufacturing environment PIMSS can interface with corporate databases to receive or send live information about production plans and manufacturing schedules in real time.

PIMSS is often used in conjunction with our eStock (inventory control) and iData (demand forecasting) modules. Alternatively, PIMSS can be integrated with third party demand planning or forecasting systems, taking forecast demand or inventory requirements as an input and automatically generating production schedules or manufacturing plans which in turn can be automatically transmitted to process control systems.

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Computer aided manufacturing software is vital for successful control of the lean manufacturing process. The PIMSS scheduling program has the ability to plan for the future needs and dynamics of the manufacturing business, answering questions such as:

• What if demand planning shows a need for increased production capacity?
• What if I use a new raw material supplier?
• What if labour work patterns are to be modified?
• What if process automation leads to increased capacity?
• What if I install a new automated production facility?
• What if new process control software is implemented?

PIMSS 'what if' planning, working independently of the live operation, can schedule and optimize the manufacturing process, taking all these 'what if's and more into account. These new factors can then be confidently integrated into the live lean manufacturing environment with the knowledge that they have been analysed extensively.

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PIMSS is ideally suited to complex manufacturing processes. It is a state-of-the-art computer aided manufacturing software solution which can help your business in its drive towards lean manufacturing. Optimization can typically be performed in seconds and PIMSS supports 'what if' capacity planning in addition to day-to-day scheduling activities. PIMSS provides user-friendly graphical tools for data entry, manual scheduling and reporting alongside its powerful optimization engine.

PIMSS offers a complete manufacturing planning and production scheduling solution, providing functionality such as:

• Line scheduling and production planning
• Capacity planning
• Tactical and strategic decision support
• Integrated maintenance scheduling
• Labour planning and employee scheduling
• Complex process control and process automation modelling for lean manufacturing operations
• Advanced 'what if' scenario modelling capabilities in a computer integrated manufacturing environment
• Process control optimization

The PIMSS toolset allows the manufacturing business process to be planned, managed and optimized in an integrated way. PIMSS addresses all aspects of production optimization, ranging from long-term strategic capacity planning through to dynamic process control and scheduling.

The PIMSS scheduling and planning software gives companies the lean manufacturing competitive advantage they need. Computer aided manufacturing software drives the optimization of the production process, providing the control required for effective planning and resource management. The powerful scheduling algorithms reduce wastage in the manufacturing process, while the independent 'what if' environment allows long-term capacity planning and analysis of trial configurations. Using PIMSS in a computer integrated manufacturing environment greatly improves customer service levels while simultaneously increasing efficiency and maximizing output.

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