Production Scheduling System Delivers $3M in Annual Savings

Client: Processed Goods Manufacturer  |  Industry: Processed Foods / Manufacturing  |  Services: Application Modernization, Data Intelligence, Productivity Improvement

The Situation

This processed goods manufacturer ran a multi-stage flow-shop operation — a production environment where raw materials move through a fixed sequence of processing stages, each performed by dedicated equipment. In theory, flow-shop operations are simpler to schedule than job shops because the routing is fixed. In practice, synchronization is the challenge.

Each stage in this client’s operation ran at a different rate, with different changeover times, different yield characteristics, and different sensitivity to input quality. When stages fell out of sync, the consequences cascaded: work-in-process inventory piled up between stages, in-process materials were wasted (critical in a processed goods environment where materials have limited shelf life), and operators spent time managing bottlenecks instead of optimizing throughput.

The existing process monitoring system tracked individual machine performance, but it had no scheduling intelligence — it could tell you what was happening on the floor, but it couldn’t tell you what should be happening or how to get back on plan when something went wrong.

What ADecTec Did

ADecTec designed and implemented a web-based machine scheduling system and integrated it with the plant’s existing process monitoring infrastructure. The scheduling system’s core function was to synchronize the multiple stages of the flow-shop operation — determining the optimal production rate, sequencing, and timing for each stage so that work-in-process inventory was minimized, material waste was reduced, and throughput was maximized.

Operators are notified the moment any stage drifts out of sync with the plan, enabling immediate corrective action. Operators and supervisors can monitor the operation and address situations from any location, improving response times in a multi-shift, multi-line environment.

The Outcome

The synchronized scheduling system delivered measurable improvements across every dimension of the operation. Work-in-process storage was reduced, directly lowering inventory carrying costs. Waste of in-process materials declined, improving yield and reducing raw material costs. Automated alerts shortened response times to production deviations. Remote monitoring extended operational oversight beyond the physical plant floor.