That’s a big number- it actually is larger than the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy! It represents the dollar amount of unfilled orders in an average month in the US. It’s half of the national GNP and its impact on the profitability of US manufacturers is huge. This cost impact is felt… READ MORE

Think You Need to Master Shop Floor Scheduling? Think Again

With the smorgasbord of ERP and APS-based scheduling options available today, why are so many manufacturers still relying on whiteboards and spreadsheets? Because even with all their bells and whistles, these scheduling systems fall far short in their claim to “better shop floor scheduling.” From inherent lag to unreliable estimates, ERP and APS-based scheduling software are… READ MORE

The Only Shop Floor Scheduling Best Practice That Truly Matters

Managing manufacturing production is hard, and it’s just one aspect of managing a shop floor. You have due dates to hit and a million variables to consider, whether it’s resource availability, material management, or expedited customer orders dropping in out of sequence. Whether you thought your traditional ERP scheduling module would optimize your shop floor… READ MORE

Let’s Travel: The Importance of Tracking Progress on the Shop Floor

Tracking progress on the Shop Floor can help to adjust to changing production scheduling conditions as they occur in real-time. In the previous article in this series (part 3 of 5), we talked about the importance of planning. By way of example, we planned an ordinary drive to work. We then discussed the implications of our… READ MORE

6 Common Production Scheduling Mistakes Manufacturers Make

Effective shop floor production planning and execution is a tough gig. While there isn’t a shortage of technology or methods to help shops plan for an ideal production picture — execution is another ballgame entirely. From failing to account for real-time conditions to expecting a scheduling algorithm to magically solve all of your production problems,… READ MORE

The future is happening right now at Graphicast!

EASTECH 2017 — Jaffrey, NH — May 16, 2017 — Graphicast, Inc., innovative casting producer for medical equipment and other industrial users is dealing with a “problem” many companies would love to have – a sudden, unexpected influx of new orders! According to Val Zanchuk, Graphicast President, “We have been a Visual ERP user for shop… READ MORE