eFlex Systems | Production Scheduler - John Gnotek

Production Scheduler

One of the things many of eFlex's customers have asked for is the ability to easily schedule or edit production target amounts. Over the last couple of years, we have looked at this requirement from a number of ways—this simple solution shown above is what we finally arrived at—configuration right where needed, on the assembly line.

Early Production Scheduler concept

We had always discussed this or that configuration method and over the years have started pushing configurations front and center where possible. In this case (see below), it's at the station level on an assembly line.

Imagine you are running a station on an assembly line and your charge for the day is produce 200/ Model 1, 150/ Model 2, and 75/ Model 3. Midway through the day, you get alerted you immediately need 50/ Model 4s and up Model 3 to 100.

Traditionally, the station operator would have to contact an engineer to make the change, or it might have to be done in a corporate office through an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Manufacturing Execution System (MES) program. After a particular customer request, the design I presented instead is a simple counter on JEM, the digital work instruction monitor, with a Production Scheduler icon which when clicked, slides out a side panel with a simple configuration in which the line operator can immediately make the change—right where it matters. Or, if preferred someone from the office could bring any JEM station screen up and make changes remotely.

Shows 49 out of 275 Deluxe models have been made. Click the Production Scheduler icon to edit.

Configuration edits model selection and its description. Also displayed, is when a model production has started, the Target amount, as well as how many have been successfully produced and how many have been rejected. The configuration panel also allows changing the Target amount.

In addition, a model can instantly be reprioritized by simply dragging a row in the data grid to another position—as this mockup of an optional Production Scheduler screen illustrates.