Some blogs say production planning and production scheduling are different processes. They say planning is what happens before manufacturing and scheduling is what happens during manufacturing.
It gets even more confusing when you read statements like this.
“Scheduling is necessary to create a production plan. Production plans aim to ultimately deliver on customer demand. The goal of a production schedule is to create the most efficient production plan possible.”
But in Australia and New Zealand we tend to mix the 2 terms (planning and scheduling) to mean one thing. Get stuff made.
Production planning technology and customers now
Production is at the heart of what it means to be a manufacturer. Without production, no finished goods would be made to sell to customers. The first production plans were simple. Factories were relatively small and produced a limited number of products in large batch sizes.
Today the technology surrounding production has evolved, as well as the products themselves. Customer expectations have also evolved.
Current technology offers more than a simple before, during and after manufacturing demarcation. ERP software can be seen as the before or office process and MES software can be seen as the actual production or factory side of this equation. But in reality, the ERP and MES talk to each other and the MES does manage scheduling and production but has additional features that support productivity.
Not only does MES software integrate with the office ERP to upload orders and manage production scheduling it also offers data that supports both the office and the factory. The factory is helped with OEE, labour resource and machine maintenance and the office is supported with quality and data analysis and insights into the manufacturing process.
Customers don’t really care whether you say production planning or scheduling – they just want quality products, on time and on budget. They just want manufacturers to get stuff made.
