There is are a lot of differences between labor scheduling software and production planning systems including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) systems. Here’s a simplistic picture. An ERP system generates orders. In certain manufacturing operations these are run through an APS system which schedules an order sequence including dates and… Read more »
Posts By: Terry Schilling
The Unsung Heroes of Vacation Scheduling
It’s been an extremely hot summer here in Maryland with many days exceeding the 100 degree mark. While most people get excited talking about their vacation destinations, there is no rest for the folks that have to manage all that time off for large companies. They are the unsung heroes of summer. I’ve worked for… Read more »
Speeding the Implementation Process with Workforce Scheduling Solutions
One might think that the longest part of an implementation project for workforce scheduling would be the customization of the software. Our customers at Tugboat have taught us that more often it’s entering local data for job skills into the SOS system that holds up the “go live” date. So this spring, we added a… Read more »
Labor Waste – Over Use Of Temporary Workers
We recently completed work with a customer where we were able to reduce their overall cost of labor and measure the results as well. The goal was to reduce the use of temporary workers (Temps). Temps are an ideal resource when balancing the ups-&-downs of production demand with a finite labor capacity. Using Temps is… Read more »
We’re doing Fine – Why automate now?
At some point I’m usually asked “Why automate (the process) when our scheduler is already doing a good job?” It might seem counter-intuitive, but this is actually the best time to bring the tools of automation to bear. This is the time, before a talented scheduler moves-on to something else, to gather what they know,… Read more »
Automated Scheduling and Your Union
New approaches to managing the workforce can be unsettling to your line employees. Change is often a tough pill to swallow. Automating your scheduling process, by definition, can appear de-humanizing – ‘I’m scheduled by a black box!’ Actually, if handled correctly, union members come to embrace this technology. Why? Because it is consistent (fair) in… Read more »