Demand for improved performance in manufacturing requires that employee scheduling is also aligned with goals for greater efficiency. Although computer automation is found in almost every process in manufacturing operations, the most sophisticated tools used for workforce scheduling are usually spreadsheets. Since labor is one of the largest costs of operation in most manufacturing facilities, automatic scheduling stands out as an area where IT must focus.
Tugboat has successfully delivered an automatic labor scheduling solution to dynamic manufacturing operations for over six years and stands out as a pioneer in applying unique optimization technology to automatic labor scheduling. Tugboat’s automated employee scheduling enables the efficient allocation of this critical manufacturing resource.
Automated Labor Scheduling Hurdles
In every facility, scheduling is given the same tasks – assigning the correct employees to jobs and shifts, filling overtime, managing vacations, absences and training. Yet no two facilities run their scheduling operations alike. Tugboat solves this by tailoring the automatic scheduling software to the specific scheduling rules and policies that are found in each facility.
Automated Labor Scheduling Results
Tugboat begins with an industrial engineering analysis that documents the customer’s workforce scheduling process and organizes it into a rational order. The resulting document forms the foundation for a customer-specific work rules engine. On top of this, Tugboat’s employee scheduling application is organized into separate but highly integrated modules that automate overtime, manning, training, absences and vacations while all the associated data is stored in a unified database schema. When workforce schedules are automatically generated, the employee scheduling application verifies that employees with the correct skills are assigned and also grants or denies requests for overtime, days off, vacations and more.
Automated Workforce Scheduling – Automatic Overtime, Manning, Training and More!
Tugboat’s solution automates the entire workforce scheduling process and applies scheduling rules and policies in a manner that is absolutely consistent with the intention of the customer’s work rules as well as any labor contract that may be in place. Using today’s database tools, an application developed expressly for employee scheduling in the manufacturing workplace and a proprietary analysis process, Tugboat’s automatic workforce scheduling solution solves a conspicuous need and points to significant savings by eliminating both overmanning and unneeded overtime.
