Optimizing Manufacturing Flow With the Power of DPM and PFM

The Challenge of Developing Effective Delivery Schedules

While it is likely apparent to all manufacturers that having an effective delivery schedule is critical to running a successful business, it is also clear that creating a reliable delivery schedule is laden with challenges. Unplanned downtime, employee absenteeism, changing customer delivery needs, material defects, and dozens of other unexpected challenges take place throughout the workday. Reacting or responding to these challenges can sometimes feel impossible.

Introducing the Dynamic Production Method (DPM)

While the objective should be to minimize these interruptions, the reality is that these challenges will never be eliminated; unplanned events happen daily in most small to mid-size manufacturers. Let us introduce you to the Dynamic Production Method (DPM) – a methodology developed to focus on improving the visibility and response time to these challenges to protect manufacturing flow.

DPM begins with Pragmatic Planning. By incorporating realistic time protection for every job, DPM leaves room to adjust for inevitable delays, increasing flexibility and predictability across multiple jobs and enabling a reduction in overall lead times as performance increases. Simply stated, we need to treat the due date as a last resort for on-time delivery rather than the expectation.

The next step is to establish Proper Pacing. Reducing a manufacturer’s WIP volume has been consistently proven to shorten queue times. The right amount of WIP helps teams avoid unnecessary material shortages and makes it possible to focus on consistently keeping due date promises. The reality is when you release jobs into WIP at the RIGHT time it helps to avoid manmade constraints, bottlenecks, and material shortages.

Once Pragmatic Planning and Proper Pacing have been established, manufacturers can then deploy Predictive Prioritization. In short, Predictive Prioritization ensures your production employees are working on the jobs with the greatest risk of being late first!

PFM Utilizes the Core Principles of DPM

Protected Flow Manufacturing (PFM) builds upon DPM’s concepts, enhancing and extending its capability to improve and protect manufacturing flow. PFM leverages the core principles of DPM by prioritizing action based on the right decision drivers and realistic, flexible time protection. It advances this foundation into a sophisticated system that proactively monitors and adjusts manufacturing operations based on threat levels of lateness in real-time, adapting as conditions on the shop floor change. This dynamic adjustment encompasses responding to the availability of materials, people, and equipment, ensuring that the manufacturing process remains resilient and responsive to any situation.

The Advantages of Protected Flow Manufacturing

A well-planned delivery schedule helps manufacturers increase customer satisfaction, reduce delivery lead times, and increase profits. It will also help develop the type of reputation customers appreciate and could lead to increased revenue. For today’s manufacturers, it is even more essential that they deploy a system like PFM that dynamically monitors all these challenging conditions while visually displays a warning and the necessary adjustments needed in real-time based on the threat of an order being late.

While many manufacturers have tried to develop solutions or deploy one of the many scheduling tools available, Protected Flow Manufacturing (PFM) is the only product on the market today leveraging DPM principles in real-time. With PFM in place, manufacturers can protect the delivery promise they made to their customer while ensuring business operations run smoothly.

Take Action and Lead the Way in Manufacturing

Discover PFM’s game-changing approach by watching our short, insightful video. Learn how PFM revolutionizes shop floor scheduling ensuring on-time delivery and enhancing production efficiency. Then, register for our webinar to explore PFM’s full benefits and applications. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to transform your manufacturing process–and put your competition in the rearview mirror!