Manufacturing planning in industry and logistics

• manufacturing planning - a definition
• Use in the industry
• Use in logistics
• Work planning & work control
• Benefits of good manufacturing planning
• Limits of manufacturing planning
• manufacturing planning using software

What is manufacturing planning?

The collective term manufacturing planning includes all frequently occurring measures for the production of products, product parts, and complete assemblies. It thus creates and controls the conditions under which the entire production process follows.

This includes commissioning the production, supplying the required material, logistical, scheduling, and personnel planning and the subsequent storage and removal of the finished products. Mostly this work is done by using special software for manufacturing planning.

manufacturing planning in the industry

In industry, long-term planning of complete production and assembly systems in companies and building and factory planning are especially important working areas of manufacturing planning. manufacturing planning software is an indispensable tool for these complex work stages which include both technical, organisational, and economic aspects.

Strategists, architects, and other employees use sophisticated manufacturing planning software to consistently and comprehensively plan and illustrate production processes and operations. The required resources, costs, and materials can thus be identified early on.

manufacturing planning in logistics

manufacturing planning is also an integral part of logistics to plan comprehensive transport processes in advance and to take into account all the necessary costs, times, and professionals. The timing is especially very important here.
The timely and interlocking logistical processes such as deliveries, transport routes, and shipments to railway stations, airports, and container ports can be organised accurately with this software. Production flow from ordering to the assembly to delivery and the related material flow analysis are also components of this type of virtual planning.

Which areas of responsibility does the preparation work include?

Generally work preparation includes all preparatory measures for the production of a product in the company.

Since this area is extremely extensive and complex, work preparation is divided into two elements:

1. Work planning
2. Process planning

All measures that occur once and long-term planning of the entire production system in the company are included in work planning. Work planning thus includes key elements such as the selection of appropriate production processes, an optimised material flow, detailed cost planning, and suitable design of PRTs.

Three main tasks are included in the area of process planning:

• Inventory control and material supply
• Scheduling and capacity planning
• Production control

In practice, the amount of work preparation can vary widely depending on the company. In the area of customised work, planning activities play a much greater role than in the production of series products. In this area, process planning is the decisive factor. The main task is the development, establishment, and continuous optimisation of existing processes.

What tasks can manufacturing planning take on in the areas of industry and logistics?

manufacturing planning takes on important tasks in both industry and logistics. This begins with selecting the appropriate production processes and extends over the planning of material costs and localities to the organisation of the means of production. The acquisition of necessary machinery and technology and programming such as for the CNC controller can be calculated to the smallest detail by means of manufacturing planning software.

This is followed by the preparation of work plans, i.e. planning processes, timing, and the personnel appointed. Capacity planning, shop floor control, and material planning are also important components of the initial planning stages.

What advantages does manufacturing planning include?

Versatile and sophisticated manufacturing planning software is critical for consistent and correct organisation of processes. With this program, all factors of production can be considered in advance, such as personnel expenses, the material, required production and working hours, management, costs, and logistical processes.

Furthermore, planners and architects can use it to design and simulate various scenarios in order to make comparisons, e.g. - financial, time or process-dependent - and play through any emergency scenarios. This means damage and additional costs can be avoided to a great extent and alternative solutions are determined.

What are the limits of manufacturing planning within industry and logistics?

Production control supports the production immensely, but cannot consider all factors. Your limits are in a final process model, because many components can be considered only vaguely. Emergencies such as technical problems or personnel strikes (short-term) or market-based changes (medium-term) can always only be approximate components.

Comprehensive and realistic planning data should therefore always be used. Personal experience and a good basis for research are also ways to reduce limitations of the software and keep deviations low.

manufacturing planning using software

The great advantage of manufacturing planning using software is the ability to get to the point of complex processes and clearly outline them. Other departments, locations, and contacts, such as accounting, management, marketing, logistics, etc. can thus quickly and easily view and understand production processes and their requirements.

Many physical variables in this complex picture are also involved, whether timing, temperatures, volume, dimensions, speeds, or consumption levels. manufacturing planning plays an especially important role in terms of energy management and sustainability.

How is manufacturing planning done with software from tarakos?

The software from Tarakos meets the demands and requirements of planners and strategists. With this program, all processes can be displayed clearly and dynamically with all dimensions, values, optimisations, and proportions.
Many different representations are also prepared for production planners, whether pure text and tables, or drawings, photos, graphics, and videos. Furthermore, processes and models can be demonstrated in the form of vivid 2D or 3D animations.

More information about our software for manufacturing planning