This is a link to a blog entry that is very well written and has a lot of useful information about production scheduling software. I found it rummaging around on the internet and was actually surprised by the amount of information that it contained and the reputable vendors that it referred. If you have a few minutes I would suggest taking a few minutes to look it over and contacting the vendors if you are interested in purchasing a new system.

The production scheduling software that is described uses genetic algorithms to produce the best possible outcome. These algorithms take into account numerous constraints such as inventory levels, staffing, set-up and run times to name a few. This data must be exceptionally accurate in order for the program to function properly. Once the data is collected and placed into the system the genetic algorithms (which are a form of artificial intelligence) will programmatically arrange thousands of scheduling possibilities until it reaches a schedule that has the highest potential value to the customer, based on the pre-defined constraints.

For a scheduling system to work correctly it requires correct routings that will reflect the accurate order of steps and the specific information on whether they are similar or need to be sequential. It is extremely important for these criteria to be as accurate as possible for proper implementation.

Additionally these systems will allow users to conduct analyses of “what-if” scenarios of what would happen if certain changes were made to an optimized schedule. This can provide predictive analyses on the added capacity in the plant. This article explains more in-depth additional software that can work in conjunction with scheduling software.