Scheduling production in a manufacturing setting doesn’t have to be confusing and complicated. While the economy is on a decline and unfortunately companies are beginning to lay off their employees scheduling is becoming ever more important. It’s time companies (no matter what their financial status) begin to upgrade from the old boring and extremely time consuming Excel spread sheets and dry erase boards.

Every manufacturing plant has their unique goals and tribulations and deserves a system that is as exclusive as they are. There are multiple different systems that can be purchased. The two main are customized software that is designed specifically for that manufacture. The down side to this type is that it costs significant amounts of time and money. The system can take over a year to design and not every company can afford to loose money on a system that they are not sure can be fixed. Additionally, it is extremely hard to change and can not be upgraded.

A tailored system will work with simplified procedures and will help to improve ineffective practices. The system is much less expensive and requires only 6-8 weeks, yes weeks, to produce. Tailored software is easily changed and can be upgraded with no problems. Unlike customized software, tailored software is made from a pre-designed template and then designed to the specific constraints of the manufacture. Companies such as Tuppas Software (www.tuppas.com) offer tailored software systems at a much less expensive price than customized. They also offer the option of SaaS (Software as a service). Although SaaS is not tailored as in depth as their regular software it offers the option of purchasing on a monthly or quarterly basis.