March 11

OM End Term Report

2013
Operations Project
Group - 5 Gaurav Singh (25)
Software Scheduling
Naveet Kumar (26)

Amanpreet Saini (27)

Pulkit Bhalla (28)

Nikhil Kapur (29)

Jatin Behl (30)

Contents
 Operations Project Software Scheduling
 Buyers Guide for Maintenance Management
Software
 Maintenance Management Software Terms
 Application Automation Should be Part of IT
Infrastructure
 Automated Workforce Management
Systems: Helping Businesses Cope in Tough
Economic Times
 The Road to BI Success
 APICS The Association for Operations
Management
Operations Project Software Scheduling
UC4 Software

Traditional batch scheduling held that business processes could be mapped out and executed in
predictable ways that followed one or more business calendars. The dominant concept was that certain
business activities and the software systems that supported those activities operated in sequential,
predictable ways. Scheduling tools were only required to support notions of day, date, time and
multiple business calendars to support corporate and/or departmental needs .

Improving business responsiveness through automation requires a comprehensive approach build in

from the start. The selected solution must automate processing across a wide spectrum of software,
computing platforms, and business processes. Implementing a solution that moves beyond mere
scheduling and fulfils the promise of enterprise process automation can mean the difference between
corporate success and failure. Traditional batch job scheduling products cannot meet today’s
enterprise automation needs, leading to the creation of a new breed of software to handle this
increasingly complex and demanding role.

Just-In-Time Processing
When it comes to automating across all your different environments, you do not want to over or under
provision your IT infrastructure as there is a related cost to doing this. In fact one can draw a parallel
here to the manufacturing industry with the familiar technique of ‘Just-in-time’ manufacturing that
revolutionized this industry. This can be equally applied to application process automation. By
implementing ‘Just-In-Time’ Processing you can revolutionize your IT business information delivery.
When examining each process inside the organization, there is a point in time where the business
needs a particular piece of information. This could be far to the right on the X-axis with batch
processing, or to the left on the X-axis, with online/real time processing. There is a related cost
inherent to the process response time represented by the blue line in figure 1. Real-time processing
requires costly investment in infrastructure but you may have certain applications where this is a
necessity for your business. On the other hand pure batch processing can be achieved at a relatively
low cost, provided you have implemented a highly integrated batch solution across your enterprise.

The value to a business of implementing real-time systems or batch can be quite different, as
shown by the Business Value Curve. Having pure batch processing which is not in tune with today’s
‘on-demand’ customer needs brings minimal or little added value to the business. Whereas with
online/real-time systems investment, the business value is high but comes at a correspondingly high
cost. And apart from certain processes that many require this level of performance, for the most this
will require over provisioning of your IT infrastructure. There
is however an area in-between online and batch, which we refer to as ‘In-time’, where a high level of
business value can be, achieved at a much more acceptable cost. In other words, we believe a business
can balance the workloads across the existing IT infrastructure in such a way that every group of
business users gets the right information at the right time. At the ‘Just-In-Time’ Processing point, the
business is receiving maximum value from automating its processes at the most effective cost point.

To explain this, let’s describe a couple of different business scenarios:

Online buying and selling

A consumer ordering a product finds it more than acceptable to receive an email order confirmation a
few minutes after having placed their order. The consumer will get no added value if the email arrives
within 1 millisecond, but will certainly be disappointed if the email arrives 24 hours later. Hence
online buying and selling is a classic example of using ‘Just-In-Time’ Processing to satisfy consumer
needs and keep automation costs to a minimum.
In the retail sector A high end clothing retailer does not require point of sale information to be
uploaded and processed until after the stores have closed, so they don’t need constant refreshing of
information during the day. A food retailer, on the other hand, may need to take a look at their point
of sale information at every hour, because they have to do merchandising and the delivery of goods on
an hourly, or half day basis. So the business requirements of these two retailers are completely
different although they could be using exactly the same application.
The “just in time” point slides left and right along the x-axis and the cost will move up and down the
curve depending upon your business requirements.

24*7*365 Availability Requirement

One of the most important components of being dynamic is high availability. We see high availability
at two different levels:
The Automation Engine: This is the “brain” which collects, intercepts, queues, and prioritizes all
the requests and workloads. This includes all the planned workloads, dependencies and process flows.
This must support multi-server architecture to guarantee zero downtime. It must offer
ACTIVE/ACTIVE configuration for zero downtime and ACTIVE/PASSIVE configuration for
disaster recovery.
The Servers where the real processing happens: There must be functionality that can pool servers
into logical groups. This means for example. that Server A and B can dynamically take over Server
C’s workload when server C is closed down for maintenance.

Dynamic Alignment With Existing Resources

This is best described as getting the most out of your existing infrastructure by optimizing its use.
This can be reached by:
Dynamic workload balancing: Out of a pool of servers, you can perform the processing on
the machine which has the most unused capacity.
Provisioning of virtual machines at runtime: Automatic decision and actions can be performed if
the virtual machine or machines where the processing is being performed is not strong enough to
finish processing in the requested timeframe. The process can be moved to a stronger machine
or additional virtual machines can be added to finish the process in time. This helps you get the most
benefit out of virtualized environment.
Intercept, Queue, Prioritize: Collect unpredictable and dynamically growing processing requests,
queue them, order them by importance, and then execute them on the most suitable resource.

Flexibility and Agility Let You Grow Faster

Dynamic scheduling allows you to make changes happen immediately rather than waiting for the next
day. Process flows can be modified at runtime to meet dynamic business requests. Because of the
object oriented design, you can standardize your processes by the “define once – use everywhere”
principle. If a standard process changes, it is immediately propagated everywhere the process is used.

Manage Growth Without Exploding IT Costs

Dynamic growth, standards, and scalability are a core requirement for companies who want to grow
fast and control costs. If a new subsidiary is built or a company has been acquired, their IT processes
have to be set to the company standard. This can only happen by defining standardized, reusable
processes. A simple example is the regular backup of all servers. There is a company standard how to
backup exchange servers, how to backup Unix servers, how to backup oracle database servers etc. If
new servers come into the company they have to be integrated to the company standards. This can be
reached by assigning roles to a server. If a new server is
provisioned or installed, it is immediately part of standard-processes.
Dynamic Mass Data Processing

Dynamic mass data processing is about processes that have to run many of times in parallel. These are
based on data that is constantly changing. Examples of these processes are a payroll process that has
to be done for every organization and every employee, or a payment run that is executed to generate
payments corresponding to the unpaid vouchers, or a billing run. Dynamic mass data processing
retrieves the parameters from database tables, job outputs, or files. These
values are passed to a standardized process which can then be executed the required number of times
in parallel. From an IT perspective you need to make sure that the resources that are used by these
mass processed are used to their optimal capacity. Optimized mass data processing is critical to the
business and it helps you to get your processing completed sooner, more accurately, and the
information delivered In-Time.

Dynamic, Intelligent Decisions at Runtime

There are a couple of situations where dynamic schedulers have to make automated decisions at
runtime:
Job output needs to be checked: Sometimes it is necessary to check the output of a script/program
to be sure that it worked correctly. Often times a success of a job is determined by someone in your
organization visually checking for an error. Sometimes a dependency is not fulfilled because there are
warnings in the output file. Dynamic schedulers can scan the output after execution and decide how to
go on.
Job exceeds its average runtime: Start a repair job, notify operator, etc.
Automated restart: Sometimes there are processes which cancel and if you restart them they finish
successfully. Dynamic scheduling offers automated restart capabilities.
Dynamic provisioning/movement of virtual machines: Dynamic Schedulers can provision new
virtual machines or move virtual machines to a stronger machine at runtime.

Full audit trail

Last but not least, a complete audit trail is critical to dynamic scheduling. Since you now have the
flexibility to react to new business demands in a flexible fashion, you are now required to track
everything: every change, every process alteration, every parameter change, every error, every access
violation etc. in a way that auditors can easily understand what is happening in your automation
platform.

Summary

In times like these, where processing demands grow but IT-costs must be tightly controlled, Just-In-
Time processing and dynamic scheduling are key tools to get the most value out of your existing
infrastructure. In addition you are now positioned to serve the business with the right information, to
the right individuals, at the right time.

Your organization can receive the following benefits:

No dependency on a batch window.
Support your 24*7*365 business requirements.
You can be highly flexible and agile.
You will receive Reliability, Scalability & Performance.
You can optimize your existing resources.
Buyers Guide for Maintenance Management Software

1. Introduction
2. Maintenance Management Software Benefits
3. Maintenance Management Software Terms
4. Features of Maintenance Management Software
6. Maintenance Management Pricing

Maintenance management software is a computer database solution that contains information for your
organization’s maintenance operations. Companies use this type of software to help workers perform
more effectively and to help managers make strategic decisions regarding assets. Maintenance
management software is used by organizations with needs to maintain equipment, vehicles, assets or
property. It is heavily used in the following industries: construction and mining, manufacturing, fleet
management, property management, and public works (popular with golf courses too).
If your business requires machine operation, or you are warehousing valuable equipment,
maintenance management software can help reduce downtime, track costs, and assign personnel to
jobs
.
Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software assists the maintenance
department of your operation. One of the most important functions of a maintenance department is
assisting management to quickly resolve problems; CMMS software is an affordable and powerful
solution that provides maintenance management consulting for equipment and employee time.
Essentially, the goal of every CMMS software solution is to move your operations, from reactive to
proactive. Modern CMMS works with each manager to assist in all facets of facilities maintenance.
Your evaluation should include a ROI analysis before investing in a CMMS software system. You
also need to understand the scope of your organizational needs before investing in fleet management
software and CMMS solutions.

Maintenance Management Software Benefits

Company equipment is an expensive investment, sometimes running in the millions which is why
businesses need to protect these investments with proactive measures. CMMS software can increase
the availability of your assets, and prolong equipment’s life. Often companies that implement CMMS
software experience reduced labor and cost for maintenance. According to a CFI report, “Savings
associated with increased productivity in maintenance labor…(can be figured out by determining) the
total maintenance labor cost (including fringe, overtime, contract labor) and multiply it by 15%.”
Most basic maintenance management software can help your company by decreasing equipment
downtime, reducing maintenance costs, and tracking and managing work orders.

Decreasing Equipment Downtime

Equipment downtime can severely impact the productivity of your organizational goals. Your
business should always execute an efficient preventive maintenance program for vital equipment. One
important feature of CMMS software is the ability to monitor the movement of your operations from a
preventative maintenance schedule to a hybrid predictive maintenance system. Both systems are
equally important, according to the CFI report; “industry averages 10-25% savings by implementing a
solid PM (preventive maintenance) program.” The CMMS software pools equipment data, including
bill of materials, preventative maintenance schedules, safety procedures, inspection routes and much
more. The software data will then be reported to the maintenance manager who will use it to make
day-to-day operations schedules and cost effective replace or repair decisions.

Managing Work Orders

CMMS software will also manage work orders in a system. Scheduling and assigning job duties,
reserving materials for equipment and recording costs are just a few of the tasks this software
provides. Maintenance managers or other personnel can submit work requests, and record PM work
orders. For instance, the software can populate the most efficient way to submit the work order, and
allow you to assign multiple employees to work orders. In some instances, CMMS can operate as a
fleet management software tool as well as maintenance management tool.

Reducing Maintenance Costs

Maintenance management system software employs preventative maintenance scheduling software

that can be used to layout and manage your PM program. Depending on the size of your organization,
the preventative maintenance software can be tailored to your needs. Management and knowledge of
spare parts and other materials that are needed for particular jobs saves valuable time and money. Of
course, most of the cost savings associated with CMMS systems come from preventative
maintenance, according to a study published by ASME, “ the maintenance cost per horsepower of
general industrial
rotating machinery found that when no PM or PdM program was in place, the cost of maintenance
was $18 per horsepower per year. By using just PM, that was reduced to $13/HP-Yr and a
combination of PM and PdM reduced it to $8/HP-Yr.”

Access To Maintenance Reports

Accessing crucial data regarding employee and equipment operations helps maintenance managers
make strategic decisions. The CMMS software interface reports to employees and management, spare
parts, tools, and other materials. If you are employing the same vendor, ask about CMMS software
functionality with your supply chain management software. It may also include the ability to reserve
materials for specific jobs, record where materials are stored and determine when new materials need
to be purchased.
Real-time reporting on inventory prevents work order slip-ups and the occasional human error. If you
have a machine requiring in-house parts, the software will put those parts on “reserve” so they cannot
be issued to another work order. When there are no parts left in inventory, an “out of stock” alert will
be sent to management so orders can be placed and budgets can be set. The real-time reporting will
also reduce discrepancies with labor scheduling and eliminate over scheduling resources and
employees.

Maintenance Management Software Terms

Computerize Maintenance

Management System (CMMS)

A software solution that maintains information on an organization’s maintenance operations and is
designed to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of
maintenance activities.

Preventative Maintenance (PM) Work done on equipment of facility that is a part of

its upkeep and follows a pre-determined schedule.

Inventory Control Found in maintenance management software, reducing the amount an

organization spends on inventory by guaranteeing the right parts are
available at the right time.
Work Request Management Provides solutions or tools for submitting work requests and
information on the work requests (when they need to be made, why, and how).
Work Order The document that is attached to the maintenance of an item. A typical work order
contains, a description, details of the equipment, a tracking number, who it was assigned to, priority,
time spent and inspection notes. (A time and attendance
system for the work being done)
.
Predictive Maintenance (PdM) These programs are based entirely on the condition of the equipment
to determine when maintenance should be performed.

Cost Tracking Allows managers to pull relevant data, including labor, parts, and materials costs by
definable criteria.

PM Reporting Common reporting that allows the manager to access every piece of equipment that is
due for preventative maintenance.

Features of Maintenance Management Software

Different CMMS systems and management software cater to specific industries while others are more
universal. Some of the most common features are work order processing, preventative maintenance
reporting, and asset management functions.

Work Order Functions

• Documents work requests in the system
• Manages the work request process
• Converts work requests to work orders seamlessly assigning the optimal number of staff for each
assignment
• Tracks parts, labor and costs of the work
• Reports on job time, downtime and response time
• Services for unique and robust messaging, including email and SMS reporting on work orders

Inventory Management
• Comprehensive data on the details of your organizations resources and equipment
• Detailed look at the condition of an asset over a timeline
• A complete history of products and equipment by any retrievable attribute

Preventative Maintenance
• Plans routine maintenance ahead of time, so you gather necessary resources
• Schedules PM tasks based on equipment or facility meter readings, to remain compliant with laws
• Gives notice to your organization about the maintenance schedules
• Includes a safety briefing of notes with every task
• Allows you to assign the most effective employees to each equipment

Maintenance Management Software Prices

Maintenance management software pricing depends on your specific software needs. If you are
managing a fleet of workers and million-dollar equipment, you may be looking upwards of a hundred
thousand dollars. However with CMMS software, the cost is not necessarily the only binding element
of a purchase decision, ROI is the real determinant. According to the Machinery Health Care Study,
“The costs of the software start as low as $1000 and go upwards from there. Corporations employing
their own mainframes can spend millions. A single plant, buying a good, mid-level PC system can
expect to pay $5000 to $20,000, depending on functionality. That cost covers the software and
training in using the software.”
With CMMS software, base costs may be low but adding additional customization features brings the
costs up. Also, be sure to budget for implementation and ongoing maintenance with your CMMS.
Even though these seem scary, you can increase your ROI significantly, reduce maintenance costs by
up to 60% and decrease downtime to 45%.
 Application Automation Should be Part of IT Infrastructure
Automation as Infrastructure

Implementing an ERP system or vertical application is a complex, expensive undertaking. Initial

software purchase prices are high, with implementation costs often running two to three times the
purchase price. An innovative application automation and job scheduling tool that is brought in at the
beginning of a project and used as part of the infrastructure can significantly reduce implementation
costs, and thereby reduce total project costs.

Implementation Stages

There are many ways to define the stages in a major implementation project, and various costs are
associated with each stage. A high-level breakdown of these activities would include:
- Design
- Development
- Testing/QA
- Implementation
- Maintenance

Job Scheduling, Application Automation and Infrastructure

A sophisticated application automation tool provides an infrastructure on which every stage of a

development project is built. Adopting one of these innovative tools at the beginning of a project can
reduce the time required to design, develop, test, implement, and maintain sophisticated ERP systems
and vertical applications

Design

A design process should always take into consideration the environment in which the end product will
function. A laptop computer used in an office will have very different specs than a laptop used on a
construction site.

Development

Today's new generation of application automation tools uses an object oriented architecture and
graphical environment to significantly reduce development time and drive down implementation
costs.

To run a job successfully and effectively, five tasks have to be accomplished:

- Parameter passing

- Program execution

- Status monitoring

- Error trapping

- Output capture

With the new object-oriented application automation tools, these tasks are handled by application
interfaces. The interface performs the five required tasks listed above, and can be assigned to all jobs
of a particular application. Automation tools should ship with a number of interfaces already defined.
Additional interfaces for custom applications should be able to be written in a relatively short period
of time.

Testing/QA

An application automation tool serving as part of the infrastructure should reduce implementation
costs during the testing/QA phase of a development project by providing the following:

- Simplified, repeatable, and reliable migration from the development environment to the test and
production environments.

- Fully automated testing, reducing the time and resources required to conduct the tests, and
increasing test reliability.

- A history record of each test to facilitate review and troubleshooting.

Implementation

The full automation made possible by an application automation tool can have a significant impact
when a business process is put into production. A robust application automation tool will fully
automate the business process and provide real-time notification of problems. The result is that
operations can move from a monitoring/intervention function to an on-call function.

Maintenance

When the initial development project is completed, focus moves to maintaining the business processes
created. If those processes were locked in stone, maintenance would not be an issue. But business
processes change to meet new business requirements, often more frequently than most organizations
would prefer. An application automation tool must be able to accommodate the changes quickly and
efficiently.

Summary

One of the largest and most expensive projects an enterprise IT shop can undertake is implementing
an ERP system or vertical application. The software is expensive, often running into the low seven
figures. And implementation costs can often run two to three times the purchase price. In that context,
there is a strong argument for allocating a relatively small amount of the funds to purchase one of the
new innovative application automation tools.
 Automated Workforce Management Systems:
Helping Businesses Cope in Tough Economic Times
The current recession and credit crunch has had a huge impact on businesses in every sector
of industry, both domestically and internationally. Faced with the harsh reality of cutbacks,
layoffs, and shrinking profit margins, many employers and managers must walk a very fine
line to keep the company profitable—or sometimes just to remain in business long enough to
ride out the economic storm.

One particularly pertinent solution is an automated time and attendance system, which allows
companies to manage all aspects of their workforce with minimal time and effort. Automated
workforce management systems benefit businesses financially by eliminating common
payroll errors and oversights, reducing unauthorized overtime expenses, and providing
comprehensive reporting on labour dollars. In fact, most businesses utilizing automated time
and attendance software experience a return on investment within three to six months of
putting the system into place, with ongoing annual savings. Additionally, workforce
management systems benefit the operational side of businesses by allowing the optimization
of a lean workforce through improved labour allocation, enhanced scheduling solutions, and
indepth reporting.

 Eliminate common payroll errors and oversights

 Reduce unauthorized overtime expenses

 Provide comprehensive reporting on labour dollars, thereby improving labour allocation

 Optimize a lean workforce by enhancing scheduling solutions

 The Road to BI Success

In 2008, the business intelligence (BI) tools market reached $7.8 billion in software license
and maintenance revenue. The market growth of 10.6% in 2008 surpassed previous IDC
projections, as spending by organizations of all sizes continued. Organizations are focusing
on BI and analytics projects that help reduce costs or retain customers. There is growing
evidence that more pervasive BI and analytics have a direct impact on competitiveness.
Better decision making is more important when resources become restricted during a
recession, so BI and analytics projects will still appeal to management. However, justifying
large capital outlays for software will be challenging unless shortterm benefits can be directly
correlated with the investment. As more incremental projects are undertaken, it will be
important to execute these projects within the long-term strategic plan of organizationwide
decision management.

The value of better BI is often expressed in such intangible terms as, for example, the ability
to make better decisions, where "better" is usually undefined. In practice, however, there is
growing quantifiable evidence of the value of BI. IDC's most recent study of over 1,000
organizations across 11 countries identified six indicators of BI competency and
pervasiveness. These indicators had a direct correlation to the competitiveness of
organizations within their respective industries. This positive impact on an organization's
competitiveness is achieved by affecting business process improvements, productivity, and
cost containment.

In a separate IDC study that identified the median ROI of BI and analytics projects to be
112%, the benefits accrued by organizations deploying BI technology and processes split as
follows:

 54% from business process improvements

 42% from productivity gains
 4% from technology cost savings

Most BI projects address the information monitoring, reporting, analysis, and decision-
making needs of specific groups of end users. The needs of these end users vary significantly
according to their role in the organization. In addition, most users' BI needs evolve on an
ongoing basis as internal and external conditions change. The iterative nature of BI projects
makes the end-user requirements-gathering process difficult. A common characteristic of BI
system design among leading organizations is the extensive use of rapid prototyping and the
AGILE method of software development. This seems to be the only effective method to
match IT development plans with frequently changing end-user requirements.
IDC has developed a methodology for evaluating an organization's BI competency and pervasiveness
based on the following six indicators:

􀂄Degree of internal use of the BI solution by employees from different levels and departments
of an organization. As BI use becomes more pervasive, the number of employees using it will
increase.

􀂄Degree of external use of the BI solution by stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and
government agencies. As BI use becomes more pervasive, the number of external users will increase.
Information sharing through a BI solution can strengthen relationships with clients based on
codependence on a set of data and metrics that both parties incorporate into their respective decision-
making processes.

􀂄Percentage of power users or employees who are very familiar with the functionality of the
BI software, who use it regularly, and whose primary task is to analyze data and provide
decision support to other staff members or management. As BI becomes more pervasive, the
number of power users within an organization grows up to a certain level, which does not seem to be
significantly affected by organization size or industry.

􀂄Number of domains or subject areas within the primary data warehouse. As BI becomes
more entrenched within an organization, the organization will add additional domains to the data
warehouse. An organization may start with just a few domains in one department and then expand the
number of domains within and across departments. As the number of domains increases, so does the
number of users.

􀂄Data update frequency refers to the appropriateness of the data warehouse update frequency to
support business decision-making needs. There is a need for the data to be fresh enough to be
meaningful to power users and information consumers. Without accurate, timely data, there is no
desire to use BI.

􀂄Analytical orientation is an indicator that consists of responses to several questions dealing with
information sharing, importance of and reliance on analytics for decision making, and the influence
BI has on an employee's actions.

APICS The Association for Operations Management

It is a not-for-profit international education organization, offering certification programs, training
tools and networking opportunities to increase workplace performance. It was founded in 1957 as
the American Production and Inventory Control Society, and currently has more than 36,000
individual and corporate members in more than 10,000 companies worldwide. In April 2008, the
organization relocated to Chicago, Illinois.

APICS defines operations management as "the field of study that focuses on the effective planning,
scheduling, use and control of a manufacturing or service organization through the study of concepts
from design engineering, industrial engineering, management information systems, quality
management, production management, inventory management, accounting, and other functions as
they affect the organization."
APICS offers several professional designations: APICS CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory
Management), APICS CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional) and APICS CFPIM (Certified
Fellow in Production and Inventory Management).

The APICS CIRM (Certified in Integrated Resource Management) program was discontinued in 2008.
APICS continues to recognize the designation.

Also in 2008, APICS published the APICS Operations Management Body of

Knowledge (OMBOK) Framework. The APICS OMBOK Framework defines the scope of the
profession and provides a dynamic resource for operations management professionals. Other
publications APICS produces for the operations and supply chain management profession
are APICS magazine, the Production and Inventory Management Journal, and the APICS Dictionary.

APICS, along with a variety of other operations and supply chain management organizations,
provides professional development opportunities that help professionals and their organizations
successfully compete in the global economy. Organizations with which APICS is currently aligned
include:

 The Supply-Chain Council

 The American Society of Transportation & Logistics
 The Association for Manufacturing Excellence
 The American Management Association
 The Institute of Operations Management

Supply-Chain Council (SCC)

SCC is an independent non-profit organization, as the cross-industry standard for supply chain
management. SCC has developed and endorsed the Supply-Chain Operations Reference (SCOR)-
model, a process reference model for supply chain management.

 The SCC was organized in 1996 by Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath (PRTM) and AMR
Research, and initially included 69 voluntary member companies. SCC now has closer to
1,000 corporate members world-wide and has established international chapters in North
America, Europe, Greater China, Japan, Australia/New Zealand, South East
Asia, Brazil and Southern Africa. Development of additional chapters in India and South
America are underway. SCC membership consists primarily practitioners representing a broad
cross section of industries, including manufacturers, services, distributors, and retailers.
American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL)

The American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL) is the premier professional
organization for transportation and logistics professionals. Founded in 1946 by industry leaders,
ASTL strives to promote and ensure the highest level of global standards through professional
certification in the field of transportation and logistics. ASTL certification programs are used
throughout business, academia, and governments worldwide. Our worldwide advocacy for logistics
and transportation is supported by our globally-recognized credentials, our extensive research journal,
and our professional development opportunities. The CTL (Certified in Transporation and Logistics)
Certification Program began in 1948. ASTL also offers the Global Logistics Associate (GLA),
Professional Designation in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (PLS), and the Distinguished
Logistics Professional (DLP.)

Mission
ASTL's mission is to advance knowledge and career progression through life-long learning in the
fields of transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. ASTL's membership of shippers,
carriers, educators, students, consultants, and third-party logistics individuals are dedicated to
continuing education and committed to raising the professional standards in the industry.

Association for Manufacturing Excellence

Founded in 1985, under the direction of Lee Sage, the Association for Manufacturing
Excellence (AME) is a not-for-profit association helping manufacturers in the pursuit of excellence
through the facilitation of practitioner-to-practitioner learning. Providing valuable tools and programs
such as Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, and other Lean initiatives. The AME provides hands-on
events and workshops from practitioners who want to share their experience.

The AME currently operates in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia with over 5000
members.

Conferences
The AME holds an annual conference featuring workshops, presentations, tours and keynote speakers.

Conference locations: 2010 - Baltimore, Maryland 2009 - Covington, Kentucky 2008 - Toronto,
Ontario

American Management Association

The American Management Association (AMA), based in New York City, is a corporate training and
consulting group that provides a variety of educational and management development services to
businesses, government agencies and individuals. The non-profit membership organization offers
business courses in communication, leadership, marketing, sales, human resources, finance and
accounting. Founded in 1913, as the National Association of Corporation Schools, the AMA became
the American Management Association in [Link] 1963, the AMA established Operation Enterprise, a
program designed for high school and college students.
 Institute of Operations Management
The organisation has been in existence since 1963, originally as two chapters of the American
Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), and then from 1975 as an independent
organisation called the British Production and Inventory Control Society (BPICS). It changed its
name to the Institute of Operations Management in 1996. In 2007 the IOM joined with The Chartered
Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT) and continues to operate separately as a
membership body within the CILT. In 2009 IOM became the International Associate for APICS in
Great Britain.

The Institute is governed by a Council composed of members, and a number of National Committees
responsible for particular areas of activity report to Council. The day to day administration of the
Institute is the responsibility of the Chief Executive of CILT who has a staff of 50+ working from the
Institute's headquarters located in Corby, Northamptonshire.

The Institute has in excess of 30 years experience in the provision of education and training in all its
forms in the manufacturing and service industries. The Institute maintains close links with UK
government through the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and
Employment, which recognises the Institute's qualifications.

The Institute also has links with The British Standards Institute and has had a number of members on
the BSI's Technical Committees. Links are also maintained, generally on an informal basis, with a
number of other Institutes and Societies in the UK, Europe and other parts of the world.

The aims of the IOM

The Institute of Operations Management is the professional body for persons involved in operations
and production management in manufacturing and service industries in the UK.

The Institute's mission is:

To be the organisation of first choice in equipping operations professionals with the skills and
resources required to maximise individual potential and organisational success.

It exists to:
 Foster professionalism in its field
 Advance professional recognition
 Promote theory, techniques and best practice
 Collect and disseminate information through events and publications
 Maintain a body of knowledge
 Conduct examinations leading to professional qualifications
 Conduct, encourage and assist education and research

Governance and Organisation Council

The Institute is governed by an elected Council, which has overall responsibility for managing the
business of the Institute.

National Committees
These are responsible for particular areas of activity and report to Council. These consist of:

Steering Group

Responsible for developing and reviewing the strategies of the Institute, for co-ordinating the
activities of the Institute and for guiding the Chief Executive in the day to day running of the Institute.
Grading Panel

Responsible for advising Council on applications for corporate membership of the Institute (Fellow or
Member grade), from both new applicants and existing members wishing to re-grade.

Operations Development Panel

Responsible for identifying and developing new theories and best practice in Operations Management
and disseminating this thinking to the IOM membership.

The Professional Development Group

Consists of three Committees:

Qualifications and Awards

Responsible for the development, delivery and award of high quality, accessible qualifications,
including the Certificate, Diploma & Advanced Diploma in Operations Management and any other
qualifications that the Institute may award, that will be recognised as a benchmark for those practicing
operations management.

Short Courses

Responsible for the development and delivery of a high quality and cost effective programme of short
courses, including stand alone public and in-company courses, but not programmes leading to the
IOM’s qualifications, that will support a member’s professional development at all stages of their
career

Learning Resources

Responsible for the development and delivery of high quality and cost effective distance learning
products and support materials, including the Remote Operations Management Education (ROME)
product, the Supply Chain Pathfinder (SCP) product, the Knowledge Bank and any other resources
that the Institute may develop.

The Communications Group

Consists of two committees:

Events

Responsible for the development and delivery of high quality events that will disseminate
information, promote best practice and standards, and develop the operations management body of
knowledge

Publications

Responsible for the development and delivery of high quality publications, including the Institute’s
journal (Operations Management), its web site, electronic newsletter (InfOrM) and any other
publications that the Institute may issue.

Regions

There are fourteen Regions in the UK, run by their own committees who arrange local programmes of
meetings, lectures, factory visits and software demonstrations.

HQ Team

The day to day administration of the Institute is the responsibility of the Chief Executive of CILT who
has a staff of 30+ based at the CILT headquarters in Corby, Northamptonshire, which was purpose
built for the Institute in 1988.

The HQ team comprises:

• Chief Executive
• Professional Development team
• Membership & Events team
• Publications & Sales team
• Finance team
• IT & Operations team

ADVANCED PRODUCTION SCHEDULING

In a manufacturing environment it is vital for production planners to have an overview of production
schedules. This schedule includes production orders for which materials and resource capacity have been
committed as well as planned production orders generated by Master Planning.

Historically the production planning overview was achieved by using a large wall-mounted 'planning board'.

In most manufacturing organizations having a good visual presentation of the production schedules is only
part of the solution. It is very likely that, soon after a schedule has been finalized, an event will occur that
requires a change in the schedule.

This advanced production scheduling and management software provides both discrete and process
manufacturers with a fast, flexible planning and scheduling solution that’s easily implemented without
third-party software or complex integration. Because it this advanced production scheduling and
management software can be fully integrated into any ERP solution, the amount of offline data collection
and manipulation is minimized, translating to reduced workload and improved quality of schedules.

Behind the scenes, this advanced production scheduling and management software is an extremely complex
product powered by complex algorithms. On the front end, however, there is nothing complex about the
product. Stated very simply, Genetic Optimizer schedules production in the most efficient, economical way
possible. Orders, or production, are scheduled to maximize on-time delivery, while minimizing cleaning and
changeover-driven downtime, all within the production constraints specified for each piece of equipment.

Traditional planning and scheduling systems (such as Manufacturing resource planning) utilize a stepwise
procedure to allocate material and production capacity. This approach is simple but cumbersome, and does
not readily adapt to changes in demand, resource capacity or material availability. Materials and capacity
are planned separately, and many systems do not consider limited material availability or capacity
constraints. Thus, this approach often results in plans that cannot be executed. However, despite attempts to
shift to the new system, attempts have not always been successful, which has called for the combination of
management philosophy with manufacturing.
 Unlike previous systems, APS simultaneously plans and schedules production based on available materials,
labor and plant capacity. APS has commonly been applied where one or more of the following conditions
are present:

1. Make-To-Order (as distinct from make-to-stock) manufacturing

2. capital-intensive production processes, where plant capacity is constrained
3. products 'competing' for plant capacity: where many different products are produced in each facility
4. products that require a large number of components or manufacturing tasks
5. production necessitates frequent schedule changes which cannot be predicted before the event
Advanced Planning & Scheduling software enables manufacturing scheduling and advanced scheduling
optimization within these environments.

MASTER PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

A master production schedule (MPS) is a plan for individual commodities to produce in each time period
such as production, staffing, inventory, etc It is usually linked to manufacturing where the plan indicates
when and how much of each product will be demanded. This plan quantifies significant processes, parts,
and other resources in order to optimize production, to identify bottlenecks, and to anticipate needs and
completed goods. Since an MPS drives much factory activity, its accuracy and viability dramatically affect
profitability. Typical MPS's are created by software with user tweaking.
Due to software limitations, but especially the intense work required by the "master production schedulers",
schedules do not include every aspect of production, but only key elements that have proven their control
effectively, such as forecast demand, production costs, inventory costs, lead time, working hours, capacity,
inventory levels, available storage, and parts supply. The choice of what to model varies among companies
and factories. The MPS is a statement of what the company expects to produce and purchase (i.e. quantity to
be produced, staffing levels, dates, available to promise, and projected balance).
The MPS translates the business plan, including forecast demand, into a production plan using planned
orders in a true multi-level optional component scheduling environment. Using MPS helps avoid shortages,
costly expediting, last minute scheduling, and inefficient allocation of resources. Working with MPS allows
businesses to consolidate planned parts, produce master schedules and forecasts for any level of the Bill of
Material (BOM) for any type of part.

How MPS Works

By using several variables as inputs the MPS will generate a set of outputs used for decision making. Inputs
may include forecast demand, production costs, inventory costs, customer orders, inventory levels, supply,
lot size, production lead time, and capacity. Inputs may be automatically generated by an ERP system that
links a sales department with a production department. For instance, when the sales department records a
sale, the forecast demand may be automatically shifted to meet the new demand. Inputs may also be
inputted manually from forecasts that have also been calculated manually. Outputs may include amounts to
be produced, staffing levels, quantity available to promise, and projected available balance. Outputs may be
used to create a Material Requirements Planning (MRP) schedule.
A master production schedule may be necessary for organizations to synchronize their operations and
become more efficient. An effective MPS ultimately will:
 Give production, planning, purchasing, and management the information to plan and control manufacturing
 Tie overall business planning and forecasting to detail operations
 Enable marketing to make legitimate delivery commitments to warehouses and customers
 Increase the efficiency and accuracy of a company's manufacturing
MPS issues:

 Width of the time bucket

 Planning horizon
 Rolling plan
 Time fencing
 Schedule freezing

SOME SOFTWARES RECOMMENDED FOR MANUFACTURING IN

SCHEDULING

Exact JobBOSS
Exact JobBOSS is a very trusted name in the world of manufacturing. The system has
strong planning functionality with the ability to model finite (and infinite) capacity
planning and job scheduling to align production with demand.

ECiM1
With over three decades of experience in the manufacturing software market, ECi offers
several features for production planning. Among the features in the M1 solution are
modules for finite capacity planning and shop scheduling.

E2SHOP SYSTEM

E2 Shop System won the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Award four years in a row. The
system has features for both finite and infinite capacity planning with an ability to
schedule by the machine or by the entire shop.

NETSUITE MANUFACTURING EDITION

NetSuite’s full-suite of applications includes strong production planning modules in
addition to MRP, MES and financial management. Because NetSuite is only offered as a
cloud solution, buyers will pay a subscription price.
EPICOR MANUFACTURING
The Epicor product can serve the needs of small manufacturing firms as well as large
enterprises. The software has features for master production scheduling (MPS), capacity
planning and change management.
Software and Decision Systems Development

Manufacturing Software Company: Design and development of advanced scheduling

algorithms for factory scheduling. Development of methods for interfacing MRP and
scheduling packages.

Computing Desktop Software Company: Architecture and design of a desktop

spreadsheet based modeling package for teaching and education.

Data Mining Software Company: Software development (algorithms, user interfaces),

company and product strategy, strategic alliance with an Indian software company.

Shop Floor Data Collection Software Company: Development of factory scheduling

systems.

Gas and Electric Utility for a Metro Area: Call management, vehicle routing and
assignment of tasks for field service personnel (Turn-on/Shut-off crews).

Enterprise Software Developer: Development of systems architecture, algorithms and

package design for an MRP system.

On-site Fleet Services Provider: Development of a PC based van and crew scheduling
system implemented at 40 sites.

Office Equipment Company: Design of a system for delivery performance monitoring

and evaluation; setting of buffer inventory levels.

Software Products and Services Company: Product positioning and product definition for
Demand Chain and Supply Chain management software products.

Work Flow and Business Process Analysis

Legal Publishing Company: Operations analysis of editorial and composition operations

for legal publishing.

Accounting and Legal Publishing Company: Development of a quality management

system for electronic and print publishing, organizational design and conformance quality
management; Analysis of the electronic publication process, including process mapping,
analysis and diagnosis.

Global Professional Publishing House: Operations and process analysis of several groups
and divisions including Code Operations.

Publisher of On-line Technical and Legal Databases: Capacity planning and staffing to
meet response time targets, work flow analysis and design.

National Business Services Provider: Evaluation of work flow management and

scheduling systems for a non-manufacturing (document processing) environment.
Business and Industrial Marketing

Manufacturing Software Developer: Marketing strategy for state-of-the-art scheduling

and factory management systems.

Automotive Engine Manufacturer: Segmentation and strategy in markets for truck

engines.

Agricultural Equipment Manufacturer: Development of a strategy for marketing new

production technologies; Analysis of spare parts pricing.

Organizational Design and Development

Agricultural Equipment Manufacturer: Total reorganization of national sales force.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority: Organizational analysis and design. Development

of new organizational structure for the Regional Transportation Planning Division.

Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency: Organizational assessment and design. New matrix

organizational structure combining functional-expertise departments and project-process
aligned teams. Development of team chartering process.

On-line (Electronic) Publisher: Planning and organizational design of work groups for
production of on-line legal data-base services.

Legal Publisher: Analysis of operations and organization. Development of a new

organizational structure based on work teams.

Marketing Division of an Office Equipment Provider: Development of a management

development program in systems and new technologies for senior marketing managers.

Supply Chains, Logistics and Distribution

Global Medical Equipment Manufacturer: Capacity strategy for lead time reduction and
surge handling in high volume plastic parts production; integration of production and
distribution strategy.

Large Indian Conglomerate: Strategy development workshop for process industries

(Cement, Aluminum, Carbon Black, Fertilizer); Strategy development seminars for all
senior managers across all group sectors.

Household Products Manufacturer: Analysis of the national production and distribution

network for liquid soap and cleaner products.
Laboratory Equipment Manufacturer: Interface between sales/marketing, inventory
management and production planning in small batch chemical process industry.

Consumer Products Manufacturer: Distribution center and warehouse location strategies,

stocking and transportation policy, for nation wide distribution system.

Computer Manufacturer: Analysis of multi-plant production planning system. Integration

of MRP with pull techniques; analysis of release policy interactions between plants;
buffer placement and planning under uncertainty.

Agricultural Chemicals Manufacturer: Analysis of manufacturing and distribution

(logistics) systems. Development of operational strategies to improve working capital
requirements, asset management and return on assets.

Medical Equipment Manufacturer: Japanese division - Inventory management,

forecasting and planning, international sourcing issues.

Global Distributor of Industrial Equipment: Design of distribution systems, inventory

management and transportation policies for US wide parts distribution system.

Office Equipment Manufacturer: Determination of delivery policy for a JIT parts delivery
system.

Plant Design, Automation and Equipment Choice

Factory Automation and CIM Consultant: Development of CIM product strategy and
architecture; application software architecture for a work cell controller; design and
evaluation of CIM systems for automotive plants.

Car Manufacturer: Development of a CIM analysis for material control in a metal and
plastic parts manufacturing plant; design for a quality management system in a radio
assembly plant; design of CIM systems for an automated instrument cluster assembly
facility.

Automotive Parts Manufacturer: Warehouse design, equipment choice and operating

policies for an automotive parts supply facility.

Manufacturer of Packaging Equipment: Economic evaluation and capacity choice for a

parts machining cell.

Production Planning and Scheduling

Office and Consumer Equipment Manufacturer: Research projects on batching to control

lead times and design of cells; development of hybrid Kanban/MRP control scheme.
Car Manufacturer: Test of a prototype scheduling system (CLASS) at a fully automated
"lights-out" manufacturing plant. Evaluation of results done by the Advanced
Engineering Systems Group showed that CLASS significantly outperformed all other
competitors.

Machine Tool Manufacturer: Evaluation of scheduling methods for job shops and cells.

Software and Systems Supplier and a National Metals Industry Consortium: Evaluation
and assessment of scheduling systems for a process environment; evaluation of planning
and control architecture.

Steel Company: Assessment of MRP II suitability for steel process environment.

Laboratory Electronic Equipment Manufacturer: Development of a hybrid MRP/Kanban

system for a PCB operation.

Automotive and Building Products Manufacturer: Design of a dynamic Kanban system

for plant control. The system has worked successfully for 15 years.

Automotive Parts Manufacturer: Evaluation of scheduling systems and integration with

MRP.

Manufacturer of Heat Sinks for Electronic Equipment: Implementation of pull control;

review of manufacturing plans, layouts.

Manufacturer of Industrial Sensors: Planning, order tracking and material flow in a make-
to-order shop. Productivity and lead time analysis.