LOADING &

SCHEDULING
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LOADING

• Loading may be defined as the assignment of work to a facility. The facility may be
people, equipment, work groups, or an entire plant or group of plants. Loading these
facilities, would consist of essentially assigning work tasks without specifying when the
work is to be done or the sequence in which it is to be done.

• Each job (customer order) may have its unique product specification and hence, it is
unique through various work centers in the facility. As new job orders are released, they
are assigned or allocated among the work centers, thus establishing how much of a load
each work center must carry during the coming planning period. This assignment is
known as loading (sometimes called shop loading as machine loading).
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TYPES & STEPS
There are mainly two types of loading:
• i) Finite loading: assigning jobs taking into account the capacity and processing times
• ii) Infinite loading: assigning jobs without regard to the capacity and processing times
Steps in Loading:
• In general, loading procedure involves six basic steps. First 4 steps are the steps of
managerial decisions that usually do not change week to week or month to month. The
last two steps are required on a periodic basis as an input to scheduling. These steps are:
•
1. Selecting load centers;
• Department
• Group
• Machine/Work-center
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TYPES & STEPS

• 2. Developing efficiency factors by load centers

• 3. Determining capacity by centers
• 4. Choosing loading method
To finite capacity
To finite capacity
Combination of both
5. loading schedule orders into load center
6. Unloading completed hours
 5
SCHEDULING
• Scheduling is one of the most important steps in production control. Scheduling may be
defined as fitting specific jobs into a general time table so that orders may be
manufactured in accordance with contracted liability or in mass production, so that each
component may arrive at and enter to assembly in the order and at the time required. Or
in other words scheduling is that phase of production control which rates the work in order
of its priority and provides for its realization to the plant at the proper time and in the
correct sequence. Thus, scheduling is concerned with when work shall be performed on a
product or part.

• Even in more simplified words scheduling means:

(i) Determination of the rate at which the work shall be performed in order of its priority.
(ii) Determination of the proper times when work will be released to the plan.
(iii) Determination of the proper sequence.
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INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR SCHEDULING

The person who schedules the work needs to know:

• a) The operations necessary for the manufacture of the product as established by the
production engineer or the person in charge of routing.
• b) The machine capacity and the number of hours a day or week that a machine can
be expected to operate.
• c) The time required for the transportation of the materials from one machine to
another. For this reason, the person doing the scheduling should be familiar with the
plant layout, the distance between the machine and methods of material handling.
• d) The dates when purchased materials or parts will be availed and the margin of
safety. Since all planning is intended to assure that deliveries to stock or to customers
will be made at a certain time that dates when deliveries are wanted should be
known.
 BENEFITS OF SCHEDULING
7

The inclusion of the time element in production planning and control serves a number of purposes for
various persons inside and outside the company. These are as follows:
• a) The operating departments can use the information pertaining to the amount of work planned to
the schedule personnel, extra shifts, overtime, machine repair and other work.
• b) Foreman can determine themselves whether their operations are on schedule.
• c) The purchasing department may make its plans for the purpose of supplies, tools, or equipment.
• d) The machine shop can know when special fixtures, moulds or tools will be required.
• e) The planning department knows at each stage whether an order is on schedule and whether
correction action will necessary. If a machine or department is over loaded, the fact is to be known
in time to permit re-routing of some of the work declining additional customer order or making other
plans.
• f) Satisfactory relations with customers and venders depend upon scheduling the work and then
producing according to the schedule. Deliveries may be promised to the customers with the
assurance that the goods can be delivered on time.
• g) Scheduling permits the production plans of one manufacture to be integrated with the plans of
others.
 BENEFITS OF SCHEDULING
8

a) Operating departments – Use scheduling data to plan manpower, shifts, overtime, repairs,
and other activities.
b) Foremen – Check if their operations are on track with the schedule.
c) Purchasing department – Plan and arrange necessary supplies, tools, and equipment.
d) Machine shop – Know in advance when special fixtures, moulds, or tools are needed.
e) Planning department – Monitor order progress, take corrective action if delays occur, and
adjust workload or customer commitments.
f) Customer & vendor relations – Ensure reliable deliveries by sticking to the schedule,
building trust.
g) Integration – Coordinate one manufacturer’s plans with others for smooth collaboration.
 TYPES OF SCHEDULING 9

Forward scheduling
• It is commonly used in job shops where customers place their orders on a "needed as
soon as possible" basis. Forward scheduling determines start and finish times of next
priority job by
 TYPES OF SCHEDULING 10

• বর্না:
ণ
উপররর অংরল Forward Scheduling দেখার া ঵র়েরে —
• এখার কাজ শুরু ঵়ে আজরকর তাররখ দেরক, অোৎ
থ কাাঁচামা঱ ঴ংগ্র঵ এবং কাজ যত তাশাতারশ ঴ম্ভব শুরু ঵়ে।
• ধাপগুর঱া ঵র঱া: Obtain raw material → Operation 1 → Operation 2 → Final assembly।
• প্ররতটি ধারপর মারে রকেু Transit বা Queue time রর়েরে।
• কাজ আরগ শুরু ঵ও়ো়ে প্রা়েই র ধাররত
থ ঴মর়ের আরগই দল঳ ঵র়ে যা়ে, ফর঱ মধযবতী পযার়ে
থ অরতররক্ত
ই রভন্টরর ততরর ঵়ে।
• র রচর অংরল Backward Scheduling দেখার া ঵র়েরে —
• এখার কাজ শুরু ঵়ে Required due date বা পরযযর র ধাররত
থ দের঱ভারর তাররখ দেরক উরটা রেরক পররকল্প া
করর।
• ধাপগুর঱া ঵র঱া: Final assembly → Operation 2 → Operation 1 → Obtain raw material।
• প্ররতটি ধারপর আরগ প্রর়োজ ী়ে Transit বা Queue time ধরা ঵র়েরে।
• এভারব কাজ ঴ম়েমরতা দল঳ ঵়ে রকন্তু অপ্রর়োজ ী়ে ই রভন্টরর কম োরক।
• চিত্রের মূল বার্ণা:
• Forward scheduling = দ্রুত শুরু, আরগ দল঳, রকন্তু ই রভন্টরর দবরল।
• Backward scheduling = দেে঱াই দেরক পররকল্প া, ঴ম়েমরতা দল঳, ই রভন্টরর কম।
 EXAMPLE………………….. 11

• Forward Scheduling Example

• Imagine you are the production manager of a T-shirt factory.
• Today, you receive an order for 1,000 T-shirts, delivery due in 15 days.
• You start immediately: order raw materials today, begin cutting, sewing, finishing — all as soon as
possible.
• The work is completed by day 12, three days before the delivery date.
• Result:
• Delivery is on time or even earlier ✅
• But many finished goods and raw materials are stored in the warehouse before shipping,
which means higher inventory costs ✅
• This is Forward Scheduling — start as early as possible.
 EXAMPLE………………….. 12

• Backward Scheduling Example

• Same order: 1,000 T-shirts, delivery in 15 days.
• You first calculate:
• Finishing takes 2 days
• Sewing takes 5 days
• Cutting takes 2 days
• Raw material delivery takes 3 days
• You work backwards from the delivery date so that everything finishes exactly on day 15.
• You order raw materials on day 10, start sewing on day 5, and complete the final assembly right
on the due date.
• Result:
• Lower inventory costs ✅ (no need to store finished goods early)
• But if any step gets delayed, the final delivery will also be delayed ✅
• This is Backward Scheduling — plan from the due date backwards.
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TYPES OF SCHEDULING
• It is often used in assembly type industries and committed in advance to specific delivery dates.
Backward scheduling determines the start and finish times for waiting jobs by assigning them to
the latest available time slot that will enable each job to be completed just when it is due, but
done before. By assigning jobs as late as possible, backward scheduling minimizes inventories
since a job is not completed until it must go directly to the next work center on its routing.
• (1) In the first situation, the quantity to be made, the rate of production and the resources
necessary, are all adjustable so that the most economic balance can be struck between the
various parameters. This type of manufacture is exemplified by flow production.
• (2) In the second, the quantity to be made, the production rate and delivery dates are all fixed
(either by customer or by the sales department) and limited resources have to be used as
effectively as possible. This type of production is characteristically "batch" production.
• (3) When only one project is being undertaken.
• (4) There may be choice, either in the resources used or in the quantities of various products
produced.
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MASTER SCHEDULING
• This is the activity that determines the overall production plan for the next several months. After
forecasting, capacity planning and inventory analysis; production is commenced by master scheduling,
determining productive capacity and finally results into end products or delivery of customer orders.
• Master scheduling is done within coarse limits, but the objective is to ensure that the actual load in the
shop is for two or three months hence will fall within rather narrow limits. Shop load is usually expressed
in house per time period, but limits have an added dimension. An example will help to clarify the concept.
• In a two machine shop that works for a regular 40 hours/week, the optimum load scheduled for a given
week should be 80 machine hours of work, if more than 80 machine hours of work are scheduled,
overtime can be used or some of the current week's work can be pulled back from the next week's
schedule to fill up the currently available capacity. Since master scheduling is done considerably ahead of
the time of production, the actual load in the shop will not fit the shop's capacity exactly and some push
ahead or pull back will inevitably exist. If considerable push ahead is required because the master
schedule calls for more production in a given time period, then:

• The shop is able to produce,

• Work in process will build up
• Most jobs will fall behind schedule, and.
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REAL EXAMPLE: T-SHIRT FACTORY

Step 1 — Factory Capacity
• 2 sewing lines × 40 hours/week
• Total capacity = 80 machine-hours/week
This is your optimum load — the balanced level at which the factory can run smoothly.

Step 2 — Master Scheduling Plan (3 months ahead)

You prepare a master schedule showing planned work per week, for example:

Week Planned Work (Machine-Hours) Status vs. Capacity

1 75 Underload (-5)
2 80 Balanced (0)
3 100 Overload (+20)
4 60 Underload (-20)
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REAL EXAMPLE: T-SHIRT FACTORY

Step 3 — What happens in practice
• Week 1 – Underload
• Planned = 75 hours, Capacity = 80 hours → Pull Back
• Bring 5 hours of work forward from Week 2 to keep machines fully utilized
• Week 2 – Balanced
• Planned = 80 hours → No changes needed
• Week 3 – Overload
• Planned = 100 hours, Capacity = 80 hours → Push Ahead
• Solution:
• Add overtime for the extra 20 hours
• Or shift some work from Week 3 to Week 4
• Week 4 – Underload
• Planned = 60 hours → Pull forward work from another week to fill idle time
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REAL EXAMPLE: T-SHIRT FACTORY

• Step 4 — The Result
• Push Ahead: When a week’s load exceeds capacity, you use overtime or reschedule to handle
the excess.
• Pull Back: When a week’s load is less than capacity, you bring work from future weeks to fully
utilize resources.

This way, master scheduling ensures that the shop load stays balanced over the coming
months, avoiding both idle machines and excessive overload.
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MASTER SCHEDULING
• Thus the lower limit on a master schedule should be loaded in hours of work and delivery date
requirement will keep the shop capacity efficiently utilized neither on current jobs that are neither
far ahead nor behind schedule. The upper limit should be the highest load in hours and the
highest load in delivery requirements that can be handled by the shop which can allow the
inevitable rush job from:

• A highly regarded customer order,

• The last minute engineering change
• Return because of scrap losses, and
• Occurrences which cannot be predicted in advance.
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MASTER SCHEDULING
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Explanation:
How much might be sold? 📈
• The company first estimates how many items might be sold in the future (Sales Forecasting).
• At the same time, they also look at what items customers are currently ordering (Customer Order). Some orders are pre-
arranged, while others are finalized immediately upon placing the order.
• They also keep track of how much inventory is available in stores or warehouses (Stock & Inventory).
What's the total workload? 📈 📈
• All this information (sales estimates, customer orders, inventory count) is combined to determine the total amount of work that
needs to be done (Aggregate Load Generation and Analysis).
• Engineering information, such as what's needed to make a product or how it will be made, is also useful here.
How much can we produce? 📈
• The company's production capacity (Capacity Planning), meaning how many items they can produce, is reviewed.
• Information on how much work is currently underway in the factory (Current Information Shop Load & Load Times) is also
obtained.
Creating the Plan (Master Schedule) 📈
• Then, all the above information (what needs to be produced, how much can be produced) is combined to create a main plan
or Master Schedule. This is a timetable that specifies when the production of each product will begin and end.
Final Timetable 📈 📈
• According to this Master Schedule, a rough timetable for the production of the final product is created.
• In simple terms, this entire process is a clear roadmap for a company, allowing them to produce the right products at the right
time to meet customer demand.
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SHORT-TERM SCHEDULING
• As we have seen, master scheduling are aggregate plan which ensure that the demand on the shops capacity will be reasonable. The term short
scheduling is to be used to describe the activity which develops the detailed plans necessary to meet the delivery commitments represented by the
master schedule.
• The result of short scheduling is a set start and completion time for every components part for final products. For example, a particular lot of 20
milling machine is to be assembled during week 15-40, feed lever may be scheduled to start in the shop at the beginning of week II and to be completed by
the end of week 14. Parts for stock would be scheduled for completion by time current supply is expected to be depleted.
• One another important output of short term scheduling is an estimate of the load for the next few weeks of months for each machine or work center in the shop.
Indeed machine loading is a term often used for the activity. Machine load estimates can be used to assist the management
• of:
• (i) Assignment of machines to balance the capacities of various work centers,
• (ii) Stopping and reducing bottlenecks in work flow, and
• (iii) Planning activities on the shop floor.
• Short term scheduling is an activity that is very much like master scheduling, but it has a shorter in horizon and involves considerably more derails. The
distinction between master and short term scheduling academic in some companies, especially those specializing in made to order items or products with shop
manufacturing cycle times. Also the computer's ability to make large quantities of detailed information easily available tends to encourage use of detailed
information at the higher levels and thus blunts distinction even more. The data generally, include such things as a bill of materials, showing all components
parts, and assembly sequences, routing or operations sheets for all parts to be manufactured, list of material of existing loads already scheduled against
machine or work center in the shop or estimates expected load times or delays to be countered as work moves through the shop, and estimates of machine and
set up time for each operation on each part.
• The concern here is with developing scheduling for each component part and sub-assembly so that:
• a) All raw materials arrive on time
• b) All parts and sub-assemblies arrive at the appropriate assembly or stock area in time to ensure the final product will be ready for shipment or schedule short
term scheduling is useful accomplished by one of two basic approach's; capacity loading and loading infinite.
•
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MATHEMATICAL LOADING AND SCHEDULING
• Once a basic system for loading and scheduling has been installed and has proven to be
adequate, possible to improve its effectiveness by the use of certain mathematical techniques.
Following techniques are generally adopted:
• 1) Johnson method
• 2) Jackson's method 3) Slotting techniques
•
4) Even flow scheduling 5) Short interval scheduling 6) Critical ratio scheduling 7) Statistical load
control
• 8) Index method of scheduling
• 9) Linear programming method.
• Among these methods, the first one is illustrated in the next chapter i.e. Job Sequencing.
•
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SLOTTING TECHNIQUE FOR SCHEDULING
• Slotting Technique for Scheduling
• The slotting technique for scheduling is more a time study substitute than a scheduling technique,
generally suitable for a plant with few or no job time standard. Basically it is slotting a job into a time
slot on the basis of its similarity to another job.
• Time slots are based on a number of bench mark jobs which have had times established by stopwatch
time studies or predetermined times. The steps for scheduling by the slotting technique are:
• (1) Limited number of common bench mark jobs is measured by stop watch time studies and
predetermined times. These are used to develop a slotting spread sheet.
• (2) When a new job is to be scheduled, the time is determined by selecting the bench mark job most
closely resembles the job under consideration. These times with reasonable modifications are used to
master scheduling purpose. As in order methods after timing performance rating may be obtained.
• Perfomance % =
• Slotted hours /Actual hours
• × 100
• This will probably not give the accuracy that time studies do, but for comparing the cost it is a useful
technique.
•
 24
EVEN FLOW SCHEDULING TECHNIQUE
• The even flow scheduling technique takes advantage of the fact that we can eliminate the total amount of time
required for a group of operations very precisely because the errors of individual job estimates will tends to cancel
out. The effect is to reduce the time allowance needed to guard against schedule interference. In the day to day
operations of a job shop, one can expect to find the elapsed time for a job to be highly correlated with the number of
operations. The actual time that a job spends on a machine is relatively small and the moving and waiting times are
about the same for all operations.
• The even flow technique consists of designing a time period which is approximately equal to the average elapsed
times required for operations, set ups and moves. These are shown as blocks of time on the schedule chart and are
often referred to as time buckets.
• Using the data available on the operations sheet, a backwards schedule from the due date is made by allowing one
time period for each operation. From this we know within which time period each operation must be performed to
keep the job on the schedule. This chart also shows the load for each work center for each time period.
• The dispatching rule for the even flow technique is any operation within a time block can be run without concern for
sequence. It is necessary for all jobs to be completed within the block to maintain precedence so that, it may catch
up. If more than one job is running late, precedence is given to the one having the earliest due date.
• Capacity planning can be visualized by a simple bar chart. If there is sufficient time, jobs will flow from one time
period to another without delay. Imbalance may be compensated for by changing assignment and shifting of jobs to
other time periods.
•

•
 25
CRITICAL RATIO SCHEDULING
• It is a technique for establishing and maintaining priorities among the jobs in a factory. The critical ratio itself is an index by
which the relative priorities of jobs can be determined. It is a time relations between when a products is required and when it
can be supplied. In its simplest förm critical ratio may be stated
• Critical ratio =
Demand time/ Supply lead time
• For example:
• Critical ratio = (Product is needed in 30 days/ Product will be available in 40 days)
• Critical ratio =3/4
• It becomes obvious that the processing time must be reduced to ¾ th of the normal expected time or the product will not be
delivered on time.
• Fime importance of critical ratio value can be summarized:
• •
• Greater than one means that there is ample time to finish the job ahead of schedule. Exactly one meaning that the job is just
on schedule.
• Less than one means that the job is critical and will have to be expedited if it is to be completed on schedule.
• The further behind a job is, the lower the critical ratio and the more critical the job is.
•
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ADVANTAGES OF CRITICAL RATIO SCHEDULING

• (1) The relative priorities among jobs are established on a common basis.
• (2) The status of particular job can be determined.
• (3) The schedule can be adjusted automatically when there are changes in demand or job
progress.
• (4) Both stock and make to order jobs can be compared on a common basis.
• (5) A properly installed critical ratio system, with the necessary feedback, will help to elimination
expediters and the scheduling crises.
• (6) Critical ratio scheduling is a dynamic system.
THANK
YOU
Brita Tamm
502-555-0152
brita@[Link]
[Link]