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- Title
A Heuristic Scheduling System for Ceramic Industrial Coatings.
- Authors
Olson, John R.; Schniederjans, Marc J.
- Abstract
This article discusses the development and implementation of a heuristic-based scheduling system for Ceramic Industrial Coatings (CIC), a producer of paint and wood coatings in the U.S. Midwest. The process CIC uses to produce paint is fairly simple. Paint is a combination of resins, solvents, pigments, and other additives. These raw materials are mixed together and run through a milling machine to give the paint its characteristics. The difficulty with scheduling paint concerns cleanliness. If the mill is not completely cleaned before the production of the next batch of paint, remnants of the old batch will seep into the new batch and contaminate it, causing an off-color. Therefore, implementing the scheduling system produced several benefits. Measurable results include a 39-percent reduction in manufacturing processing time, a 23-per-cent reduction in late batches, a 49-percent reduction in scrapped batches, and a 72-percent reduction in scrap cost. Less measurable results that have had an even greater impact on the overall system include improvements in employee involvement and morale and in customer service. Because customer-service representatives are involved in scheduling production, they are better able to estimate how long it will take to produce a particular batch of paint. This has reduced the pressure on the production personnel and improved their morale. Since the master production schedule was fixed for some time period, the customer service representatives knew when rush orders could be introduced into the system and quoted more accurate lead times for customers, which improved customer service.
- Subjects
PRODUCTION scheduling; OPERATIONS research; PRODUCTION control; CERAMIC Industrial Coatings (Company); COATING processes; COATINGS industry
- Publication
Interfaces, 2000, Vol 30, Issue 5, p16
- ISSN
0092-2102
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1287/inte.30.5.16.11635