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Eliminating Constraints with JDA Scheduling & Sequencing Solutions

SMT Consulting is the most experienced implementer of JDA (and previously Manugistics) production scheduling & sequencing software in Australia, and perhaps globally. SMT has undertaken over 100 implementations over the past 20 years.

SMT has implemented the solutions in all states of Australia, United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, China, Singapore, Malaysia and more. It has achieved significant business benefits (see case studies) and prides itself in being a high value, low cost solution provider.

How can you know if investing in an automated scheduling system will add value for your business?

SMT has a process for discovering this. And even if we do not recommend that you go ahead, you will still discover ways to significantly optimise your manufacturing facility, both resources and labour.

To estimate the benefits we:

  • Reference 20 years of international supply chain improvements
  • Consult the senior partners who are sector specialists in retail, industrial and defence or discipline specialists in marketing, I.T. and finance.
  • Put the right team together who are tasked with identifying the micro and macro benefits

At the task or micro scheduling level we build a prototype model of your manufacturing workflow. We represent:

  • Customer demand
  • Finite capacity resources, their constraints both physical and policy driven, their interdependences
  • Raw Materials, arrival dates, lead-times, stock holding and substitution
  • Rosters

When the model is run we get feedback that allows us to pre-empt late orders, capacity shortages or under utilisation. Planning out for up to 12 month horizons allows strategic decisions to be made on capacity. However when the model is run on a shorter horizon it automatically generates a task level schedule. For many managers the true production constraints are revealed for the first time. This allows management to identify focus areas for actions that can significantly affect plant throughput, or customer service.

However some fine-tuning is required to develop a “good” schedule. Three questions must be asked. Is the schedule:


  1. Realistic?

  2. Productive?

  3. Protected?

A realistic schedule is one which staff can adhere to. The first step generally requires data cleaning to flush out incorrect task times and sequences. Having represented the “As Is” workflow, the second step challenges existing rules and work practices which are identified as unproductive. Most automated scheduling packages can crunch large amounts of detail in seconds. This creates an opportunity to find optimization that would be too time consuming to implement in a manual scheduling environment. The third step acknowledges that there are unforeseen events which result in planned work being different to actual work. A good scheduling implementation will analyse the variability between plan and actual and realise one of two benefits:

  • Make schedule more realistic
  • Make the operation more productive

Having minimised the gap between plan and actual, protection is strategically placed in the form of time or material buffers along critical paths.

> Download case study pdf for more information

Customer Testimonial

About JDA

JDA® Software Group, Inc. is the global leader in helping more than 5,500 retail, manufacturing and wholesale distribution customers in 60 countries realize real demand chain results. JDA solutions enable high-performance business process optimization and execution to achieve a connected view of the customer from raw materials flowing into production to end-consumer products at the shelf. With offices in major cities around the world, JDA employs the industry’s most experienced supply and demand chain experts to develop, deliver and support its solutions.

For JDA’s full Solution Suite see JDA Solutions

For further information on our approach, success stories and rates please contact: