This conversation delves into the complexities of production scheduling, emphasising the critical role of information flow within manufacturing organizations. It highlights the challenges faced in ensuring accurate delivery dates, managing engineering changes, and maintaining effective communication across departments. Through a case study of Bent and Curved Glass, the discussion illustrates the importance of standardizing information and fostering trust between sales and production teams to enhance overall efficiency and customer satisfaction.
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The Challenge: Disconnected Information Silos
Picture this common scenario: A salesperson promises a delivery date without knowing the current production capacity. Engineering discovers a required change after work has already begun on the factory floor. Meanwhile, everyone is asking "where exactly is this job right now?" when it should have been completed according to the original schedule.
These disconnects happen because different teams operate in isolation, each lacking visibility into what others are doing. The result? Rework, missed deadlines, and disappointed customers who were promised delivery "last week" but now face another three-week delay.
Information as the Manufacturing Glue
As Rod Wong-Pan from the University of New South Wales explained in the webinar, there are three main flows in manufacturing: material flow, cash flow, and information flow. Information flow is often the most neglected, yet it's "the glue that holds everything together."
Modern manufacturing demands responsiveness, agility, and efficiency. Without a responsive information system, organizations simply cannot meet these demands. Information isn't just critical for day-to-day operations—it's essential for continuous improvement, helping capture what happened in the past to optimize future performance.
The Path to Smooth Handoffs
Successful manufacturers achieve smooth information handoffs at critical connection points:
Sales Teams need real-time visibility into production capacity and pipeline status to make realistic delivery commitments. When they can see what's happening on the factory floor, they gain trust in production's ability to deliver.
Engineering Teams must ensure changes are communicated immediately to prevent costly rework. Late-stage defect fixes cost exponentially more than early identification.
Production Teams require clear priorities and status updates. A worker might extend a machine run to avoid future setups, but without understanding organizational priorities, this "optimization" might delay a high-priority customer order.
Quality Control and Dispatch need seamless information transfer to maintain delivery schedules and customer satisfaction.
Real-World Success: The Power of Standardization
The webinar featured a case study from Bent and Curved Glass, where implementing standardized information processes transformed performance. Initially achieving only 60-70% DIFOT (Delivered In Full, On Time), the company saw dramatic improvements after establishing proper routings and information systems.
The key was creating a system where everyone contributes to and extracts value from shared information. When production floor updates benefit sales teams, and sales information helps production planning, the system becomes self-reinforcing.
Practical Implementation Strategies
Standardize Status Definitions: Start with basic statuses like "started," "completed," "on hold," or "cancelled," then evolve based on organizational needs. Color-coding work orders by readiness (materials available, engineering complete, etc.) provides instant visual priorities.
Create Meaningful Naming Conventions: Work order numbers should carry information across systems—customer name, product code, operation type, allocated hours, and target completion date. This enables traceability from CRM through ERP to dispatch.
Eliminate Multiple Date Definitions: When sales adds buffer time because they don't trust production, and production ignores unrealistic dates, chaos ensues. Standardize on customer-required dates with agreed-upon buffers applied systematically, not by every department.
Enable Real-Time Updates: Make it easy for floor workers to update job status at their work centers, not as an afterthought requiring extra effort.
The Trust Factor
Perhaps the most important outcome of good information flow is trust between departments. When sales teams can see real-time production status, they develop confidence in delivery commitments. When production receives realistic schedules with proper buffers applied once (not by everyone), they can consistently meet commitments.
This creates a virtuous cycle: reliable delivery builds customer satisfaction, reduces internal friction, and enables the organization to take on more challenging work with confidence.
Moving Forward
Information flow isn't just about installing better software—it requires process discipline across the organization. Every stakeholder must understand how their information contributions benefit others and how shared visibility serves organizational goals.
As manufacturing cycles shorten and customer demands increase, organizations that master information flow will have a decisive competitive advantage. The question isn't whether you can afford to implement better information systems—it's whether you can afford not to.
For manufacturers ready to transform their production scheduling through better information flow, the path forward starts with understanding where your handoffs break down and building systems that turn information into competitive advantage.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Production Scheduling
00:15 Understanding Information Flow in Production
08:27 The Importance of Reliable Information
13:13 Stakeholder Contributions to Information Flow
18:17 Challenges in Managing Production Information
23:00 Standardising Information for Effective Scheduling
28:30 Building Trust Through Information Visibility
31:47 Conclusion and Future Insights