| Finite Capacity Scheduling | | | | as much as the actual fighting. It will be |
| | | | hard to fight waving sticks when B-1 Bombers |
| by Gerhard Plenert PhD and Bill KirchmeirI | | | | are flying overhead; because by the time you |
| met Gerhard and talked with him for an hour | | | | see them it is too late. Saddams army never |
| at a customers office of one of our | | | | had a chance since we had logistically won |
| franchisees in Reno NV, which specializes in | | | | the war before it started. Many battles in |
| antique car restoration and maintenance. | | | | history, even our own civil war was about |
| Gerhard was in the waiting room reading what | | | | train tracks, supply and troops moving and |
| may have been Steven Hawkins, so we began | | | | feeding armies. The South had factories but |
| talking. Imagine my surprise to find he had | | | | found it hard to match the output of the |
| worked with so many great companies in the | | | | North. Larger Armies more guns, better |
| early computer days and with the automotive | | | | stabilized currency. Innovation helped when |
| industry and many other heavy Equipment | | | | they changed the bullets and muskets, which |
| Industries. Well since I had him there for 1 | | | | could shoot farther with better accuracy yet |
| hour, I barraged him with questions from | | | | within months both sides had all the same |
| converting Space Energy (radiation and | | | | technology. In WWII Germans were working on |
| different light spectrums into energy for our | | | | the hydrogen Bomb and so were we, at least |
| planet), to taking his methods to the service | | | | Einstein in his letter to the president |
| industry. He too barraged me with questions | | | | indicated he believed they were working on it |
| on franchising, and later we talked about the | | | | when he asked for funding of the Manhattan |
| status of expert and we both laughed when we | | | | Project.Innovation in Manufacturing is |
| found out we were both published in our | | | | important it helped Pirelli and Firestone and |
| fields of expertise. He admitted to writing | | | | a few other tire manufacturers increased |
| books about his subject so I ordered one and | | | | production and leap frogged other |
| it shocked me that it was $55.00 plus tax, | | | | technologies. But in the end they all had |
| after reading it, I was shocked that so much | | | | the new technology and the real problem was |
| information on the reality of efficiency had | | | | who could build the most using the same |
| ever been compiled in one place.First off I | | | | technology. Cold War days, we simply out |
| would like to say that this book is not just | | | | spent and bluffed our way into winning the |
| for Manufacturing Executives. I believe this | | | | cold war. We may have to do this again. We |
| book should be read by our Military for | | | | and the Russians both had the technology, and |
| infantry Logistics and moving forces into a | | | | the resources, yet our great economic machine |
| hostile area for possible future engagement. | | | | was too powerful, probably due to the |
| It should be read by NASA who occasionally | | | | productivity derivative of a capitalistic |
| has missed appointments with Asteroids or | | | | society vs. a communist one. Even though |
| launches. As NASA learns how to attain | | | | none of the last three paragraphs were in the |
| multi-dimensional space travel it will be | | | | book, it is necessary to further point out |
| imperative to be a the right place at the | | | | why this book is so important.Another great |
| right time and to jump dimensions of space | | | | quote in the book;Behold the turtle who only |
| time otherwise it does not appear that travel | | | | makes progress when he sticks his neck out.I |
| beyond the speed of light will occur in our | | | | believe that FCS is the solution to |
| life time. Computers are here to stay and | | | | DaimlerCryslers dilemma in Europe. Many |
| they can help us streamline efficiency and | | | | countries there and their citizens favor a |
| allow all business models to work in | | | | customized car like a Dell computer delivered |
| real-time. The new way of manufacturing will | | | | in less than 30 days. Not the one size fits |
| be FCS and not Infinite Scheduling Backwards | | | | all car, which has been Fords answer to |
| Pass (ISBP). Many aspects of this book dealt | | | | profit taking in Europe. Tomorrow and todays |
| with the implementing of such a system and | | | | new demands are for zero inventory and |
| also with the reality of change and the fear | | | | immediate delivery with maximum efficiency; |
| and roadblocks by conventional | | | | this can all be achieved with FCS. It also |
| wisdomers.Great Quote;Newtons Law to | | | | can work in training of new Army recruits, |
| manufacturing;For every expert with a perfect | | | | Navy pilots, and third world dictators. I |
| solution there is an equal and opposite | | | | believe car wash guys can easily implement |
| expert with a perfect solution.Now, there in | | | | such a training version of FCS even though no |
| lies the problem. How to get there. We all | | | | one has ever done it before. I also believe |
| want the same results in government, we want | | | | that we can deliver real time services to our |
| utopia. In Economics we want stabilization, | | | | customers and allocate the necessary |
| in manufacturing we want the ultimate | | | | resources without wasting by GPS tracking, |
| efficiency. So in US governments we have | | | | real time scheduling changes, labor, |
| Democrats, Republicans and now we have CHADs. | | | | supplies, equipment and crews. There is no |
| In Economics we have Friedman and Keynes. | | | | difference fundamentally between labor at a |
| In manufacturing it use to be Deming and TQM | | | | manufacturing facility and labor on a job |
| vs. the old way of thinking. Today it is | | | | site or multiple jobs sites for that matter. |
| finite capacity scheduling (FCS) with | | | | A computer does not cry when you add |
| software scenarios vs. other systems we have | | | | perimeters and does not need more food or |
| been taught, such as Material Requirements | | | | coffee to run by the seat of its pants. It |
| Planning (MRP). Supply Chain Management | | | | is not an emotional issue, it just is. |
| (SCM), Schedule Based Manufacturing (SBM), | | | | Likewise a computer can calculate many |
| Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) all of | | | | equations simultaneously, many can easily do |
| which may appear to be viable on first glance | | | | 10,000 possibilities per second. Still want |
| and work for a limited purpose if all things | | | | to play chess with a computer? So does that |
| are equal. However it does not appear that | | | | mean the death of the entrepreneur?Does that |
| in the history of our Planet all things have | | | | mean the Howard Hughes days of innovation and |
| ever been equal. In theory maybe, yet even | | | | flying by the seat of your pants are done |
| on the most level of playing fields, they are | | | | forever? No there will always be prototypes, |
| skewed in one way or the other, by size, | | | | with no parts available yet, but what it does |
| weight, strength, materials, wind, etc. | | | | mean is that the entrepreneur can see his |
| There is always a variable or a gray area | | | | dreams come to fruition better because they |
| (thank god otherwise attorneys would all be | | | | may actually make a profit. Does it mean |
| out of work eyh?). Incidentally god did not | | | | that there will be no more defective units? |
| make attorneys, otherwise they would still be | | | | No, there will always be defective parts from |
| arguing if Adam and Eve should receive belly | | | | manufacturers who rely on sub parts, which |
| buttons, and with no supreme court yet | | | | are not built in the same way. In Taiwan |
| established to kick it back to a lower court | | | | many company have experienced up to 35% more |
| the human race would never have come to be, | | | | productivity by only changing to the |
| during those last days before the rest. Or | | | | methodology of Finite Capacity Scheduling. |
| maybe god got so tired of dealing with | | | | So for America to complete its productivity |
| attorneys he had to rest.The book went into | | | | without affecting its bottom line we simply |
| detail the cost to expedite a job, and to | | | | produce more with the same amount of labor |
| deliver on promises made by sales staff to | | | | and manufacturing abilities. Think of it. |
| acquire the order, which were impossible | | | | Even if the dollar is strong a shit we can |
| considering all the other promises, which | | | | still sell for less because we are producing |
| were to be scheduled simultaneously. This | | | | more with the same fixed base costs. This |
| caused over time and accidents and problems | | | | means we can beat everyone still.Let the |
| with compliance issues with many agencies and | | | | innovators innovate and the manufacturing |
| still did not get all the jobs done so the | | | | Schedulers schedule using FCM systems and we |
| customer base was in constant attrition. In | | | | will increase our output and win, even if we |
| wartime you need to expedite everything and | | | | are all using the same secrets stolen from |
| one of the reasons that we beat the Germans | | | | our scientific communities. The book refers |
| was because we built 96,000 aircraft to their | | | | to Peter Drucker who stated that the true |
| 30,000 that last year of the war. It was not | | | | measure of productivity is the output per |
| that we had better aircraft. They had | | | | unit of time given the finite resources. Yes |
| equally brilliant minds on their side, and a | | | | I believe this to be and have always said the |
| hell of a head start. We of course had the | | | | money is in the time and not the completed |
| desire to win. And we had the manufacturing | | | | job.This should be obvious to anyone who has |
| and the resources as Germany was running out | | | | bid a job to low and later completed the job |
| of everything. Charles Lindbergh warned us | | | | quicker than anticipated due to a new method |
| on his visit of the Luftwaffe and their | | | | of operation discovered upon commencing of |
| incredible planes and weapons of war that the | | | | the job. Sometimes it takes a few times to |
| Germans already had pre-war (many called him | | | | see how to actually do the work and then |
| a NAZI sympathizer, which is hard argue, but | | | | refine the technique, in actuality you are |
| we should have still listened. He was | | | | performing manual Finite Capacity Scheduling |
| definitely enthralled with their | | | | even though it is the most elementary part of |
| innovations). It truly was the manufacturing | | | | the actual FCS model. Now add jobs, labor, |
| and the great American push to move mountains | | | | and resources to the equation and then try to |
| that won us the war. Everyone participated | | | | factor in all the materials and times the |
| and helped in the war efforts. Breaking the | | | | materials, soaps, supplies, etc are needed |
| backs of the Germans was not easy, breaking | | | | and what do you have? A complex mess, which |
| their manufacturing abilities and running | | | | requires lots of thought and time. |
| them out of resources is what helped almost | | | | |