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The current issue of Robotics Tomorrow discusses how misalignment with suppliers is often caused by existing replenishment policies such as min/max order policy. Pam Bednar, VP at Synchrono, noted "Aligning the materials support function with demand is key. Many manufacturers still perform planning and scheduling processes far away from actual orders and from execution on the shop floor. That's how suppliers can be divorced from almost every aspect of the business that they are supplying."

Demand Driven Manufacturing aligns the process, people, machines and materials around the demand signal. When these elements are synchronized, orders continuously flow through production - from the point of inception to on time customer delivery. According to Synchrono, the leader in Demand Driven Manufacturing technology, other components that drive flow are effective constraints management and real-time visibility into what is happening at all layers of the manufacturing operations and extended supply chain.

Automation will fail without aligning materials support function with demand according to Synchrono VP of Marketing. Synchrono was featured in the recent issue of Robotics and Automation News authored by manufacturing journalist, Thomas R. Cutler. Robot-to-person solutions are on a rapid trajectory for 2017 and beyond. Yet discrete manufacturing organizations which initiate material replenishment automation programs without properly analyzing processes and priorities for internal and external stakeholders, find far less value than anticipated.

Synchrono defines Demand-Driven Manufacturing as a manufacturing method that enables a synchronized, closed loop between customer orders, production scheduling, and manufacturing execution - all while synchronizing the flow of materials and resources across the supply chain. The key components are synchronization and flow. Demand-Driven Manufacturing is associated with response planning and "Pull" manufacturing and supply chain methods. The two main continuous improvement approaches that advocate the Demand/Pull method are Lean Manufacturing and Constraints Management.

Effective constraints Management is particularly critical to keep production flowing in discrete, ETO (engineer-to-order) and MTO (make-to-order) Demand-Driven Manufacturers. Because Demand-Driven Manufacturing environments are more agile and adaptive, they are in a better position to manage and leverage constraints in the system to drive production flow. Synchrono uniquely helps manufacturers to both manage constraints and improve flow through CONLOAD, a patented scheduling process. CONLOAD releases work into production based on the capacity of the constraint(s) in the system. Doing so keeps flow at its peak throughout the production process, eliminating bottlenecks, aging WIP and inventory.

The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) monitored in a Demand-Driven Manufacturing environment track the demand signal through the entire organization. The results measured are those related to flow, velocity, throughput, and other measures of movement throughout the supply chain. These KPIs are often used to guide the organization to areas of focus for continuous improvement. The true key performance indicator for Demand-Driven Manufacturers is on-time delivery.

Demand Driven Manufacturing production planning, scheduling and execution software provides many benefits, including the ability to align people, processes, machines, and materials around the demand signal. According to Synchrono, the leader in Demand-Driven Manufacturing technology, the value in synchronizing these resources is that it improves production flow and provides real-time visibility into constraints, status, and other key performance indicators. By empowering everyone with this information, manufacturers gain a single version of the truth. There are no surprises; priorities are clear so everyone knows what to work on next.

Constraints Management is critical to discrete, ETO (engineer-to-order) and MTO (make-to-order) Demand-Driven Manufacturers. Because Demand-Driven Manufacturing environments are more agile and adaptive, they are in a better position to manage and leverage constraints in the system to drive production flow. Synchrono uniquely helps manufacturers to both manage constraints and improve flow through CONLOAD, a patented scheduling process. CONLOAD releases work into production based on the capacity of the constraint(s) in the system. Doing so keeps flow at its peak throughout the production process, eliminating bottlenecks, aging WIP and inventory.

Synchrono defines Demand-Driven Manufacturing as a manufacturing method that enables a synchronized, closed loop between customer orders, production scheduling, and manufacturing execution - all while synchronizing the flow of materials and resources across the supply chain. The key components are synchronization and flow.

John Maher, Vice President of Product Strategy at Synchrono, is a leader in demand-driven manufacturing software systems. In this role, he defines and drives the product roadmap for the company, leading the software development and consulting services organizations.