| # Workload control Workload control is a master-planning method for production planning that considers the constrained availability of capacity and materials. The main purpose of the planning method is to control the workload level for all work centers that are considered a constraint. The basic procedure of the planning method is: As a starting point for the planning process, an ideal plan is generated, assuming infinite availability of production resources and materials. (Or, alternatively, the current master plan is taken as a starting point.) LN checks the available capacity and components. The planned production is moved to earlier or later periods where necessary, to create a feasible plan. If a part of a planned production volume is moved to an earlier period, the inventory level will increase, because the item is produced in advance of the demand. If a part of the planned production volume is moved to a later date, the projected inventory can become negative. This implies, that it is impossible to produce everything in time to meet the demand. In general, the objective of the planning method is to generate a plan in which the projected inventory follows the desired inventory levels as closely as possible. Application areas This planning method is generic as it can be used in many different situations. However, sequence dependent setup times are not taken into account. The application areas for workload control are: Job shop Discrete multi-model flow Process flow and batch processing Job shop The workload-control planning method is based on the relationship between workload and production lead time. It is particularly important in job shop environments to control the workload and the lead times. Discrete multi-model flow The workload-control planning method plans with fixed lead times. In multi-model flow the production lead times are often fixed. This planning method is therefore also suited for multi-model flow production systems without sequence-dependent setup times. Related topics To plan supply with master planning Workload control, planning algorithm |