Automation · Operations
Capacity planning for production, people and machines
The goal is for sales to know whether you can deliver an order on time before they confirm it, and for people to know their shifts in good time. We build the plan on top of what you already have: accounting software or ERP, calendar and spreadsheets. It suits production, warehouses and services that plan people and machines.
Does this sound like your plan?
Production planning usually does not lack a tool, but connections. The plan lives in a spreadsheet, on a phone and in one person’s head.
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“Sales promised a date that production can’t meet.”
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“The line plan is in Excel and only one person understands it.”
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“We don’t know how many people we will need next week.”
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“The machine is idle because nobody scheduled people for it.”
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“We accepted an order and then found out the packing machine is booked for two weeks.”
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“Two managers booked the installation team and the company car for the same day.”
Flow
How an order goes through the plan – and where a person decides
The automation proposes and recalculates. A person confirms the date, the shift schedule and the priorities.
- 01
Order
The order is loaded into the plan from the accounting software, ERP or a spreadsheet. Nobody retypes it.
Person: Confirms the date and priority.
- 02
Capacity
The work is spread across machines and shifts up to the due date according to standard times. Where it does not fit, the plan shows a conflict.
Person: Decides what to move or where to add a shift.
- 03
Date for sales
To the question “Can we make it?”, the plan returns the earliest date the capacity can handle.
Person: The salesperson confirms the date to the customer.
- 04
People
A proposed shift schedule is created from the plan. It is sent to people and Labor Code deadlines are monitored.
Person: The manager approves the schedule.
- 05
Evaluation
Utilization of machines and people, plan versus actual.
Person: Adjusts the standard times to reality.
Planning production, people and machines: 7 modules
You do not have to take everything. We start where you lose the most time today.
Production capacity plan
Production capacity planning for smaller manufacturers, packing facilities and workshops: orders, standard times, machines and shifts in one grid. The work is spread across the days up to the due date and conflicts are visible in advance.
“Can we make it?” for sales
The earliest delivery date the capacity can handle, calculated from the plan, not estimated. Sales ask before they confirm the order.
Shift schedules under the Labor Code
A proposed schedule from availability and the plan, approval by the manager and distribution to people. The automation monitors the deadlines: 2 weeks, 1 week for working time accounts and 3 days for agreements. Hours go to payroll in a structured form, not from a photo.
MoreCustomer appointments from free capacity
An appointment for service, installation or goods pickup is offered only where both people and machines are free. It is written into the plan, the calendar and as a meeting in the CRM.
Appointment reminders
Confirmation and a reminder the day before by email or text message, with a link to reschedule. A released slot goes back into the plan. How much reminders help, we measure at your company before and after.
Booking machines, cars and rooms
A machine, company car or meeting room as a resource in the calendar. Conflicts show up immediately and exceptions go for approval via a form.
Utilization reporting
Utilization of machines and people, plan versus actual, appointment occupancy and no-shows. In Looker Studio or Power BI, with data from the plan and from the accounting software.
What do you run on?
The plan has to take orders from somewhere and return results somewhere. Here is what is possible.
POHODA
XML import of orders, service, production, purchase orders and invoices. Orders from POHODA can be the input of the plan, and a completed appointment can be the basis for an invoice.
ABRA Gen
Production capacity planning directly in the system: capacity units and a plan in a capacity grid. Plus a Web API.
ABRA Flexi
REST API and webhooks. A completed order or appointment can be written as an issued invoice.
Raynet CRM
API with meetings, tasks and activities. A booking from the website is recorded as a meeting with the contact.
Google Workspace
Availability of up to 50 calendars in a single query, notifications of calendar changes and appointment booking pages.
Microsoft 365
Bookings for shared bookings via the API, Shifts for shift schedules with a draft and publishing, finding a common slot in calendars.
Is your plan in Excel or on paper? That is a starting point too. At the audit we tell you whether it is enough to start in a spreadsheet.
When you do not need us
We do not sell our own planning or booking software. When an off-the-shelf tool is enough, we will tell you.
- You only need to schedule meetings and do not connect anything else
- Google Calendar booking pages (from the Business Standard plan) or Microsoft Bookings (in Microsoft 365 from Business Basic) are enough. We will tell you and help with the setup.
- You already have the feature in your license
- ABRA Gen has production capacity planning and Microsoft Teams has the Shifts app for shift schedules. First we turn on what you already pay for.
- You plan a few people and one line
- A well-built spreadsheet and clear rules are often enough. We show you what to watch in it.
- You need a full APS with simulations and complex routings
- Then an off-the-shelf advanced planning system (APS) such as Factorify, or planning in your ERP, makes sense. We help you choose and connect it to the rest of the company.
We plan our own operations too
In our own packing facility, we see the order plan for days and weeks ahead in one place.
How it works
- 01
Free audit
30 minutes. Where you take orders from, how you plan people and machines today and where the plan fails.
Output: Recommended next step
- 02
Plan map
We walk through an order’s path from inquiry to invoice: standard times, machines, shifts and who confirms what.
Output: Proposed modules and price
- 03
Pilot
One line, one team or one type of order. The plan runs alongside your current one; live data only after your approval.
Output: Verified flow
- 04
Rollout
Training for managers and sales, a short guide on where to find what.
Output: Plan in operation
- 05
Maintenance
We step in when something fails and adjust standard times to reality.
Output: Ongoing support (optional)
Frequently asked questions
Do you sell your own planning system?
Will you replace our APS or ERP?
Can POHODA do production or capacity planning?
Will reminders reduce the number of missed appointments?
Is a text message appointment reminder a commercial communication?
How far in advance must people know the shift schedule?
Does it work with both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace?
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
Related
Enquiry — Capacity planning
Tell us what you are dealing with. We start with a free 30-minute audit.