Strategies for Managing Manufacturing Bottlenecks and Constraints

Synchrono®, the leader in modern demand-driven manufacturing software and synchronization technologies has released a new thought-leadership paper for Lean Manufacturers researching current strategies for eliminating production bottlenecks and managing manufacturing constraints.

Bottlenecks and constraints are two key inhibitors in improving manufacturing production flow and driving key performance indicators in the right direction.

In Eliminating Production Bottlenecks; Manage Manufacturing Constraints, Synchrono® explains how bottlenecks and constraints are different – and should be addressed differently.

As temporary disruptions, bottlenecks can and should be fixed. Examples offered include an unexpected material shortage, an absent operator, or machine malfunction – all issues that, while temporary, can impact important metrics like on-time delivery.

The paper offers suggestions, including how to enable real-time visibility to production status and performance indicators to help manufacturers flag bottlenecks early so they can be resolved with minimal impact. Bottleneck concerns may also be addressed through a continuous improvement program.

In contrast, manufacturing constraints present longer-term, more persistent limitations to manufacturing production flow. A constraint could be a work center that cannot go any faster because the equipment is already operating at its maximum speed. It could also be a process that takes a set amount of time to complete or a complicated verification process or regulation. An alternative to investing in more capital equipment is constraints management.

Eliminating Production Bottlenecks; Manage Manufacturing Constraints reviews variations of the Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) method from the Theory of Constraints. At a high-level, the strategy is to use the rate of the manufacturing constraint(s) to set the pace for the production process, with buffering techniques to account for variability.

Technology has enabled the evolution of DBR and its variants into a more automated, holistic process. CONLOAD™ is a patented scheduling technology included in Synchrono® SyncManufacturing® planning, scheduling, and execution software that allows manufacturers to manage and synchronize all the processes required to complete an order (value stream) to the pace of the constraint(s), creating an environment where workflows throughout the production process.

Specifically, CONLOAD™ works to develop a production schedule based on the synchronization of the following:

1. The customer’s desired delivery date. 
2. All elements required to complete the order (people, materials, equipment, processes, and data). 
3. The capacity/pace of the constraint.

Because CONLOAD™ technology synchronizes the entire value stream, it has the ability to make real-time adjustments for variability in demand, while keeping the end goal in mind: The customer’s desired delivery date.

Related White Paper

Eliminate Production Bottlenecks; Manage Manufacturing Constraints
Bottlenecks and constraints are two terms often used interchangeably in Demand-Driven Manufacturing as well as in discussions on Lean Manufacturing and flow. It’s easy to use one term accidentally when you actually mean the other. However, since these two limiters on throughput need to be addressed differently, it’s important to understand the distinction. Download Now!