Create a Culture 
of Continuous
Improvement

Our ENHANCED DELIVERY GROWTH ENGINE framework uses essential principles from Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints to elevate our clients’ productivity and profitability.

Drum Buffer Rope Process

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DRUM-BUFFER-ROPE

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) centers on the concept that in any system, a constraint limits the output of the system. In manufacturing environments, constraints can exist which limits production or the fulfillment system. Constraints can exist within the market, the production facility, or in the supply network. It’s critical to identify and proactively manage the actual constraint. Once you’ve found the actual constraint, you can begin to manage it by properly flowing production through it in a manner that is synchronized to customer demand and strategic inventory targets.

The application of TOC helps organizations increase throughput by employing five focusing steps:

  1. IDENTIFY the system’s constraint
  2. EXPLOIT the system’s constraint
  3. SUBORDINATE everything else to the above decision
  4. ELEVATE the system’s constraint
  5. AVOID INERTIA if the constraint has been broken, go back to Step 1
“So this is the goal: To make money by increasing net profit, while simultaneously increasing return on investment, and simultaneously increasing cash flow.”
Eliyahu Goldratt

Manufacturers are constantly challenged to change-up their offerings from new options on existing products to introducing new products. Manufacturers today recognize the production process is never going to be
constant.

Although many manufacturers have the ability to deliver within a highly variable marketplace, one difference between gaining or losing market share is predictability.
Being able to deliver on-time consistently has become critical to success in a demand-driven marketplace.


Many companies see each of the models for Continuous Improvement as competitive alternatives. On-Time Edge doesn’t see them that way. We see Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints techniques working together for continuous improvement.

The choice of model would be based on where on the spectrum of production needs your
business lands.
  • Are you a high volume repetitive manufacturer where an emphasis on Lean is going to be valuable?
  • Are your needs purely project management? Which is the other side of the spectrum, where project management methodologies are going to be more critical?
  • Perhaps your production type is somewhere in the middle: make to order, assemble to order, or engineer to order. You have a high mix, a relatively low volume, and thus face more complicated materials and workflow challenges. A Theory of Constraints methodology will enable you to better address the increased variability immediately, while using Six Sigma tools to minimize it.

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Manufacturing CIOs → Global Sales of APS to SME Manufacturers are projected to grow 14% over next five years. Don’t sit and watch your competition. 

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How does APS work with ERP?

Many companies purchase ERP systems that specifically offer “capacity planning and production scheduling” modules. Here's the issue...ERP is primarily a record storing system, not a problem-solving system

 

What companies want and need is a tool that can analyze data and provide planners better understanding of the implications of various issues or changes disrupting original production plans. By both definition and design, all ERP system do not analyze. They all work the same way—as storage. They are not forecasting software.

APS, on the other hand, is proactive decision support. Your current ERP tells you what the weather is in your business right now—like a thermometer. But what happens when the weather changes, and a rainstorm comes? APS software’s forecasting tools take into
account the possible storms and how they move and affect your business in real time.

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APS Benefits Every Member of Your Team

APS software will be your competitive advantage for value creation.

 

It helps planners and schedulers first and foremost to provide better schedules to keep production moving according to plan. With APS, your customer service team will be able to proactively provide more in-depth information for customer calls. Your personnel at each work center, from the shop floor all the way to your C-suite, will be more informed and have a better understanding of processes. For C-Level executives, dashboards and diagnostics can leverage the output of APS, conduct real-time process matching to align demand with supply, and ensure schedule adherence. APS will improve your margins, overall profits, and business value.

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