The Best Workshop Management Practices Revealed

By Bernard Milian

You’re familiar with comparative tests: when you’re looking for the latest fashionable technological gadget to fall for, you browse comparative tests and user reviews!

To help you select the best approach for workshop management, we’ve submitted several alternative practices to our not-at-all-independent lab!

MRP

MRP is undoubtedly the most widely used approach for generating production orders and releasing them to the shop floor. And then, hello damage! MRP is an all-around champion when it comes to clogging up the shop floor with tons of production orders and keeping part hunters busy trying to meet unrealistic milestones (ah, those dates in the past!). Infinite capacity, uncontrolled work-in-progress control, it’s all there. Move on!

(We warned you: our lab is not at all independent… but its members have been working in the industry for 40 years or more).

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points" of an MRP system. The highlights include phrases like "Included in your favorite ERP" and "We tried, boss!" while the weak points state issues such as "Everything" and "Does not work.

MRP with MPS

If your flows are simple enough, smoothing the load with a Master Production Schedule can help combat some of the deleterious aspects of MRP methodology. It’s a first approach to decoupling and managing at finite capacity planning, or at least based on a realistic rate. However, it’s not usually included in the ERP system.

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points" of S&OP/MPS processes. The highlights mention "Attempted load smoothing" and "Boss, we've also tried S&OP/MPS!" The weak points include "Generally untooled," "Manual leveling according to rules specific to each planner," "Leads to freezing a horizon that's too long," "Frequent changes of plans," and "Unsuitable for complex flows."

Excel

There’s no doubt about it, Excel is by far the most widely used tool for planning, scheduling and monitoring workshop performance!

But aha, there’s a catch: it’s not a methodology. It’s a tool that generally helps to implement implicit steering rules developed in the head of the planner-who-knew-everything-about-the-shop.

ERP extraction, Power Query milling, VBA macro, whether or not to update the ERP, online file sharing with production, it’s tedious and error-prone, but when all goes well, it’s a good fit with our logic, in return for a lot of energy.

Is the logic applied the best, it depends – is the work-in-progress under control, it depends – are the priorities right, it depends – does it still work when the planner-who-knew-everything-about-this-workshop changes jobs, it depends…

Note: it’s frightening to realize the extent to which entire strategic industries – aeronautics and defense, for example – rely on Excel and Google Sheets – a critical structural fragility.

Artificial Intelligence

Hahaha, very funny!

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points." The highlight states "Fashionable and sociable," while the weak point humorously questions, "And what does it actually do?"

APS

You take the “MRP” and “MRP with PDP” headings above, add to them the quest for maximum occupancy of resources, the desire to improve the OEE of all equipment, permanent replanning, preferably with a profusion of technology and a touch of magic (see AI chapter), and you generally get something that is expensive, complex to implement, and whose users for real end up using Excel…

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points." The highlight mentions "The promise of real-time technology that optimizes everything," while the weak point questions, "How many bitter failures?"

Kanban

Now we’re starting to understand each other. With Kanban systems, we restrict work-in-progress control and pace operations according to real market demand. That’s not going to be enough of a mechanism: a basic kanban has infinite capacity. To place at finite capacity, we need to use a Heijunka mechanism.

We prefer DDMRP buffers, which are standardized and provide additional mechanisms to better respond to exceptional demands.

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points." Highlights include "Pull flow," "Controlled work-in-progress," and "Visual control." Weak points mention "Limited resistance to variability," "Time-dependent maintenance of physical systems," "Proprietary aspect of electronic systems," and "DDMRP buffers bring improvements."

Conwip

The Conwip scheduling methodology works on a pull-flow basis with constant work-in-progress control: new production is released at the same rate as existing production is completed. This hybrid mode combines push-flow operation sequences with overall pull flow.

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points." Highlights include "Hybrid pull flow with FIFO sequences," "Controlled work-in-progress," and "Visual control." The weak point mentions "Assumes a certain homogeneity of operating ranges/crossing times."

Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR)

The term Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) covers a range of practices that integrate finite capacity planning control of constraints, pull flow upstream of these constraints, visual control of time buffers (queues), and sequences of push-flow operations.

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points." Highlights include "Hybrid/pull flow," "Controlled work-in-progress," "Visual control," and "Also suitable for complex ranges." The weak point states, "The steering model must be carefully designed, and adapted over time, by a team trained in the methodology."

Intuiflow

Aha, that’s a trap too: Intuiflow isn’t a methodology. It’s a tool… that lets you create an MPS on simple flows, deploy a DDMRP buffers replenishment loop logic similar to kanbans, or apply a complete Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) approach.

A table comparing "Highlights" and "Weak points." Highlights include "PDP, Buffer DDMRP, SDBR, DBR: choose what suits your flows!" The weak point states, "We haven't yet developed all the ideas for improvement we have on our roadmap..."

The winner is: Pull flow with controlled work-in-progress control, finite capacity according to constraints, secured by appropriate queues, and clear operating rules shared by all teams.

Beyond the modern digital solution that is essential today, don’t forget that your workshops are run by men and women who all need to understand the same thing through a common logic, visual control, and a continuous improvement dynamic.

User reviews: Feel free to attend our user conferences, talk to our customers, explore the testimonials on our site. While you’re at it, leave us a review on Capterra!

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Bernard Milian

Bernard Milian has more than 35 years of experience in developing agility within industrial and distribution supply chains. He has more than 25 years of experience in Supply Chain Management and Continuous Improvement / Lean 6 Sigma transformation. He has served as a Supply Chain Director within French subsidiaries of world class corporations, in the automotive, electronics, medical devices, furniture and metallurgy industries, B2B, B2C, manufacturing and distribution environments.