Last updated: January 2026 TL;DR - Job Shop Scheduling Software The Problem: Traditional scheduling software (ERP, APS, MRP) doesn't work for custom job shops because it can't handle the variability of high-mix, low-volume environments. What Works: A visual,...
Articles
16 Job Shop Scheduling Problems Infographic
Back in 2007 I published the 9 Challenges to Scheduling Your Job Shop and Why Your Schedule is Dead on Arrival. That ebook captured some of the biggest problems job shops can face and to scheduling machine shop work, but as you know there are many many more. So now,...
Scheduling Job Shops: Flow is KEY!
Job Shop Scheduling - a high mix low volume job shop can be a challenge. The complexities and problems in the job shop environment are numerous, just check out this list. Given the long list of challenges, it would seem almost impossible to improve flow in a job...
Reducing Job Shop Costs versus Increasing Throughput
Reducing Job Shop Costs I was just reading an article on CNCReport.com titled "Never Enough Magnetic Mounts". The author was calculating how much money you'd save if you invested in some magnetic strips to make finding tools faster and easier. Here's an excerpt from...
Job Shop Scheduling INFOGRAPHIC
A survey on The 9 Challenges to scheduling a highly custom job shop was conducted and this infographic summarizes the results from 400 job shops and machine shops. The question was "Which of these challenges to job shop scheduling do you routinely deal with in your...
Dr Lisa featured in Wire Forming Technology International
Dr Lisa and Theory of Constraints featured in Wire Forming Technology International Dr Lisa was featured in the Fall 2011 Wire Forming Technology International magazine with an article titled: Velocity Manufacturing: Stop focusing on efficiency and focus on velocity...
TLS: Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma
TLS: Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma - Better Together This APICS magazine article provides the results of a test of Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean and Six Sigma (TLS) across 21 plants. Lean accounted for 4% of the savings realized. Six Sigma accounted...
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants by Eliyahu M Goldratt
To read this article by Dr Eliyahu M Goldratt, just click the link below. The hand written comments in the article were provided for Velocity Scheduling System clients. VSS is a visual scheduling system for highly custom job shops and machine shops --so keep that in...
Reshoring U.S. Manufacturing — a 3 part article series
The final part in a 3 part series on reshoring has just been published. Part 1 is titled Velocity Manufacturing and is authored by Dr Lisa Lang . Part 2 is titled Total Cost of Ownership Calculation and is authored by Harry Moser. Then Part 3 was co-written by the two...
Overcome Resistance to Change with Goldratt’s Change Matrix
Overcome Resistance to Change: A step by step approach using Goldratt's Change Matrix Goldratt's Change Matrix is a Theory of Constraints (ToC) tool that enables you to evaluate any change. It considers the positive and negative aspects of making the change, as well...