Frequently Asked Questions

Any manufacturing company having an ERP system in place and making standard parts or products can gain substantial efficiencies from Bottleneck Scheduler.

There are two models available- Bottleneck Scheduler and Bottleneck Scheduler Plus.

Bottleneck Scheduler uses resource capacity and tools as constraints while planning production. Bottleneck Scheduler plus uses material constraints in addition to capacity and tool constraints.

Bottleneck Scheduler alone can give substantial benefits and it’s the best way to start. Bottleneck Scheduler plus brings in additional benefits based on availability of material related data.

Yes, we can define order priorities and minimum order quantities as additional constraints.

Bottleneck Scheduler needs demand, cycle times on various machines and daily capacity data. It can also consider the data on availability of tools, number of cavities in case of molding or die casting and parts tool relationships though it is not mandatory.

Bottleneck Scheduler plus needs the data required by Bottleneck Scheduler. additionally it needs, stock, open purchases and bom data to consider material constraints.

Data is imported in the form of excel/CSV/xml files. The masters on items, cycle times, tools and BOM are imported once. Stock and demand data is imported during a planning run.

We offer a legal as well as technical protection. First we sign a non-disclosure agreement. And we can also work with encrypted data with item codes and names masked. Thus the confidentially of the data is fully guaranteed.

Production plans for parts produced on bottleneck

Manpower requirements for bottleneck operation

Machine loading chart for bottleneck operation

Yes, in addition to all the reports from Bottleneck Scheduler, Bottleneck Scheduler Plus provides

• Expedite list for input items
• Input item consumption report

Yes. OEE of the bottleneck stage is considered while making the plan.

Planners can typical use it to make constraint based monthly plans. In case there is a major disruption the plan can be generated again any time.

There are two major advantages. One -Any ERP or excel can give a gross plan considering overall capacity. Bottleneck Scheduler gives a plan which is tested for individual machine availability and complex routings. Thus it is much more reliable and predictable. Secondly it gives not only a feasible plan but an optimal plan which maximizes the throughput within available material, capacity and tools availability. The overall advantage is typically +10% throughput.

Bottleneck Scheduler is available in 3 delivery models
On premise: Bottleneck Scheduler is installed on your premise in a perpetual license and maintenance model.
Hosted: Bottleneck Scheduler Is hosted by Solvop & offered to you in a subscription model.
Managed Services: Under the managed service model customers just send us the data. We process the same at our end and submit the plans. You can even start with a service model and then switch to software model once you are comfortable with the outputs.

We offer a free trial on your data. The benefits can be assessed and an ROI can be calculated upfront before you make the decision to buy Bottleneck Scheduler.