# Production scheduling and procedures



## Jason Galaz (Oct 14, 2008)

Does anyone have any good pointers as far as managing and tracking production? I am curious what the big shops do to keep things running smoothly.


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## michellefanfan (Oct 26, 2009)

send a QC member of you in factory to monitor and report regularly.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

we use a pegboard for run sheets and a place to hang them by the machine they are running on and a white board that lists all the jobs. All jobs are numbered so we can find them. The white board has the due dates. If a job has more than one machine needed (embroidery and vinyl) they get 2 entries. The pegboard has them in order of priority (due date) and the stations have the active and next job on them. We also have a giant calendar white board with a rolling 35 days on it. We put milestones on that one.

We have a second board that has whose job is finished and if they owe us money. 

Finally we have customers on credit that have picked up but still owe on a white board. 

All incoming jobs not yet set up are on the desk with the computer but they also go on the schedule board.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

That sounds really good Binki. Good project management.


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## SeaBear (Jul 1, 2010)

We use an online project management software...it isn't perfect, but it helps keep us from dropping the ball on a job. Because its online I can check it from any computer and update it at night from home. It's not perfect, but for $12-15 per month it's worthwhile. It doesn't help with scheduling production per se, but it helps to know what is due when. It's called Nozbe.com....kind of a to do list on steroids. I think they have a free trial so you can try it out. On the down side, I often spend too much time entering info on it, there's kind of a fine line between not planning enough and planning too much.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Sounds like a good price too. Many scheduling systems cost thousands.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

Years ago I took a college class in project management and the number one tip I can give you is to work backward when scheduling jobs. Don't think about what you need to do first, think about what you need to do last and how much time that will take then go from there. This will tell you when production has to begin. This is also the way we did it when I worked at a sizable printing company but we had custom scheduling and tracking software. Whiteboards are great for smaller companies. I really like the online idea so that you can easily access it from any computer.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

I use a pegboard/ clipboard system. Each clipboard is kept in the same location and has the same function. I have a clipboard for invoices that have been sent but not paid (we require payment before starting production), another for paid invoices in production, garments to be ordered, items received and due to be checked in, production list by equipment, production calendar with due dates, etc.


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## BigEars (Oct 16, 2010)

Love the idea of the pegboards.

Would it be better to have one for each type of job we do?

Also how necessary is a filing cabinet?


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## TeesForChange (Jan 17, 2007)

I think pegboards are great too. The more organized you can be, the easier it will be to find projects, sheets, etc. I also have a spreadsheet that lists everything I am working on and I update it regularly.


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## onfrontstreet (Jun 13, 2011)

I use a custom web-based Drupal website to manage various aspects of a licensed screen printing company. It includes everything from approvals, separations, art revisions, pre-prod., production. 

Since its all web-based it can be accessed from anywhere 24/7. I've configured it to show different lists of pending jobs and team members are assigned roles that allow them to see pertinent information per job. I've also hooked up auto notifications and have various tasks automated to increase productivity and improve efficiency in the system.

I'm interested in created this web based app as a service specific to the screen printing industry. Some project management systems such as Basecamp are nice, but may be too general. With Drupal, I'm able to customize the project management system to allow scalability as the business grows.


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## ProStitchEM (Feb 8, 2014)

Hey guys, just wondering if this thread is still alive? My name is Sun and have been running an embroidery company here in Adelaide for 6 years. I have programmed my own software for production scheduling for embroidery machines. 5 years ago we developed a program in house.

It runs on a database so it will keep all of your logos on file, along with your plot sheets and any other sort of file formats you want to add to the database like photos for positioning for tricky repeat jobs in the future. 

Automatically calculates how long it would take for one operator to finish the job, no matter how many heads you have (you have to set this up in the setup section).

All visually represented on an outlook style calendar with drag and drop facilities, so you know when your jobs will finish. We are up to about 95% accuracy now. Also comes in handy to figure out if your operator is up to scratch or not.

I was thinking of licensing this software out as it it now the backbone of my business. Just wondering if this sounds interesting to any of you guys?

I can put up some screen shots on request.


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## specialfx (Jul 2, 2008)

I would love to see screenshots. Just downloaded Fastmanager's free trial and it just seems to be a bit complicated and too involved.


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## baumanb (Apr 8, 2007)

ProStitchEM said:


> Hey guys, just wondering if this thread is still alive? My name is Sun and have been running an embroidery company here in Adelaide for 6 years. I have programmed my own software for production scheduling for embroidery machines. 5 years ago we developed a program in house.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



it sounds interesting. I'm interested. Post some more information.


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