Phase III: Development of a Planning and Scheduling Systems

Directory and Modifications to the Existing Requirements Checklist

Phase III consisted of combining the information gathered from Phase I, regarding the planning and scheduling systems and their requirements, the responses from the Phase II interviews regarding the lean planning and scheduling systems used at the textile companies

interviewed (RO2), and the software surveys conducted in this phase to form a directory of automated planning and scheduling systems available to the textile industry and applicable in lean environments (RO5). Phase III was also for developing the modifications to the planning and scheduling systems’ requirements in the Software Requirements Evaluation Guide for Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems (RO6) (Hodge, 2000).

3.3.3.1 Survey of Software Vendors

Leading software vendors were surveyed and evaluated to determine the benefits and applications of their software packages, if they have lean planning and scheduling capabilities for the plant floor, and if they were applicable in the textile industry. An original software survey was used to develop the Directory for Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems Software for the Textile and Apparel Industry created in 2000 by Dr. George Hodge. The original survey is shown in Appendix A. Based upon the information gathered in Phases I and II regarding requirements for automated lean planning and scheduling systems, modifications were made to this survey to include applicable information. The modified survey that was emailed to the software vendors is shown in Appendix B.

Eighty-five software vendors were surveyed for the directory. The listing of the 85 vendors came from various Phase I sources including Apparel Magazine’s 2006 IT issue, a previous Directory for Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems Software for the Textile and Apparel Industry created in 2000 by Dr. George Hodge, vendors interviewed at the Megatex Conference, additional sources from the literature review, and conducting an Internet search. The information and answers from the returned surveys and vendor websites were used to compile a planning and scheduling systems directory

applicable to lean environments which can be used in the textile and textile-related industries. All information included in the directory is directly from the vendor representative or from the vendor website.

Four textile companies were found in the literature that used a lean planning and scheduling system. Two additional lean software systems, not specific to textiles, were found in the literature. In addition to those six software systems, software vendors were further obtained in Phase I by evaluating Apparel Magazine’s annual IT edition (2006). Apparel Magazine (formerly Bobbin Magazine) provides the textile and apparel industry with an annual listing of information technology providers. The Apparel Magazine’s listing contained 103 software vendors that were listed in the “ERP and Supply Chain Collaboration & Materials Inventory Control” category. The survey was sent to 36 of those vendors who fell under the ERP or MRP sections. Additional software vendors were obtained through the Aberdeen Group’s research on Best in Class lean companies. Eight software vendors who were not previously mentioned in other sources were added to the list of companies to survey. A previous study in which the Directory of Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems Software for the Textile and Apparel Industry directory was created that included 46 textile software vendors of manufacturing planning and control systems (Hodge, 2000). Of those 46 vendors, 26 were either still in business or had merged with another software company. Fourteen of the 26 companies were already listed in Apparel Magazine’s IT issue or the Aberdeen Group, which leaves a total of 12 additional software vendors provided by Hodge’s directory that were surveyed. An internet search on the Managing Automation website for lean planning and scheduling systems for the textile industry was conducted that provided an additional 23 companies not previously mentioned

in the literature (Managing Automation, 2006).

Phase II did not provide additional companies to be included in the survey that were not already mentioned in the literature. However, additional information was gathered for 4 lean planning and scheduling companies that market to the textile industry by attending the 2006 Megatex Conference. Each of the four vendors at the conference, DATATEX, Jomar, Network Systems and Blue Fox Porini, were either previously included in Hodge’s directory or listed in the Apparel Magazine IT issue and, therefore, already included in the list of vendors to survey for this research.

3.3.3.2 Development of the Directory and Modifications to the Requirements Checklist

By compiling each survey completed by the software vendors, a directory was created with vendors that provided planning and scheduling systems that can be used in lean environments in the textile and textile-related industries. The directory included the company name, the software system and specific program if available. Also included was a brief description of the system that was obtained from the website or promotional information and the hardware requirements. In addition, the lean capabilities and features were also included for each vendor. Examples of lean features are kanban management and replenishment, demand smoothing, line design and balancing, mixed-model production, and real-time inventory management.

Modifications to Hodge’s Software Requirement’s Evaluation Guide for

Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems were created to include relevant requirements

for planning and scheduling systems in a lean environment. To prepare the modifications to the original requirements checklist and systems directory, the information

gathered from Phase I secondary sources was evaluated. Additional sections were added to include MES, APS and ERP requirements.