Use case · Schedules that replan the moment the floor changes
Build a schedule the shop can actually hit.
Finite-capacity scheduling and MRP run on one live data model, so the floor plan is sequenced against real machine, tooling, labor, and material limits - and replans the moment a machine goes down, a hot order lands, or a part slips. The result is committed dates the shop can keep and far fewer firefighting expedites.
The challenge
- !Schedules are built in spreadsheets and go stale the moment a machine goes down or a hot order lands
- !MRP runs overnight in a separate system, so shortages surface on the floor instead of in the plan
- !Infinite-capacity planning promises dates the shop can't actually hit, eroding on-time delivery
- !Expedites and reschedules ripple through purchasing and production with no single source of truth
- !Planners spend the day reacting to the latest fire instead of protecting the dates that matter
How Cortrova answers
- ✓A constraint-aware finite-capacity scheduler sequences every job against machine, tooling, labor, and material availability, so committed dates reflect the shop's real load
- ✓Multi-level MRP nets gross demand against on-hand, on-order, allocations, safety stock, and lead times, generating planned purchase and work orders before shortages reach the floor
- ✓Live operation status, downtime, and inventory movements feed straight back into the engine, which resequences automatically when the floor changes
- ✓Available-to-promise and capable-to-promise checks return realistic delivery dates at order entry instead of optimistic infinite-capacity estimates
- ✓Trunnion AI ranks reschedule-in and reschedule-out exceptions by impact, so planners act on the orders that actually threaten a ship date first
- ✓What-if scenario planning models a rush order, a line down, or an added shift and compares schedules side by side before anything is committed to the floor
The problem
Two systems that never agree.
Most shops run material planning in one tool and the floor schedule in another. MRP says one thing overnight, the schedule says another by mid-morning, and the floor does a third thing by lunch. Every gap between them turns into an expedite, a stockout, or a missed date.
Stale the moment it ships
A spreadsheet schedule is obsolete as soon as a machine goes down or a hot order arrives, but nobody finds out until the job is already late.
Shortages on the floor
When MRP and scheduling don't share data, a material gap surfaces at the station instead of in the plan, where there was still time to act.
Promises the shop can't keep
Infinite-capacity planning quotes dates against unlimited machines and labor, so on-time delivery erodes one optimistic promise at a time.
The answer
MRP and scheduling on one truth.
Cortrova runs material requirements planning and finite-capacity scheduling on a single live data model, so the material plan and the floor schedule never drift apart.
Nets to reality
Multi-level BOM explosion nets demand against live on-hand, on-order, allocations, and safety stock, so shortages appear in the plan with lead time to fix them.
Schedules to capacity
The finite-capacity engine sequences each job against machine, tooling, labor, and material constraints, with setup and changeover modeling and bottleneck identification built in.
Replans on change
Real-time job progress, downtime, and inventory movements feed back instantly, so the schedule resequences and affected purchase and work orders are flagged automatically.
The intelligence
Trunnion AI on the plan.
Cortrova's embedded AI engine works the schedule alongside the planner, weighing the trade-offs a person can't hold in their head across hundreds of open jobs.
Constraint-aware sequencing
Agents weigh due dates, setup similarity, bottleneck load, and material readiness to propose a sequence that protects on-time delivery while minimizing changeovers.
Exception triage
Reschedule-in and reschedule-out messages are ranked by impact, so planners act on the orders that actually threaten a ship date instead of the loudest one.
Scenario modeling
Model a rush order, a line down, or an added shift and compare the resulting schedules side by side before committing the change to the floor.
How it works
Adopting production scheduling.
Net the demand
MRP explodes multi-level BOMs and nets sales orders, forecasts, and dependent demand against on-hand, on-order, allocations, and safety stock, generating planned purchase and work orders with lead-time offsets.
Sequence to capacity
The finite-capacity scheduler loads released work against machine, tooling, labor, and shift calendars, applies setup and changeover rules, and produces an executable dispatch sequence by work center.
Promise honest dates
At order entry, available-to-promise checks projected inventory and capable-to-promise checks finite capacity, so the date a customer is quoted reflects both material and real shop load.
Replan on the event
As operations report progress, downtime, and material movements, the engine resequences against actual capacity and raises reschedule-in / reschedule-out messages on the affected orders, ranked by ship-date impact.
Override with impact analysis
Planners resequence on a drag-and-drop Gantt board and see instant impact, or run a what-if scenario to compare options before committing the schedule to the floor.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What makes Cortrova's scheduling different from a spreadsheet or a bolt-on planner?
Cortrova runs MRP and finite-capacity scheduling on the same live data model as production, inventory, and purchasing. A spreadsheet or a separate planning tool is a snapshot that goes stale the moment the floor moves; Cortrova reads live operation status, downtime, and inventory movements and resequences automatically, so the material plan and the floor schedule never drift apart.
Is the scheduling finite or infinite capacity?
Both. You can view an infinite-capacity load to see total demand against a work center, then run the finite-capacity scheduler to produce an executable sequence that respects real machine, tooling, and labor limits. Forward and backward scheduling, setup and changeover modeling, and bottleneck identification are all built in, so committed dates are dates the shop can actually hit.
What happens when a machine goes down or a hot order lands mid-shift?
Real-time job progress, downtime, and inventory movements feed straight back into the engine. When capacity changes or a rush order arrives, the schedule resequences against actual capacity and raises reschedule-in and reschedule-out messages on the affected purchase and work orders, ranked by their impact on ship dates so planners act on what matters first.
How does Cortrova promise realistic delivery dates at order entry?
Order entry runs available-to-promise against projected inventory and capable-to-promise against finite capacity, so the date a customer is quoted reflects both material availability and the shop's real load - not an optimistic infinite-capacity estimate that erodes on-time delivery.
Does production scheduling support regulated aerospace, automotive, and defense work?
Yes. Pegging and traceability tie every planned and released order back to its demand source, and the shared data model keeps planning evidence aligned with AS9100, IATF 16949, and ISO 9001 controls, with DCAA-aware cost accounting for FAR/DFARS programs. Cortrova deploys in the cloud, on-premises, or air-gapped, so scheduling runs inside ITAR and CMMC-controlled environments.
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