Due to the globalized economy and today's dynamics, the manufacturing industry, especially in high-wage countries such as Germany, is facing particular challenges. Companies must become more efficient, more flexible and more competitive. While mass production tends to be relocated to other countries (Eastern Europe, China, South East Asia), product variance in manufacturing in Germany is increasing. This is precisely where matrix production comes into play.
Matrix production is a modern production concept that aims to manufacture different products or product variants simultaneously and flexibly. The path leads away from highly specialized production lines with permanently interlinked machines and towards machines that are no longer assigned to lines and can be used flexibly for different products. This means that the order peaks for individual products that frequently occur with a high product variety are not overloaded on one line, but are distributed across the entire matrix production.
In this way, a high level of product diversity can be achieved with simultaneous cost efficiency - a decisive factor in remaining competitive in the long term. Matrix production is therefore becoming a key element in continuing to produce successfully in a high-wage country like Germany.
However, the high complexity of matrix production leads to new challenges in the planning and control of production. Unlike in a conventional production environment, in which the processes are relatively linear and standardized, matrix production requires much more extensive detailed scheduling. Neither local control on the store floor nor manual planning in Excel or with graphical planning software is sufficient here. Instead, planning supported by algorithms is a basic prerequisite for fully utilizing the potential of matrix production.
But why is that?
Various product requirements
Each product or product variant has different requirements in terms of machinery and manpower. Careful coordination is necessary to ensure that all the necessary resources are available at the right time without causing bottlenecks or delays.
Use of resources for many products
In matrix production, the same resources - machines and employees - are used for many products. The detailed scheduling must therefore precisely control which products are produced when by which resources in order to ensure maximum capacity utilization and minimize idle times.
Different production cycles
Production times and processes can vary greatly depending on the product or variant. The detailed scheduling must therefore ensure that the various production processes are optimally coordinated in order to avoid unnecessary delays caused by bottle necks.
Dynamicadjustments
As different products are manufactured in parallel, changes in demand or unforeseen disruptions can have a significant impact on the entire production process. A detailed detailed scheduling makes it possible to react quickly to these changes and adapt production flexibly in order to minimize downtime or losses.
Optimization of material flows
The simultaneous production of several products creates complex material flows within the company. The detailed scheduling ensures that the necessary materials are in the right place at the right time, so that there are no waiting times and production runs smoothly.
The detailed scheduling is therefore the central tool for efficiently coordinating the large number of products and variants in matrix production. Precise coordination enables the complexity of this form of production to be brought under control and the full potential to be exploited by increasing flexibility and reducing costs at the same time.
