Production scheduling software for co-packers and contract manufacturers
Intuitive production scheduling and real-time production control
Intuitive production scheduling and real-time production control
Production scheduling software decides which job runs on which line, when, and with which crew and materials, then keeps that plan current as orders change. In Nulogy Shop Floor, work orders land on a drag-and-drop schedule board automatically, and each job shows its labor, materials, allergen and customer-approval status. Schedulers at co-packers and contract manufacturers see a conflict on the board before the line runs into it.
Production scheduling on live shop floor data
- Work order updates automatically appear in the production schedule
- Gives schedulers, operations and plant managers the same schedule
- Automated job creation reduces manual data entry and administrative work
- Helps manufacturers identify capacity gaps and labor shortages before they impact production
- Supports more accurate production planning with planned break scheduling
- Custom work order fields display critical scheduling information directly on the schedule board
- Visual indicators can track material availability, allergen information, customer approvals, and sample status
- Improves production visibility, scheduling accuracy, labor utilization, and manufacturing efficiency
Replace the whiteboard and the scheduling spreadsheet
Replace manual whiteboards and spreadsheets with a drag-and-drop scheduler that is visible to anyone and is always up to date. Manage changing demand, downtimes, and more without rebuilding the sheet.
Production planning and scheduling around demand, capacity and constraints
Build the schedule around customer demand, planned downtime, line capacity and the constraints you set. Test a change on the board before you commit it, then publish it to the floor. To see where capacity runs short before you schedule, use capacity management.
Reschedule when the order changes
A rush order comes in, a component is short, a line goes down. Drag the job, and the board flags what it bumps: the material that won’t be there, the crew that’s already booked. Everyone on site sees the same schedule, so the floor isn’t working from yesterday’s printout.
Production planning vs production scheduling
Production planning decides what to make and how much, over weeks or months, against demand and capacity. Production scheduling decides the order: which job runs on which line, on which shift, with which people and materials. A co-packer usually gets the plan from its brand customers’ orders. The schedule is where the work is: it changes every time an order, a component delivery or a line does. Shop Floor keeps the schedule tied to live work orders and materials planning, so a schedule change shows its material impact straight away.
What to look for in production scheduling software for co-packing
- Work orders flow in by themselves. Re-keying jobs from the ERP or email is where schedules go wrong.
- Materials and labor on the job card. A job without its components or its crew isn’t schedulable, whatever the board says.
- Customer-specific fields. Allergen status, customer approvals and sample status matter more to a co-packer than to a single-brand plant.
- One schedule for the whole site. If the floor and the office see different versions, the floor wins and the schedule is fiction.
- Production control after the schedule is published. The schedule only helps if actual output flows back to it from the floor.
If you’re comparing systems built for contract packaging, see contract packaging software and the co-pack software guide.
How MattPak took scheduling off paper
Before Nulogy, MattPak, a Chicago-area co-packer, planned production, scheduling and inventory by hand. On Nulogy Shop Floor it now moves pallets faster and handles more orders. “We are proud to be a nimble co-packer, and Nulogy has played a part in enabling that responsiveness for our customers,” says Jeff Hoerter, Supply Chain Manager.
See Shop Floor scheduling on your own orders
See how Nulogy can deliver accurate, actionable production schedules.