Production planning is an integrative process of coordinating the demand for finished goods

with available resources. Production planners may work many months ahead of planned
delivery to ensure that specific materials, production capacity, and reliable quality management
are available when needed. Long term production planning (months or selling periods) is based
on forecasts, merchandise plans, and budgets, short term production planning (days or weeks)
is based on customer orders.
Scheduling is the process of assigning start times and completion times to jobs or orders.
Starting times determine the sequence in which orders are to be processed. Assignments are
made for each stage of the production process. Back scheduling is often done to ensure
meeting shipping deadlines. Back scheduling begins with the order due date and calculates
backward from the last operation to the first to set the start date. Even the most precise
scheduling can meet obstacles in production. In monitoring work flow, expediting often is
necessary to keep priority orders on schedule.
Production planning at the corporate level is usually longer term. Corporate production planner
analyze potential sourcing strategies, types of styles in the line, types of fabric, labor intensity
of the line, planned volume per style, reorder expectations, expected delivery dates, and the
resources available. Firms may decide to produce a product line in their own plants and/or to
use international or domestic contractors to execute production.
Long term production planner at the plant level are concerned with having appropriate
equipment, trained personnel, available capacity, and established start dates appropriate for
promised delivery dates. New styles may require a change in processes, equipment, and a
longer conversion time. All of this must be built into the required production time for a style.
When operators are required to change styles frequently, extra time must be built into the
production schedule to allow them to make mental and physical adjustments in handling a new
fabrication or process.
Short term production planning at the plant level relates required production times for styles
on order (production standards) with available production time in the plant. Style
specefications and samples supplied by technical designers describe the sequence of
operations, materials to be used, special skills and handling procedures, and quality
requirements demanded for production. Engineers may modify assembly methods to make the
product more producible, identify equipment to be used, and determine production times for
each operation.
Production planners who work for firms that do not own production plants may oversee the
work sourced from vendors. Some firms may turn short term production planning and
management functions over to an agent if products are to be produced in a foreign country. As
these functions move farther from the firms management, less control is maintained over the
processes, quality, and delivery times.
Production planning involves coordinating plant capacity with style requirements, projected
volume, and shipping dates. Coordinating a plants resources and activities requires teamwork
and an integration of operating systems. New technology that provides integrated systems
throughout the manufacturing process supports more accurate planning, scheduling, and
management of resources.

Production planning are used to accomplish the following objectives:
Estimate the rate or time for completion of each operation.
Determine the required capacity for an order or style.
Determine production start dates and completion dates for orders.
Plan the daily volume that should be completed.
Determine the backup inventory needed to support the work flow.
Determine how many operators and machines should be performing each operation.
Schedule specialized equipment.
Balance work flow between departments and work centers.
Monitor production delays
Assess the performance of individual operators.

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2. Apparel Manufacturing (Sewn Product Analysis), 4
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3. Introduction to Clothing Production Management (2
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