How we plan lead times for a mixed order

A typical order passes through three or four of our processes: pour, forge, heat treat, machine. Each one has its own queue.

Every Monday the planning team books each open order into every queue it will pass through, and every Friday you get a status report with the date each step finished or is booked for.

That is how we hold 97 percent of dispatch dates, and how you hear about a slip the week it happens rather than the week the part was due.