Shop floor control using the tactical ratio and monitoring system

In the fall of 1979, a decision was made by a manufacturing group steering committee to develop a system of shop floor control that recognized the reality of doing business in a practical rather than a theoretical way.A system was required that was capable of handling the management of work-in-process lots—as one group executive vice-president put it—“in the trenches”.Typical problems had to be dealt with in the system, such as additions, cancellations, pull ups, push outs, customer emergencies, delivery dates, short lead times, etc.The initial approach was to investigate the many software packages available on the market. A team of three manufacturing and data processing representatives was formed to undertake the search. After months of analysis and reviews, the conclusion was reached that a commercial system was not available to deal with the myriad of problems encountered everyday in shop floor control. As a result, the decision was made to develop an in-house system.