Copyright Preactor International 2001 An Introduction to Preactor International and Preactor Graham Hackwell Technical Director

Copyright Preactor International 2001

An Introduction to An Introduction to Preactor InternationalPreactor International

and and PreactorPreactor

Graham HackwellTechnical Director


Who Am I?Who Am I? Preactor HistoryPreactor History ClientsClients

• Scheduling TechnologyScheduling Technology Why do People Buy Preactor? Why do People Buy Preactor? Case studiesCase studies

Preactor Preactor AgendaAgenda


Graham HackwellGraham Hackwell• Degree in Electrical EngineeringDegree in Electrical Engineering

• Various jobs in MoD (PE)Various jobs in MoD (PE)

• 1985 Joined Hawker Siddeley FAS1985 Joined Hawker Siddeley FAS

• 1990 Technical Director TCC1990 Technical Director TCC

• 1999 Technical Director PI1999 Technical Director PI


What Do I Do?What Do I Do?

• Management

• Technical Vision & direction

• Selling


Who Am I?Who Am I? Preactor HistoryPreactor History ClientsClients Scheduling TechnologyScheduling Technology

• Why do People Buy Preactor? Why do People Buy Preactor?

• Case studiesCase studies



Planning is deciding what to make and Planning is deciding what to make and whenwhen

Scheduling is about loading work onto Scheduling is about loading work onto specific resources, what will do it, specific resources, what will do it, when will it start and endwhen will it start and end

Preactor HistoryPreactor History Planning v SchedulingPlanning v Scheduling


Developing a production schedule based on the Developing a production schedule based on the

REALREAL

capacity of resources of the facilitycapacity of resources of the facility

e.g. machines, labour, tooling, materialse.g. machines, labour, tooling, materials

Preactor HistoryPreactor History What is Finite Capacity Scheduling?What is Finite Capacity Scheduling?


Preactor HistoryPreactor History

• Preactor InternationalPreactor International– based in Chippenham, UKbased in Chippenham, UK– formed in 1992 - MBO from BTRformed in 1992 - MBO from BTR– subsidiary in USAsubsidiary in USA– resellers all over the worldresellers all over the world– dedicated to the development and support of dedicated to the development and support of

PreactorPreactor




Preactor 200 LaunchedRunning on O/S2Nov 1993

Preactor 200 Vsn 6.0Running on Windows 3.1Nov 1994

Oct 1995 Preactor 300 Vsn 6.1

Nov 1996

June 1997 Preactor Lite Released

Preactor 400 Nov 1997

Preactor Vsn 7.0 Released



APS, SMC, DMC, PES Launched

Nov 1998 Preactor Vsn 8.0 Released

Nov 1999

Preactor Vsn 9.0 ReleasedJune 2000

Preactor Vsn 9.1 ReleasedNow


Preactor HistoryPreactor HistoryAcademic LinksAcademic Links

• FORCAST

• TimeShare Etc.

• EPSRC

• EU 5th Framework


What is Preactor?What is Preactor? Preactor HistoryPreactor History ClientsClients Scheduling TechnologyScheduling Technology Why do People Buy Preactor? Why do People Buy Preactor? Case studiesCase studies



Original Preactor Target ClientsOriginal Preactor Target Clients

• Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

• Tier 3 and Tier 2Tier 3 and Tier 2

• Discrete Batch ManufacturingDiscrete Batch Manufacturing


Food, Drinks & PharmaceuticalsFood, Drinks & Pharmaceuticals

Electrical Equipment & ElectronicsElectrical Equipment & Electronics

Furniture & WoodworkingFurniture & Woodworking

Automotive, Aerospace & General EngineeringAutomotive, Aerospace & General Engineering

Packaging & PrintingPackaging & Printing

Steel, Chemicals & Materials ProcessingSteel, Chemicals & Materials Processing

Actual Client Industries Actual Client Industries


Make-to-Order, Make to StockMake-to-Order, Make to Stock

Discrete Batch, Repetitive Batch, Process BatchDiscrete Batch, Repetitive Batch, Process Batch

Actual Client Industry Types Actual Client Industry Types


Have We Been Successful?Have We Been Successful?

Over 3,000 systems sold in 8 years!Over 3,000 systems sold in 8 years!


Have We Been Successful?Have We Been Successful?

• No 1 in the UKNo 1 in the UK

• No 1 in South AmericaNo 1 in South America

• Joint No 1 in FranceJoint No 1 in France

• Top ten in USA & RoWTop ten in USA & RoW


What is Preactor?What is Preactor? Preactor HistoryPreactor History ClientsClients Scheduling TechnologyScheduling Technology Why do People Buy Preactor? Why do People Buy Preactor? Case studiesCase studies



SchedulingScheduling TechnologyTechnology

How Did We Achieve This

Market Position?


Quick Survey on OptimisationQuick Survey on Optimisation• Branch & Bound

• Heuristics

• MILP

• Genetic Algorithms

• Simulated Annealing

• Theory of Constraints

Which does Preactor Use?


None!None!

• All Preactors use ‘Job at a Time’ sequential algorithm.

• Preactor APS also uses discrete event simulation based local optimisation. E.g. flavour/colour sequences.


WhyWhy NoNo GlobalGlobal Optimisation?Optimisation?

Most of our clients start with no schedule at all!

Our main competitors are Excel, Lotus 123, and ‘T’ cards

Local optimisation offers a pragmatic and practical schedule, e.g. colour sequence


Colour Sequence ExampleColour Sequence Example

We want to process light colours to dark colours on We want to process light colours to dark colours on our single resource.our single resource.

We have orders for Red, Green, Blue, White, We have orders for Red, Green, Blue, White, Yellow, Pink and Black products.Yellow, Pink and Black products.

Which one should we start with?Which one should we start with?

It depends on what’s running now!It depends on what’s running now!


The Hackwell Theory of Schedule The Hackwell Theory of Schedule OptimisationOptimisation

• Over 98% of all optimisation is about setup (changeover) reduction

• Why?– Setups are generally the only sequence

dependent items. – Any suggestions on sequence dependent

process times?


What is Preactor?What is Preactor? Preactor HistoryPreactor History ClientsClients Scheduling TechnologyScheduling Technology Why do People Buy Preactor?Why do People Buy Preactor? Case studiesCase studies



15% increase in productivity15% increase in productivity 40% reduction in inventory40% reduction in inventory 50% reduction in WIP50% reduction in WIP 80% improvement in delivery performance80% improvement in delivery performance

Why do People Buy Preactor?Why do People Buy Preactor? Typical Benefits - Typical Benefits - PreactorPreactor users surveyed users surveyed


What is Preactor?What is Preactor? Preactor HistoryPreactor History ClientsClients Scheduling TechnologyScheduling Technology Why do People Buy Preactor?Why do People Buy Preactor? Case studiesCase studies


Decorpart, NelsonDecorpart, Nelson: Anodised Aluminium Parts: Anodised Aluminium Parts

250 staff, 1,000 different products in a choice of 142 different colours, 250 staff, 1,000 different products in a choice of 142 different colours, 12-13m parts made per week12-13m parts made per week

‘‘Thanks to better scheduling we have improved our service levels from Thanks to better scheduling we have improved our service levels from 30% to 80%+ ... we have reduced our aluminium stock by 100 tons, 30% to 80%+ ... we have reduced our aluminium stock by 100 tons,

that’s a saving of £300,000!’that’s a saving of £300,000!’

Case StudiesCase Studies


S & A Foods, DerbyS & A Foods, Derby: Pre-prepared foodsPre-prepared foods

1,000 staff, 1.1 m meals per week, 1,000 staff, 1.1 m meals per week, more than 300 products per daymore than 300 products per day


Company says Company says

‘…‘….. issues schedules of work for each vessel.. issues schedules of work for each vessel and captures shop-floor data such as start and and captures shop-floor data such as start and finish times’finish times’

‘…‘…offers ‘what if’ scenarios and instant changes offers ‘what if’ scenarios and instant changes to be made when priorities change’to be made when priorities change’


Vienna Airport Authority, Austria:Vienna Airport Authority, Austria: Gate and Check-in CountersGate and Check-in Counters

Optimises the allocation of gates to incoming aircraft and bus gates for Optimises the allocation of gates to incoming aircraft and bus gates for outgoing aircraft based on time, country of origin, and destination takingoutgoing aircraft based on time, country of origin, and destination taking

into account airline, aircraft type, number of passengers, staff availability etcinto account airline, aircraft type, number of passengers, staff availability etc



TecnicolorTecnicolor: Video Duplication: Video Duplication 10 source machines, 20 copying bays10 source machines, 20 copying bays

1500 machines (different process rate)1500 machines (different process rate)24 hour working on 3 shifts, 250,000 units/day, 300 titles24 hour working on 3 shifts, 250,000 units/day, 300 titles


Key constraintsKey constraints- Operatives- Operatives- Cannot process certain titles at the - Cannot process certain titles at the same time (e.g. 18 rating and U same time (e.g. 18 rating and U rating, different language versions or rating, different language versions or even retail and rental versions of the even retail and rental versions of the same title)same title)

BenefitsBenefits- Improved response time- Improved response time- Short, medium and long term- Short, medium and long term optimization of resourcesoptimization of resources

Documents

Copyright Preactor International 2001 An Introduction to Preactor International and Preactor Graham Hackwell Technical Director