About NGC Scheduler

The NGC Scheduler is a browser-based Production Scheduling Application designed for a continuous glove manufacturing plant. It uses a custom-built Least-Cost Insertion Heuristic to automatically assign factory orders to production lines, minimizing changeover penalties and maximizing throughput.

How It Works

graph TD A[1. Enter Production Order] --> B{Heuristic Engine Evaluates} C[Matrix: Product Change Penalty] --> B D[Matrix: Size Change Penalty] --> B B --> E[Scan All Available Lines] E --> F{Find Lowest Cost Insertion} F --> G[Line 1] F --> H[Line 2] G --> I(Assign Tiers LB/LT/RB/RT) H --> I I --> J[Master Schedule Updated] K[User Manually Locks/Edits] --> J

Production Lines: The factory has multiple lines across multiple plants. Each line is equipped with exactly 4 physical tiers: Left Bottom (LB), Left Top (LT), Right Bottom (RB), and Right Top (RT).
Line Speed: The application respects maximum limits (e.g. 48,000 pieces/hour) and scales production time proportionally based on how many tiers are running the product.
Changeover Penalties:
- Product Change (Chemical Flush): Changing liquids/chemicals incurs downtime (can be configured in Matrix Settings, default 180 mins).
- Former Change (Tiers Swap): Swapping sizes involves replacing the hand formers on the line. The downtime is calculated based on how many tiers must be changed.
Heuristic Algorithm: The system automatically evaluates incoming orders in real-time, scanning all possible lines and tiers. It determines the insertion point that yields the absolute lowest cost (Setup Downtime + Production Time).

How to Use the App

Step 1: Dashboard Configuration

Use the Dashboard to enter your incoming orders one by one. You can specify the order number, glove code, size, quantity, and optionally constrain which plant this order should run on.

Step 2: Matrix Tuning

Optionally, adjust the Changeover Matrices in the left panel of the Dashboard. Here, you define exactly how long it takes to move from one specific glove type to another, or to swap specific tier sets.

Step 3: Review Master Schedule

Switch to the Master Schedule to see the output. The heuristic will seamlessly place your orders.

🔹 Lock: Pin an order to a specific time and line to preserve its position in future evaluations. Locked items will display with green highlights.
🔹 Filtering: Use the "Show: All/Locked/Unlocked" toggle button on the Master Schedule to easily view specific portions of the production plan.
🔹 Edit (Manual Override): Click on a scheduled row to manually tweak its tiers, start times, or end times. Doing so will mark the row as "Manual".
🔹 Export: Download your generated Master Schedule directly into an Excel-friendly CSV.

Technical Limitations

This is a serverless application. All data is securely stored within your browser's localStorage. Clearing your browser data will wipe the queue and matrices unless you have exported them.