Why Start with an On Time Edge Manufacturing Workshop?

Most manufacturers don’t need to be convinced that delivery performance matters.

They live it.

Customer's dates slip.

Schedules are rebuilt multiple times a day.

Expediting and last-minute changes have become part of the culture.

In many plants, the team has already invested in ERP, MES, OEE, or advanced planning and scheduling (APS).

The tools are in place, but the organization still spends too much time reacting to problems instead of running a stable, predictable operation.

When we talk with executives and operations leaders, a common question comes up:

“Why are we still firefighting when we have better systems than ever before?”

The answer usually isn’t a lack of effort. It is the gap between how the business is trying to run, how the technology was set up, and how work actually flows through the plant.

The On Time Edge Manufacturing Workshop is designed to close that gap.

A practical way to connect strategy, systems, and the shop floor

On Time Edge works with manufacturers that want on-time delivery, capacity, and scheduling to become strengths of the business, not weekly problems. Our clients are often in one of these situations:

• They are preparing for a system implementation or upgrade
• They have implemented new tools, but results have stalled
• They know there is more capacity in the system than they can see today

In every case, the organization needs a more straightforward path between business goals and day-to-day execution.

The manufacturing workshop focuses on three simple questions:

• How are we planning and scheduling work today, and what is that costing us?
• Which changes to process, data, and technology will make the most significant impact?
• How do we organize those changes into a roadmap that the team can actually execute

The working sessions are built around your operation, not a generic model. We use your product mix, your constraints, and your customer requirements to guide the discussion.

What happens in a manufacturing workshop

The workshop brings together leaders from operations, planning and scheduling, IT or digital transformation, and, when appropriate, supply chain and finance. The goal is to create a shared view of the current situation and a realistic plan to improve it.

Typical outcomes include:

    • A clear picture of why orders are late today
    • Agreement on the real constraints that govern throughput and lead time
    • A more practical approach to planning and scheduling that can be sustained
    • A transformation roadmap that links system decisions to business results
    
Along the way, the team works through topics such as:

    • Which technologies (APS, MES, OEE, data platforms) support your strategic objectives
    • How different solution options affect margin, inventory, and service levels
    • What requirements really matter when selecting or reconfiguring a system
    • Where process changes are needed before, during, or after a technology change
    • How to align people, process, and technology so improvements will last
    
Because the discussions are grounded in real orders, constraints, and customer expectations, the work product is practical. It is not a theoretical future state that no one recognizes once they leave the room.

Why invest in a workshop before you invest in technology?

Manufacturing systems and digital transformation programs represent meaningful investments. By the time software, integration, internal resourcing, and change management are counted, the total cost is significant.

The On Time Edge Manufacturing Workshop is a fixed-fee engagement of $15,000. For most manufacturers, that represents roughly 1–2% of the cost of a full implementation or transformation initiative.

That small fraction is often enough to:

    • Avoid moving forward with a solution that does not fit the way you run your plants
    • Clarify which data and processes need to be cleaned up before implementation
    • Build alignment among leaders who will ultimately sponsor and sustain change
    
In short, the workshop is intended to reduce risk and accelerate value from any technology or process improvements that follow. It helps you make deliberate choices rather than reacting to problems after a system is already in place.

Where manufacturers see the most benefit

Organizations that get the most value from the workshop tend to share a few characteristics:

    • On-time delivery and schedule stability are regular topics in leadership meetings
    • There is a desire to move from “heroic effort” to repeatable, data-driven execution
    • The company is already investing, or planning to invest, in modern manufacturing systems
    • Leaders are willing to put the right people in the room and make decisions together
    
In these environments, the workshop becomes a catalyst. It gives leaders a structured way to look at the entire flow—from order entry to shipment—and decide how planning, scheduling, execution systems, and people should work together.

What your team leaves with

By the end of the engagement, the aim is not simply to produce a slide deck. Teams should walk away with:

• A shared understanding of the current planning and scheduling reality
• A list of specific bottlenecks and gaps that carry the highest cost or risk
• A prioritized roadmap that connects operational changes to business outcomes
• Clear criteria for evaluating or reconfiguring systems such as APS, MES, and ERP
• Alignment on who owns what, and how progress will be measured over time

Some manufacturers use this as the first step before a major technology decision. Others use it to unlock more value from tools they already have. In both cases, the workshop provides structure and focus at a point where decisions matter most.

Taking the first step

Many manufacturers know they need to operate differently but are not sure where to begin. The On Time Edge Manufacturing Workshop is designed to be that starting point: a practical way to bring the right people together, look at the data, and decide on a path forward.

If you would like to explore whether a workshop is a fit for your organization, you can indicate your interest here:

From there, we will schedule a discovery conversation to understand your objectives, confirm fit, and discuss how a workshop could support your manufacturing and scheduling goals.