When a customer asks "when can you deliver?", answer with a calculation, not a guess. The tool shows when the order will be finished and whether it meets the requested date.
Result
Estimated finish date
–
Production time
–
Production start date–
Left from today to the requested date–
Work needed to meet the date–
Finish at 100% efficiency–
Public holidays are not taken into account. The calculation is done in your browser; your details go nowhere unless you send them.
To plan all orders in machine sequenceAn Excel template with capacity per machine, order sequence, deadline alerts, holidays and a day-by-day schedule.
Send us your figures and the result; we'll review them and get back to you within one business day. Free and non-binding.
{s} working days{s} hours{s} hours a dayThe order meets the requested date, with {g} working days to spare between finish and due date.The order only just meets the due date, with {g} working days to spare. One breakdown or late material delivery and the date is missed.The order misses the requested date by {g} working days. To make it you'd have to work {s} hours a day, or promise {t} as the date instead.The order misses the requested date by {g} working days and can't start until the work ahead of it is done. Promise {t} as the date instead, or change the sequence.won't make it
How is it calculated?
Production time (hours) = quantity ÷ (output per hour × efficiency rate) + setup time
Production time (working days) = production hours ÷ working hours per day, rounded up
The start date is the first working day after the work queued on the machine is done. The finish date is found by counting the production time in working days from the start.
Working out the due date for a single order is easy. The hard part is recalculating the sequence of dozens of orders sharing the same machine every time something changes. When a rush job comes in, the finish date of every order behind it slips, and you only see that if the whole plan is kept in one place. More on this in the production management software article.
Frequently asked questions
What should I enter as the efficiency rate?
The ratio between the machine's rated speed and what it actually turns out. Breakdowns, setups, waiting for materials and defects lower this rate. If you haven't measured it, start with 60–70%; you can find your own rate with the OEE tool.
Why does work queued on the machine matter?
If the order doesn't go on the machine today, the finish date slips by that much too. The item most often forgotten when promising a date is the work that has to be finished first. For jobs that go through several machines, go by the machine with the longest queue.
Are public holidays taken into account?
No, only weekends are. If there are public holidays in between, add those days to the "work queued on the machine" field. Our Excel template has a holiday list.
Are the numbers I enter sent anywhere?
Not unless you send it. The calculation is done entirely in your browser and nothing is saved. Your details reach us only if you fill in and send the “Evaluate my result” form, so that we can get back to you.
Stop working out due dates one order at a time
Let's set up a production plan where the machine sequence and finish dates of orders update on their own.