2/12/26
Where Does Your Operation Stand? The AI Divide in Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry runs on precision, yet most operations are still scheduled using manual spreadsheets and "gut feel." This gap between expectation and reality is the #1 source of hidden costs, penalties, and operational chaos. See how your operation compares to industry benchmarks.
Make AI [real] for your business
How manufacturers actually build their schedules.
70% of manufacturers still rely on Excel or spreadsheets as their primary scheduling tool.
4-6 hours per day is the average time planners spend on manual "firefighting" and reworking schedules.
80% of manufacturers cite "tribal knowledge" risk (i.e., key scheduler retirement) as a significant operational vulnerability.
The High Cost of "Business as Usual"
That manual friction isn't just an annoyance, it shows up as real costs and missed targets. See how a typical manual process stacks up against an optimized, AI-driven operation.
Metric | Common Practice (Manual) | Optimized Operation (AI-Driven) |
|---|---|---|
Manual Scheduling % of planner's time on manual tasks. | 50%+ on data entry and "firefighting." | < 10% on manual tasks; 90% on optimizing. |
Unplanned Downtime Caused by schedule errors, waiting. | 15-20% | < 5% |
Overtime Costs A direct cost of schedule errors. | 10-15% of direct labor. | < 3% of direct labor. |
On-Time, In-Full (OTIF) % of orders delivered on time. | < 85% | > 98% |
System Integration (e.g., Sage ↔ Outperform) | 0% Integration. Data is transferred manually, forcing duplicate work. | 100% Integration. An automated API pushes plans to work orders in real-time. |
The AI-Driven Scheduling Impact
From Manual Chaos to AI-Driven Precision
Moving to an AI-driven scheduling engine isn't a theoretical, multi-year project. It's a pragmatic, 90-day pilot focused on solving your biggest bottleneck. The impact, as measured from real-world client pilots, is immediate and significant.
AI Impact Metrics (The 90-Day "WIN")
This is the measured ROI you can unlock in a single quarter by moving from manual scheduling to an AI-driven engine.
Financial & Revenue Impact
$1.0M – $1.6M in annual OTIF penalty savings by moving from reactive to constraint-aware scheduling.
$3.6M – $9.6M in annual revenue retention from the sustained lift in OTIF performance.
Operational & Labor Impact
50-70% reduction in manual scheduling effort, saving $150k - $300k in direct labor costs.
50% faster work order creation by integrating your planning and ERP systems, eliminating manual data entry.
100% capture of at-risk "tribal knowledge", turning your expert's rules into a permanent, automated company asset.
How This ROI is Possible in 90 Days
This isn't a "rip and replace" project. We deliver value by focusing on a 3-step "Quick Win" framework:
Codify "Tribal Knowledge":
We turn your expert scheduler's unwritten rules (for batching, bag constraints, run sizing) into a resilient, automated AI rules engine.
Integrate Existing Systems:
We build the "connective tissue" (APIs) to make your existing ERP (e.g., Sage) and planning (e.g., Outperform) tools work together seamlessly.
Automate the Output:
We deliver the final, optimized schedule in an "Excel-equivalent format" - a system your team already knows and trusts, which eliminates change management friction and ensures immediate adoption.
Stop Lagging Behind. Start Improving.
Your competitors are already looking for an edge. We can help you find yours. We’ll build a custom 90-day ROI plan based on your unique data, your systems, and your people.
