Production planning and scheduling for an integrated container company

Abstract

This paper describes a hierarchy of models and information systems being developed by integrated producers of corrugated containers to aid in the process of planning and scheduling their operations. The initial focus is on eight easily identifiable decision areas and the tools available to deal with them. The eight decision areas are paper machine loading, master scheduling, trimming, boxcar loading, stock size selection, inventory replenishment, corrugator combining, and finishing and shipping scheduling. The remainder of the paper identifies the major interactions among these decision areas and the systems required to deal with them.