scheduling

[gene]

How do you folks schedule your work?

When I get the fabric and furniture and a deposit I figure 2 to 3 weeks. It seems like I am always trying to catch up. I get behind on a job and that puts me behind on another job and it snow balls from there. Or another job comes in that I think I can get to in the middle of the current jobs, etc.

I have IDs who sometimes want a specific delivery date for their customers.

I saw a web site from CA that said when they pick up the furniture they return it in 2 to 3 days. That sound like they have a few upholsterers working for them.

Thanks for your thoughts.

gene

[baileyuph]

Sounds similar to my business.  Some work is profitable but not as - other work.  I get into the schedule issue because it is hard to turn down a higher paying project than one already on the bench.  Adding labor, that is harder to do for me.  The skill just isn't available, it is already in business.

This isn't the worst problem to have, the bottom line is best year ever.

Doyle

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I am constantly burning the candle at both ends.  I was basically up-to-date when MIL passed last year.  Since then, I've been playing catch-up.  Often it is because a higher paying job comes in and I accept it with the provision that it is given top priority.  Usually though I split my day up between all the jobs I have.  I figure that way I have a chance of keeping a few customer's happy anyway.

Bottom line for me seems to be that "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get". 

Virginia

[MinUph]

  Scheduling is always a challenge. We try to stay ahead of the game but it isn't always possible. If scheduling was easy we wouldn't be busy. I find customers are generally OK with knowing the schedule is 3-6 weeks out. I tend to use it as a closer. We are 2 -3 weeks out. If you want to go ahead I will put it on the schedule with a small deposit. It kills two birds with one shot.
  We use Google calendar for everything. It helps. Figuring how long each piece will take is tuff. How many interruptions will happen each day is another tuff one. All we can do is keep trying.
  We just finished a rather large booth job. 9 of them most being 15' -17' in length. Yes one piece. Seats and reverse sewn seams on the backs. (fake tufts). When this type of work happens the whole business suffers. Well not the business per see but the schedule does. Everything gets behind.

[timtheboatguy]

Something that I used to do every week is schedule a "catch up" day, usually on Friday. I stopped doing this a few years ago and now I am always behind and working too many hours. I enjoy this work a lot when I get ample time off, not so much when I don't.

[Mike]

gene im the same way   I try to keep on scheduale but then I get rush work from my landlord wic I tusualy fasy good fast ppaying money   but that puts my own customers behind   ive got 2 good jobs id like to have had done   not done 

[brmax]

Gene
Its a familiar thought today, Honestly I am working on a new company proposal / work order today.
This is going to be based a lot from my old career as I'm not in anyway that busy  8)
Always remembered some emergency break down to get you off schedule, only thing I can say is repetition in as many things you do is the required and helpful I found.
Its sounds such an easy thing to do and really only answered through the test, its post like these my ears certainly try to listen as this new biz heats up.
So I should ask how far out in time is scheduling the job OK, it must be similar here in some points.
No matter what, everyone that "has" the schedule discussion in days or weeks ahead wants to be in front and some rather discuss the ability to be precise in delivery not the start. I have learned to give myself plenty of time and though its tough its a lot healthier, and gives a more confident sale.
I have also found clients with many responsibilities and funds accordingly are of the precise.

great topic thanks

Floyd

[SteveA]

ID's are the trouble - I'm glad I don't work for any.  Private customers  and no deadlines.  When they ask I say about 3 weeks but won't take the job if they are pushing.  Beside doing my only stripping slowly and not bleeding to death I find repairs are hard to determine until the piece is opened up.  Yesterday a small office chair with brass nails came in. After stripping I have issues to address
- the line of nails split the wood on both arms, the front rail is loose,  and after I install the new nails I have to tint the new nails to match the old nails on another chair.  Less production but less headaches for me. I do admire the shops that have it down to a science.  Paul do you have a photo to post of those booths ?
SA

[MinUph]

No I don't but I probably will be going back at some point and hopefully remember to take some pics.

[kodydog]

I saw a web site from CA that said when they pick up the furniture they return it in 2 to 3 days. That sound like they have a few upholsterers working for them.

Thanks for your thoughts.

gene

What a hectic life this upholsterer must lead.

[byhammerandhand]

Not this this is a lot of help, but it's basic queueing theory.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queueing_theory
You might get some ideas from the write up.

It's always been my observation that if you can get to a job right away, you don't have enough work (or too many resources).   If you have to wait six months, then you don't have enough resources because you can still only process a given amount.   

Otherwise, you streamline your processes to be more efficient (i.e., optimizing your resources).

I've had to wait months for a 10 minute doctor's appointment, so they have this problem.

It's also why traffic is stopped on the expressway where you are because two miles up the road, everyone slows down to look at an accident or squeeze out of a closed lane.   Arrivals > departures.   On the way home this morning the sheriff had a BMW pulled over for speeding.  True Karma.

I worked for a large company in a small town that had company cars to avoid rental problems.   One day, one of the big wigs was upset because all the cars were gone.   The fleet manager told him, "Our goal is to have a car available 95% of the time it's needed, otherwise, we have excess capacity and associated cost.   Over the last year, we had 95.3% availability.  Sorry for your bad luck."

[kodydog]

Its always been my belief that there are basically 3 ways to make more money in this business;

Raise your prices
Work more efficiently
Work harder.

Any one of these will bring in more income. But if your maxed out on all three and still not keeping up with your backlog it may be time to look outside the box or have someone look inside your box. 

[gene]

Thank you all for the feed back. I was hoping everyone would tell me that you had scheduling problems in the past but this is what you did to eliminate them.  :(

Paul mentioned Google Calendar. What system do you other folks use for your work log? I print out shop work orders and clip them to a clip board. I then keep them in order with a note on each one telling me when they are due.

I'm thinking of using a wall calendar to highlight how many days there are for each job with different colored highlighters so I can see at a glance what my work log looks like.

I know of job shops in other industries that use a card on a board to show each job that is in house.

One of the problems is that we are a custom job shop. We do not have a steady flow of similar type business. Scheduling for custom job shops can be a challenge. Larger custom job shops have a full time employee that only does the scheduling.

Thanks again,

gene

[MinUph]

We also use clipboards.
1. for Pending work. We have a P.O. but no fabric or furniture in the shop yet.
2. In the works jobs. These are in the shop. Furniture and fabric.
3. Done jobs that are done waiting for delivery and or payment.

[brmax]

I implemented the use of a 2'x3'  dry erase board with good success before, this was both to inform me and others actually, I made what was a graph or large cell type format.

The information was focused only on planned, scheduled projects and in this, special equipment was written and much other known from experience. This helped myself and I think several other foreman and their crews. I actually put this up in their business hallway between break and foreman offices, this was their main travel route.
I missed that board, and one of my kids gave me one for Christmas, a nice 3-m brand with markers.

Its a clip board thing here I'm working on lately, and a new one in the works, considering binding or how I might keep them together at the top.

Good day there
Floyd