The past decades production industry was ruled by concepts such as “lean production”, “continuous improvement” and “just in time supply”. “Reduce stock”, “swift supply” and “efficient global production chains” were some of the main key performance indicators.
The end of "lean production" and "continuous improvement"?
The “covid pandemic” and now the “Ukraine crisis” confront us with a new and harsh reality. Our actual globalization might have to give way to a new “glocalization”?
These crises and the realities as lived today, as well as other unexpected disruptions such as for instance “a container ship blocking Suez Canal” and disrupting our global supply chain, or the “energy dependability”, the climate crisis (“the green deal”) and “circularity” compel us to think and act in a disruptive, agile, and creative manner.
We will need to rethink and reshape the actual “globalization paradox” and move away from a present strongly suboptimized and converging globalization towards a more diversified and heterogeneous globalization- call it a new “glocalization”?
“Lean production”, “continuous improvement” and other concepts we have implemented for decades will need to make way for new production models, embracing “continuous change” in which “buffers”, “agile and real time planning, scheduling and simulation” will become “key”. We must strive for an innovative, flexible, and sustainable production model and environment.
Hence, technology, combined with a strong human (and humane) DNA, fully aligned with these new goals can and should offer a solution to counter these new challenges.
Therefore, at The Grain we have developed “checkmate”, a new and innovative A.I. supported “production planning and scheduling tool” which provides a pragmatic answer to these complex and multiple new challenges, such as energy consumption, CO2 footprint, waste reduction and commercial agility. It is a modular tool that embeds the main solutions to meet these new requirements.
Checkmate allows planners to build, simulate and validate “on the spot” new planning proposals and -alternatives thus allowing to respond swiftly and adequately to any change and manage the unexpected!
In a world where “the unexpected” and “continuous change” are “the new constant”, this product allows you to “checkmate” these challenges.
