Process management system and method

An apparatus for carrying out material processing comprising

• a computer including a job manager program configured to receive a data file including a cut list of wood pieces for a product, to display the cut list in a spreadsheet, and to permit editing, and sorting data by field,
• a saw system for cutting wood including a defect locator configured to input data to the saw system indicating location of defects in a wood piece prior to cutting, and
• an optimizer capable of determining an optimal way of cutting a piece of wood by excluding defects and utilizing remaining wood to satisfy cut list requirements, and
• a downloading mechanism enabling transfer of selected data from the job manager to the optimizer.

A method of processing material comprising

• providing a material list for a product,
• loading the material list into a job manager,
• moving the material list into a spreadsheet,
• selecting a field in the spreadsheet,
• multiplying data in the field by a factor,
• downloading the selected field of data to an optimizer,
• downloading the multiplied data from the field to an optimizer,
• selecting a piece of wood material for processing,
• inputting data to the optimizer indicating location of defects in the wood material, and
• determining a processing plan for the wood material including excluding the defects and optimizing use of the remaining material according to the selected field of data.