Effective cycle time management employing a multi-horizon model

A method for providing control signals for operation of a plurality of machines in a manufacturing facility, said method comprising:

• determining, for each machine within a plurality of machines in a manufacturing facility, an optimal usage allocation for multiple types of products that are manufactured in said manufacturing facility by employing a computer;
• determining, for each machine within said plurality of machines in said manufacturing facility, a queue of lots to be processed under a constraint that, for each type of product in said manufacturing line, a long-term average of usage allocation is within a predetermined range from a corresponding optimal usage allocation by employing said computer;
• transmitting control signals from said computer to said plurality of machines employing communication means, wherein said control signals include said queues of lots;
• and
• inputting boundary conditions for determining said optimal usage allocations.

A computer program product for providing control signals for operation of a plurality of machines in a manufacturing facility, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage non-transitory medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to perform the steps of:

• determining, for each machine within said plurality of machines in said manufacturing facility, an optimal usage allocation for multiple types of products that are manufactured in said manufacturing facility by employing a computer that is configured to read said computer program code;
• determining, for each machine within said plurality of machines in said manufacturing facility, a queue of lots to be processed under a constraint that, for each type of product in said manufacturing line, a long-term average of usage allocation is within a predetermined range from a corresponding optimal usage allocation by employing said computer;
• and
• transmitting control signals from said computer to said plurality of machines employing said communication means, wherein said control signals include said queues of lots;
• wherein said computer readable program code is configured to enable inputting of inputting boundary conditions for determining said optimal usage allocations into said computer.