Mixed-Model Scheduling - The Lean Line Pro Deep Dive Series, #4

Mixed-model scheduling is where good lean cells either succeed—or fall apart.

You've reduced changeover time.
You've built a flowing cell.
Your people know how to run the work.

And yet… delivery is still unpredictable.

Schedules change daily. Expedites dominate. Customers pull you in five directions at once. The cell can flex—but the schedule can't.

This book fixes that.

What This Book Is About

Mixed-Model Scheduling is a hands-on guide to leveling production in high-mix, low-volume environments where demand changes daily and batching destroys flexibility.

This is not theory. It's not academic lean. And it's not software-driven scheduling that ignores reality on the shop floor.

Instead, you'll learn how to:

Design a leveled daily schedule that actually fits your available time Calculate EPE (Every Product Every Interval) and use it to control lead time Set right-sized batch quantities without slipping back into large-batch habits Sequence products to minimize changeover pain Build and run a physical heijunka board that operators actually follow Use pitch to monitor execution hour-by-hour Respond to breakdowns, shortages, and rush orders without destroying the schedule Lock in discipline so batching creep doesn't quietly return

Who This Book Is For

This book is written for:

Manufacturing engineers Production supervisors Planners and schedulers Operations and plant managers

…who operate cell-based production with repeating products and want shorter lead times, predictable delivery, and less chaos.

If you run true one-off jobs, haven't defined product families, or still change over in hours—not minutes—start with the earlier books in the Lean Line Pro series.

What Makes This Different

Most scheduling books assume:

Stable demand Low product variety Software will solve the problem

This book assumes reality:

Demand changes constantly Mix matters more than volume Discipline matters more than math Visual control beats spreadsheets

You'll work through a realistic example step-by-step, including schedules that don't fit at first, and learn how to adjust without breaking the system.

What You'll Have When You're Done

By the end of this book, you'll have:

A working mixed-model schedule you can run Monday morning A clear daily operating rhythm for your team A visual system that makes problems visible immediately The discipline to keep scheduling boring—and delivery reliable

One cell. One schedule. One improvement project.

If your cell works—but scheduling is still chaos—this book shows you how to fix it.

 

This book builds on:

Product Families (Vol. 1) SMED & Changeover Reduction (Vol. 2) Cell Design & Flow (Vol. 3)

Together, they form a complete, implementation-focused lean production system.