Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
Capacity coordination
Also known as: capacity balancing, capacity alignment
German: Kapazitätskoordination
In production planning and control, capacity coordination is the alignment of the load placed on machines, lines, labor and shared resources with their available capacity over a planning horizon, so that orders can be completed on time without overloading any resource.
- System integration
In one sentence
Capacity coordination aligns the load on machines, lines, labor and shared resources with their available capacity over a planning period.
Example
Because the paint shop can process only 400 bodies per shift, the scheduler shifts some orders from the body shop to the next day instead of filling the buffer beyond its limit.
How it applies
- Planning: Capacity coordination links ERP and MES planning with shop-floor reality. Planned capacity should include maintenance windows, changeovers and realistic availability, not only nominal speeds.
- Operation: When a line fails, capacity coordination decides which orders move to other lines and which are postponed, together with Job scheduling and dispatch rules (see Dispatch rule).
- Documentation: Document the capacity figures used for planning and where they come from, and keep them updated after modifications. Operating documentation should state rated capacities with the conditions under which they apply.
Capacity coordination vs. bottleneck coordination
Capacity coordination works over hours to weeks and across resources. Bottleneck coordination works in real time on a running line and keeps its limiting station busy.