Using these planning systems can lead to a major disconnect between reality on the plant floor and computer-generated schedules, inventory counts, and the like. Even after all the efforts to simplify, auto manufacturing will always be extraordinarily complex. Only by using computer systems can manufacturers possibly get their arms around this Herculean task. This includes recognizing the multitude of constraints and issues that inevitably impact operations and planning. Only by extensively relying on computer systems can a large manufacturer possibly hope to create optimized plans and schedules across a broad swath of suppliers, plants, and logistics companies.
Lean systems require stable demand to operate well.
Recall that Lean manufacturers want to repeat the same schedule, to stamp out variability wherever possible. A business executive, on the other hand, wants to retain maximum, last-minute flexibility. This is to adjust build sequences and configurations to satisfy current market conditions. Greater market volatility, therefore, plays to the strength of high-powered, computer systems. This responsiveness is possible only if manufacturers have visibility throughout the supply chain and if they are able to factor in the constraints that limit their range of choices.