Adaptive scheduling: the use of dynamic due dates to accommodate demand variance in a make-for-stock shop

Results are presented of experiments with a simulation model of an actual make-for-stock shop, in which both the scheduling and due-date updating decision rules were varied and the effect on a cost function observed. A marked interaction between the rules occurred in some cases. One of the due-date updating rules, which does not appear to have been used previously, had the effect of advancing or retarding the due date of a batch as it passed through the shop in response to the difference between the actual and expected demand for the product. This rule was found to perform well when used in combination with a due-date-based scheduling rule.