Checkmate, the AI revolution for production planning & scheduling
The Grain sets new standards in production planning and scheduling with Checkmate. Beyond other planning tools, Checkmate takes real-time account of all production factors from staff shortages, over machine downtime to unforeseen orders, and constantly reworks schedules per day, per hour or even per minute. In this way, planners always make the best possible decision and can meet or even exceed their objectives
Beyond the human production limit
Thanks to the support of VLAIO, The Grain was able to conceive Checkmate in a short amount of time, based on the in-house tool already tested in various sectors in recent years. The results are exceptional, with effective gains ranging from increased capacity utilization (+20%) and better justin-time deliveries (up to +30%), to reduced lead times (up to -25%), shorter production times (up to - 15 %) and reduced labor costs (up to -30%). The Grain's AI planning tool pays off perfectly in manufacturing industries that deal with many internal and external factors.
Human planners are finding it increasingly difficult to oversee such complex processes. Productions must produce more often on the same lines and at the same time respond more quickly to urgent customer demands.
This gap puts extra pressure on planners and increases the chance of small errors with major consequences. Checkmate reduces these risks to a minimum.
AI hand in hand with the planner
Changes in production lines, rapidly changing delivery dates, urgent orders, stock shortages, (un)planned maintenance work, ... planners cannot take this complexity of factors into account.
Checkmate's artificial intelligence offers planners a strong solution thanks to an unprecedented computing power and learning capacity. New schedules, different scenarios, sudden changes…
everything can be quickly simulated and weighed up by the planner. The agile planning reduces (un)foreseen maintenance to a minimal. At the same time, Checkmate also learns from experienced planners, by capturing years of knowledge and making that knowledge useful for new planners and the rest of the organization. This way everyone works faster at the level of a senior planner.
From strategic plan to achievable plan
The entire company has an impact on the planning, and vice versa. Checkmate provides an unprecedented agile business that allows C-level annual plans, medium-term tactical sales plans, and very short-term production plans to be directly aligned. Production responds flexibly to changes in stocks, orders, or line capacity.
Sales sees on a weekly or daily basis whether orders are delivered on time. And c-level knows almost one-on-one whether objectives will be achieved or if they should better be adjusted. This new planning tool takes everything and everyone into account and thus supports not only the planner in his decision, but the entire organization from production worker to c-level. AI is therefore nothing for the future, but a move that must be made today in every production.
Thanks to this big impact, The Grain realizes real growth for customers at every level with Checkmate's innovative technology.
