Practice Summary: Mikesell’s Implements a Scheduling Tool to Improve Operating Efficiency

In its Dayton, Ohio, facility, Mikesell’s Snack Food Company produces 16 varieties of potato chips, which it packages in six bag sizes. Mikesell’s must plan its production across four bagging and packing lines to meet customer demand. We developed an Excel-based tool that allows Mikesell’s to plan and monitor production, allocate resources, and evaluate investment opportunities. Although this tool is not an ideal tool for scheduling, we chose Excel to minimize the software cost and adoption complexity. As a result of this effort, Mikesell’s has improved production fluidity and balance, reduced equipment downtime, and lowered overtime costs.