Types of Loading-
Infinite Loading
Finite Loading
Also know about Scheduling as Loading is an vital part of Scheduling.
Explained with examples.
Important concept in Production and Operation Management.
2. Operations Scheduling
• Scheduling is the process of allocation of resources to accomplish specific jobs
using machines and facilities.
• It explains the efficient use of timing and resources within the organization.
Principles:
• The principle of optimum task size ( maximum efficiency with small tasks with
same order of magnitude).
• Principle of optimum production plan (equal load in all plants).
• Principle of optimum sequence.
Types of Scheduling:
• Forward Scheduling, order placed when needed- job shops
• Backward Scheduling, order placed in advance to get delivered on specific dates.
3. Loading
• Loading means the assignment of Jobs to work or processing centers.
• Work centers are areas in a business in which productive resources are organized and
work is completed.
• It may be a single machine, a group of machines, or an area where a particular type of
work is done.
• The work centers can be organized in a variety of ways including by function in a job-
shop configuration; or by product in a flow, assembly line, or group-technology-cell
configuration.
• Types of Loading which the Scheduling Systems can use-
• Infinite Loading
• Finite Loading
4. Infinite Loading
• With infinite loading jobs are assigned to work centers without
regard for capacity of the work center.
• Ignores capacity constraints, but helps identify bottlenecks in a
proposed schedule to enable proactive management
• Jobs are loaded at work centers according to the chosen priority
rule.
• Priority rules are appropriate for use under the infinite loading
approach.
• In the figure you can see that period 4 & 7 are having capacity
more that which is required but periods 5 & 8 are having under
capacity to accomplish the job.
• Advantage- Consumes less time in assigning the jo to work
centers as analysis of capacity of work centers is not required.
• Disadvantage- Job may not be accomplished with efficiency as
job can get assigned to work centers with less capacity than what is
required.
5. Finite Loading
• Allows only as much work to be assigned as can be done with
available capacity – but doesn’t prepare for inevitable slippage
• Finite loading considers the capacity of each work center and
compares the processing time so that process time does not
exceed capacity.
• With finite loading the scheduler loads the job that has the
highest priority on all work centers it will require.
• Then the job with the next highest priority is loaded on all
required work centers, and so on.
• Disadvantage- Consumes more time in assigning the job to
work centers as analysis of capacity of work centers is
required.
• Advantage- Job can be accomplished with efficiency as job
gets assigned to work centers based on the capacity they have.
6. Conclusion
• Companies benefit from both infinite and finite loading.
• Infinite loading identifies bottlenecks of resource availability and finite loading
develops the operational scheduling that uses the available capacity.
• Both techniques use either a schedule (infinite) or prioritized list of jobs to be done
(finite).
