Operations Orchestration
The End-to-End Control Loop That Aligns Operations With Strategy
How setpoints are generated
How MES scheduling is updated
How throughput, staffing, and line speed are controlled
How PLC transitions adjust operations
How drift triggers corrections
How the plant runs in real time
How Operations Orchestration Works
1
Telemetry In
OCFR–Gemba ingests:
- Demand and demand growth
- Current throughput and capacity
- Yield and scrap
- Variable and fixed costs
- Liabilities and working capital
- PLC and cumulative volume
- Staffing and line speed
This can come from ERP, MES, historians or planning tools.
2
Orchestration Engine
The engine runs a per-SKU control loop:
- Calculates OCFR actual and compares it to OCFR target
- Computes drift as the misalignment signal
- Adjusts operational parameters to reduce drift
- Updates the PLC stage when lifecycle criteria are met
Every SKU effectively has its own digital twin controller.
3
Setpoints Out
For each SKU and run, OCFR–Gemba outputs:
- throughput_target
- staffing_target
- line_speed_target
- batch_size_target
- plc_stage_next
- gemba_state (in tolerance / approaching / out of tolerance)
These are sent via:
- REST API to MES / schedulers
- Kafka events for streaming architectures
- Direct inserts into a mes_schedule database table
4
Execution in MES
Your MES or scheduling system consumes these setpoints:
- Updates the active production orders
- Adjusts run rates and staffing plans
- Aligns shift-by-shift or hour-by-hour behavior
OCFR–Gemba doesn’t replace MES.
It orchestrates MES.
Key Operations Orchestration Features
1. SKU-Level Control
Each SKU has its own control loop.
- Different SKUs can run with different strategies, margins and risk profiles.
- Enables complex mixed-model manufacturing with confidence.
2. Multi-Line, Multi-Shift, Multi-Site
Support for:
- One SKU on multiple lines.
- Multiple SKUs on one line.
- Different products at different times.
- Multiple plants using the same orchestration logic.
- OCFR–Gemba aligns local operations with global financial and strategic goals.
3. Time-Bucketed Runs
Setpoints can be generated for:
- For the next hour, the next shift and the next day.
- Specific campaigns or promotions
This allows planners to look ahead, while the engine can still recalculate in real time when conditions change.
4. PLC-Aware Production Strategy
Operations Orchestration doesn’t treat all SKUs the same.
- Intro products may run at lower throughput with higher quality controls.
- Growth products may be pushed closer to capacity.
- Mature products may be optimized for cost and stability.
- Decline-stage products may be ramped down to avoid overproduction.
All of this is encoded in the control logic, not buried in spreadsheets.
5. Drift-Driven Adjustments
Operations Orchestration doesn’t treat all SKUs the same.
- Drift is the difference between OCFR target and OCFR actual.
- Positive drift → room to expand or invest
- Negative drift → need to correct operations or strategy
OCFR–Gemba uses drift as the control signal to adjust:
- Throughput to match demand and financial goals
- Staffing to maintain the right balance between cost and capacity
- Line speed to achieve an optimal balance between quality and volume
- Batch size to balance flexibility vs efficiency
How Operations Orchestration Supports Management Review
The Management Review dashboard shows:
- What’s happening
- Where misalignment exists
- How PLC stages are shifting
- Which SKUs are underperforming
The Operations Orchestration engine is how you:
- Change what happens
- Remove misalignment
- Re-balance throughput and cost
- Implement improvement actions
Together they form:
Observe (Dashboard)
Decide (Leadership)
Act (Orchestration Engine).
The entire loop is traceable, auditable, and explainable.