The optimization backbone for manufacturing
Your Manufacturing Decision Team. Nine closers. One per plant function. They decide. They act.
Each runs the math behind a class of decisions, makes the call under your real constraints — capacity, materials, due dates, contracts — and hands you a one-click-approvable action. A copilot suggests. A closer decides and pushes the action into your systems.
Throughput
Inventory
Downtime
Energy
The decision team
Each owns a class of decisions end to end — runs the math, makes the call under your constraints, and hands a one-click action. Activate the ones you need.
PRODUCT
“I decide which products and variants earn their place in the catalog — and I strip the complexity that quietly taxes every plant.”
Decisions it makes
Set the product mix toward contribution, not just volume Rationalize variants down to the configurations worth building Time each product's launch, ramp, harvest, and retirement Standardize parts and options to cut proliferation across plants Tracks: portfolio contribution · margin per variant · complexity cost · standardization rate
Supports: Product Management & Engineering · Head of Product / Chief Engineer
DEMAND
“I turn every signal into one demand number the whole network can plan against — and I decide who gets served first when capacity runs short.”
Decisions it makes
Build one consensus demand signal from orders, history, and the field Allocate constrained capacity across customers, channels, and regions Protect strategic and contractual accounts when supply is tight Revise a promise date before it's missed, not after Tracks: forecast accuracy · bias · service level · allocation fairness · penalty exposure
Supports: Demand Planning & S&OP · Head of Demand / Sales Operations
PLANNING
“I decide which plant builds what, and in what campaign, so every constraint resource runs flat-out and no promise is missed.”
Decisions it makes
Set production volumes across plants over the planning horizon Load each line against finite capacity before commitments are made Size batches and sequence campaigns to cut setup and changeover cost Protect and exploit the bottleneck so it never starves Tracks: plan attainment · capacity utilization · bottleneck output · changeover cost
Supports: Production Planning & Master Scheduling · VP Operations / S&OP
SHOP FLOOR
“I sequence every job, balance every line, and staff every shift so the floor runs flat-out without tripping over itself.”
Decisions it makes
Sequence jobs across work centers to hit due dates at full throughput Balance stations to takt so no operator is starved or overloaded Staff each line and shift to the plan and the skill mix Reschedule around a breakdown, a hot order, or a missing part Tracks: schedule adherence · throughput · line balance / takt · overtime · labor %
Supports: Plant Operations · Plant Manager / Scheduler / Industrial Engineering
SOURCING
“I decide who supplies each part — at what price, terms, and split — and I never sign a source I can't trust to deliver.”
Decisions it makes
Choose the supplier and award split for each purchased part Set the price, terms, and lead time captured in the purchase agreement Decide make-versus-buy for each component on cost, capacity, and risk Add, drop, or dual-source to hold continuity and competition Tracks: landed cost · supplier OTIF · single-source exposure · price variance
Supports: Procurement & Strategic Sourcing · CPO / Category Managers
MATERIALS
“I keep every plant and DC stocked at the lowest inventory — I decide what to replenish where, and peg every shortage to the order it threatens.”
Decisions it makes
Release, expedite, or pull in a purchase order against the live plan Decide what to replenish at each plant and DC, from which source, and when Cover a shortage before it stops a line — substitute, reallocate, or transfer Position spare parts against the downtime risk they protect Tracks: line-down risk · inventory cash · node fill · expedite premium · spares fill
Supports: Materials Management & Inventory · Materials Manager / Buyer-Planner
LOGISTICS
“I move every replenishment and order at the lowest landed cost — the right lane, mode, and carrier to hit the window.”
Decisions it makes
Choose the route, mode, and carrier for each move Build and consolidate loads within cube and weight Optimize lane mix and carrier rates across the network Reroute around a capacity crunch or a missed connection Tracks: freight cost per unit · on-time delivery · dwell · load utilization
Supports: Logistics & Distribution · VP Logistics / Transportation
RELIABILITY
“I keep assets running and quality first-pass — I catch the failure and the defect before they cost you a shift.”
Decisions it makes
Schedule maintenance to the failure risk, not the calendar Pull a machine for service before it fails mid-run Tune process parameters to lift first-pass yield Trace a defect to its root cause and recommend the fix Tracks: unplanned downtime · OEE · first-pass yield · scrap & rework · defect rate
Supports: Maintenance & Quality Engineering · Plant Engineering / QA
ENERGY
“I cut the energy, utilities, and carbon per unit — without ever slowing the line.”
Decisions it makes
Shift energy-intensive runs to the lowest-cost, lowest-carbon windows Optimize steam, compressed air, water, and utility use across processes Cut peak-demand charges without missing the schedule Lower CO2 per unit against cost and policy targets Tracks: energy per unit · utility cost · CO2 per unit · peak-demand charges
Supports: Energy, Utilities & Sustainability · Head of Sustainability / Facilities
Not copilots. Closers.
Hire your first closer this week. The optimization backbone for global manufacturing networks. One plant function at a time.
OptiManufacturing is part of OptiU — democratizing optimization.