Turbulence germs and their impact on planning and control - root causes and solutions for PPC design

Abrupt and often surprising changes characterize the market situation of production companies. Important aspects for the design of production planning and control (PCC) are those which potentially cause turbulence and lead to schedule deviations. The paper describes a method to capture these changes qualitatively and assess them quantitatively, while identifying solutions for PPC design. Its theoretical fundament draws on an analogy to physics and develops the morphology of turbulence germs. A case study illustrates its application in detail, starting with a company-specific turbulence profile, analyzing the root causes quantitatively and identifying solutions for improving PPC.