The arrival of an assembly line is cemented in the history of manufacturing . The assembly line redefined the meaning of ‘sequencing’ where a series of steps are performed in a certain order to manufacture a finished product.

Ever since, sequencing has been an integral part of the metals manufacturing industry. But what happens when you get orders for products with special characteristics?

Here’s an example: A customer places an order for a special steel grade. To keep a healthy inventory level, you don’t want to cast rare steel grades too frequently. What then, is the most efficient way to deal with such an order?

The answer is to find matching orders. Steel and aluminum mills often plan manufacturing campaigns that group products with specific characteristics. The goal of campaign planning is to find the optimum balance between productivity, inventory and customer satisfaction.

Tell us what you’re doing to achieve this balance.

We’re conducting a research study with steel and aluminum companies for our 2014 Campaign Planning Report. By participating in our survey, you’ll provide us additional insights into the use of campaign planning within these industries.

Take the survey.

Of course, your input will be kept strictly confidential (used only for the purposes of research in this project). The results will be shared with you after the survey ends. We estimate that it will take you approximately 3 minutes to complete the survey.

Participating companies have until April 4th to submit the survey, so don’t delay. Make sure you get counted!

What are your thoughts on campaign planning within the steel and aluminum industry? Let us know in your comments below or drop us a tweet @Quintiq.