[email protected] +1.303.779.0344

Home Examples By Industry Manufacturing

Equipment Usage Timeline

This equipment usage timeline, rendered in OnePager Express, was created from a simple Excel spreadsheet. It shows how a machine shop can create a production schedule that optimizes available equipment so that jobs can be finished more quickly.

This product lifecycle timeline was created in OnePager Express based on a simple Excel spreadsheet, and shows the long-range product lifecycle of a fictional automotive manufacturer, across multiple vehicle classes.


Download Equipment Usage Timeline as PDF      Download Equipment Usage Timeline as Image


Equipment Usage Timeline Features

This production schedule features:

  • All jobs for a given piece of equipment are lined up left-to-right in a single row to help locate available capacity. If two jobs are accidentally scheduled at the same time, you can see the conflicting tasks staggered to indicate the scheduling problem.
  • Color is assigned based on the type of equipment in use. This makes it easy to move a job from one piece of equipment to another at a different ship in the event of a scheduling conflict.
  • Each shop has its own swimlane with equipment grouped together, so that schedulers can see how much activity is taking place in each shop.
  • The time axis tracks work down to the minute, and hides non-working (overnight) hours that aren't a part of the production schedule.

This product lifecycle timeline was created using OnePager Express, product planning software from Chronicle Graphics that integrates with Microsoft Excel.

To learn more about OnePager, and see how it can help your product planning activities, get started today by downloading a free trial.

15-Day
Free Trial

Sample Files

This equipment usage timeline was created using the following files, which you can download in Excel format to create something similar for your own team:

Instructions

To build an equipment usage timeline like the example above, follow these instructions:

  1. Download the set of sample files listed above. There is an Excel plan containing all of the production schedules for each site, plus a matching OnePager template that will help define the layout of the timeline itself. Save both files to your desktop.

  2. Open the Excel file.

  3. Once the file is open, go to Add-Ins and click the OnePager button.

  4. On the OnePager start screen, click NEW to build a new timeline.

  5. We need to change OnePager's default template to the one downloaded above. To do this, click on Change, and then BROWSE FILES to the OnePager template (*.tat) file. This OnePager template contains all of the data-driven formatting (styles, layout, etc.) that give this timeline its unique look.

  6. Once the custom OnePager template is selected, click on Create New Chart to build your timeline. It should look similar to the example at the top of this article.
15-Day
Free Trial