Skip to main content

Tutorial: Your First Production Schedule

This tutorial walks through a realistic example — an HDPE pipe extrusion shop scheduling a production run — so you can see exactly how RunMark works before working with your own data.

What you'll learn​

  • How RunMark filters lines based on capabilities
  • How estimated run time is calculated
  • How to pick a start time and read the Gantt chart

Prerequisites​

You need at least 1 SKU and 1 line configured in RunMark. If you haven't done that yet, start with the Quick Start Guide.

Step 1: The example setup​

Our fictional shop runs two extrusion lines:

  • Line 1 (Extruder A) — capable of 2-inch SDR-11 HDPE pipe at 750 ft/hr
  • Line 2 (Extruder B) — not configured for 2-inch pipe (different die size)

The SKU is "HDPE 2-inch SDR-11 Smoothwall" with unit = feet.

Step 2: Enter the order​

Go to Orders → Create order.

Fill in:

  • Product: HDPE 2-inch SDR-11 Smoothwall
  • Quantity: 5,000 feet
  • Due date: 3 days from today

Save the order. It appears with status Pending.

Step 3: Open the schedule modal​

Click Schedule on the order.

danger

If no lines appear in the schedule modal, the order's SKU hasn't been added to any line's capability list. Go to Lines, edit the line, and add the SKU to its capabilities — then try again.

The modal shows only Line 1 (Extruder A), because Line 2 doesn't have this SKU in its capabilities. RunMark calculated the estimated run time automatically:

Run time = Quantity ÷ Speed
         = 5,000 ft ÷ 750 ft/hr
         = 6.67 hours

Step 4: Pick a start time​

Select Line 1 and choose a start time of tomorrow at 7:00 AM.

RunMark auto-calculates the end time:

7:00 AM + 6.67 hours = 1:40 PM

The end time shows as 1:40 PM — well before the due date, so no warning appears.

Step 5: Confirm​

Review the summary and click Confirm. The order status changes from Pending to Scheduled.

Step 6: View the Gantt​

Go to Schedule in the sidebar. You'll see the Gantt chart — rows are lines, columns are days. The scheduled block appears as a colored bar on Line 1 spanning 7:00 AM to 1:40 PM. The bar is color-coded by SKU.

Click the bar to see block details: SKU, quantity, order, and status controls.

What's next​

Mark the block In Progress when the run starts, then Complete when it's done. Once complete, go to Labels to generate traceability labels for this run.