Managing Production Delays

No matter how well you plan, production delays happen. Machines break. Key employees call in sick. Priorities shift. But how you respond to these disruptions determines whether you stay profitable, or fall behind.

Excerpt from CMA’s “The Calendar Challenge for Cabinetmakers” webinar

Prioritize High-Value Projects

The first rule of production management: not all projects are created equal. When delays occur, focusing your resources on high-value projects ensures that your most profitable jobs stay on track.

That doesn’t mean ignoring smaller projects, it means strategically managing your time and capacity so that every deadline can still be met, even when things go sideways.

By identifying your most profitable and time-sensitive projects early, you can make informed decisions when capacity gets tight.

Manage Capacity and Bottlenecks

When you manage based on real capacity (and understand where your bottlenecks are), you gain a complete picture of your production flow.

This visibility allows you to allocate the right resources to the right steps, preventing minor issues from turning into major delays.

For example, if you know that one workstation or one team member is critical to multiple stages of production, you can plan ahead and reduce dependency risks before they happen.

Handling the Unexpected

What happens when your only CNC operator calls in sick? Or when your machine breaks down unexpectedly?

These situations are always last-minute, but your system shouldn’t be. Having a clear prioritization plan allows you to reassign resources quickly, adjust timelines, and keep production moving without chaos.

ERP tools and scheduling systems that track capacity and resources in real time make this much easier, helping you pivot within minutes, not hours.

Preventing Machinery-Related Delays

One of the most overlooked causes of production delays is machine maintenance. The best way to avoid downtime is to treat fine-tuning and maintenance as non-negotiable.

Whether your manufacturer recommends it every three months or after a certain number of linear feet, stick to that schedule. Skipping maintenance to “save time” almost always costs more time (and money) later.

Staying Ahead of Delays

The key to reducing production delays is proactive management:

✅ Prioritize the projects that matter most.
✅ Monitor your capacity and bottlenecks.
✅ Plan for unexpected absences or breakdowns.
✅ Schedule preventive maintenance consistently.

With the right structure and visibility, production delays become manageable, not catastrophic.