In production, the delivery date is not an estimated day given to the customer by the sales team; It is a plan that is verified by checking the material, current workload, actual capacity and shipment readiness together. The deadline given without seeing this data constantly changes when production begins. As a result, the customer waits, the production order is disrupted, and urgent orders delay other work.
Not a single duration is calculated, but seven interconnected durations
When any of the items below is omitted, the date is correct on paper but cannot be applied in the field.
Delivery Date, Shipment Date and Production Completion Date Are Not the Same
Production end date
It is the date when the last production operation will be completed. Quality, packaging and shipping may not be finished yet.
Shipment date
It is the date when the product will leave the facility after quality approval and packaging.
Delivery date to customer
It is the date by which the product is expected to reach the customer, including the shipping time.
The date given to the customer must be clearly specified. Does the statement “Order ready on the 15th” refer to the end of production, shipment, or delivery to the customer? If this distinction is not made, delivery may be considered late even if production finishes on time. Additionally, assuming production is complete while the final operation remains open can also mislead the date. This risk in the latest operation follow-up guide You can examine it in detail.
How to Calculate Delivery Date in Production in 6 Steps?
Remove open orders and given deadlines
You place the new order among works in progress, not on an empty production line. Include the current load on the machine, line, mold and critical personnel in the initial calculation.
Verify raw material and semi-finished product suitability
Check whether the quantity displayed in stock is reserved for another order. If there are missing materials, add the supplier's confirmed delivery time and incoming quality control to the start date.
Calculate actual available capacity
Do not consider the entire shift as production time. Find the available capacity by deducting planned downtime, preparation, adjustment, maintenance and losses seen in your business's past records from the gross time.
Add order of operations and waits
Summing cutting, processing, assembly or packaging times alone is not sufficient. Also account for queue, transport, drying, rest or approval waiting times between operations
Verify subcontracting, quality and shipping times
Take not only the processing time of the subcontracted job, but also the round trip and queue waiting time. Final quality approval, possibility of rework, packaging and tooling plan determine the time period after production is finished.
Confirm the date with the departments and report it to the sale.
After verifying the purchasing material, planning capacity, production operation time, quality approval and warehouse dispatch, the date to be given to the customer should be finalized.
Why does an order take 14 business days?
The example below is not an industry average; It is prepared to show the calculation logic.
Do not add risk margin randomly
Adding a flat rate to each order can make easy jobs unnecessarily longer and put difficult jobs at risk. Risk share; Determine based on past deadline deviations in product family, operation, supplier, subcontractor and similar orders. When an urgent order arrives, recalculate the date not only of that order but also of other orders whose order has changed.
Which Department Should Verify the Date?
Sales
It completely records the date, quantity, variant and delivery condition requested by the customer.
Purchasing
It notifies the confirmed arrival date and supply risk of the missing material.
Planning
Calculates current workload, order of operations and available capacity.
Production
Verifies actual setup, cycle, downtime and labor times.
Quality
Plans inspection, sample approval and possible rework time.
Warehouse and logistics
It informs the packaging, vehicle plan, dispatch and delivery time to the customer.
ERP updates delivery date with data rather than guessing
In order for the delivery date to be reliable, sales order, reserved stock, purchase order, work order, operation realizations, subcontractor movements, quality status and shipment preparation should be monitored on the same order. When the plan changes, the sales team must see the new situation without delay.
The process side of this structure in the production management guide, while the product and capacity planning side is KG Palaimon in the production ERP program and review it.
Two Early Warnings That Break the Deadline
Why should raw materials and production plans be monitored together?
Examine how out-of-stock or backordered material affects deadlines.
Capacity riskHow to Plan Demand and Capacity Before the Season?
Evaluate demand, material and capacity in advance instead of changing the queue after the rush starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the delivery date and shipping date the same?
No. The shipment date refers to the product leaving the facility, and the delivery date refers to the product reaching the customer after the transportation period.
How is the risk margin determined for the deadline?
Past delays in similar products, operations, suppliers and subcontracting works should be examined and determined according to the actual risk of the order.
If the material is not ready, is a delivery date given?
Providing a firm delivery date without confirming the supplier date is risky. If an early date is to be shared, it must be clearly stated that it depends on material confirmation.
Do urgent orders affect existing deadlines?
Yes. If the order of jobs using the same machine, crew or material changes, the due dates for existing orders must be recalculated.
To evaluate the connection of deadline calculation to material, capacity and order decisions scope of production planning and scheduling and review it.
Give data-driven delivery dates to your orders
Let's evaluate together how your open works, material status and actual production capacity will be reflected in the delivery date.