Glossary

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A
APS Connector
A connector or interface facilitating the integration between the production system and an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system for enhanced coordination and planning.
Allocation
Refers to the process of assigning resources, such as materials, equipment, labour, or facilities, to specific tasks, jobs, or orders within a given timeframe. Allocation is a fundamental aspect of production planning and scheduling, ensuring that resources are optimally utilised to meet production requirements and fulfill customer orders efficiently.
Anvil / Backing Roll Constraints
Restrictions or specifications related to anvils or backing rolls used in the manufacturing process.
Available to Promise
ATP is a measure of the quantity of a product that is available for promise to customers based on existing inventory levels. It provides a real-time view of the quantity that can be committed to fulfill new customer orders while considering existing commitments.
B
Backstand
A paper cutter’s supply queue.
Backstand Queue
The queue of items waiting to be loaded on to one or more backstands. In some environments the queue can be very flexible, whereas in others the sequence remains fixed.
Bar Coding
The process of assigning and using unique barcodes to identify and track individual rolls of material throughout the manufacturing and production processes. Bar coding plays a crucial role in improving efficiency, accuracy, and traceability in the handling of rolls within the manufacturing environment.
Batch
A quantity of goods produced or processed at one time.
Big & Small Reel Constraints
Limitations or specifications related to the size of reels used in the production process, distinguishing between larger and smaller reels.
Bill of Materials
A comprehensive and structured list of components, parts, materials, and sub-assemblies that are required to manufacture, assemble, or build a finished product. The BOM serves as a central document in manufacturing, engineering, and product management, providing detailed information about the composition and hierarchy of items needed to produce a specific product.
Block
A group of runs defined by opt-Studio as a grade, some notion of production cycle or a fixed time period. 
Block Plans
Refers to a visual representation or chart that illustrates the allocation of resources, production activities, or tasks over a specific period.
Block Schedule
Refers to a block of runs dedicated to individual grades in a planning schedule. The aim is to balance the conflicting objectives of maximum production efficiency, optimal customer service and minimum inventory.
Block Schedule Optimisation
Block schedule optimisation overcomes the traditionally ad hoc basis of block scheduling by offering an optimisation-based approach that helps the user balance conflicting objectives using state-of-the-art optimisation algorithms. 
Broke
Refers to paper waste or scraps, commonly generated during threading or web breaks.
C
Caliper
Refers to the thickness of a material i.e. paper or plastic film.
Capacity to Promise
CTP is a measure of the quantity of a product that can be promised to customers based on the future production and manufacturing capacity. It considers not only current inventory levels but also the capability of the production system to meet future demand.
Chop Knife
A rolling blade that cuts the web length-wise into sheets.
Coil Orders
Orders specifying the production of materials in coil form.
Control Desk
An optional, freestanding desk equipped with panels to control most manual functions of the reel, including drives. Typically placed near the machine for visual monitoring, but it can also be situated in a control room.
Corrugated Board
A material commonly used in packaging, consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet sandwiched between flat sheets, providing strength and rigidity.
Custom Counter
A simple or complex formula by which new IDs are produced for physical entities (e.g. reels, pallets) or logical entities (e.g. sales orders).
Cutter
A tool used for precisely cutting sheets of material. It typically consists of a sharp blade mounted on a cutting board or guillotine-style mechanism.
D
DS
Abbreviation for “drive side” of the reel frame, which is the side where most drives are located, opposite to TS (tending side).
Dead Zone
The trim handling system may impose a dead zone: e.g. the Maximum Trim Down the chutes is 100 mm, but the Minimum Sheet Width you can handle is 300 mm.
Defect
An imperfection or lack that causes inadequacy or failure. A defect on a jumbo reel may be a different colour or places with different thicknesses.
Desk Console
An optional, freestanding desk equipped with panels to control most manual functions of the reel, including drives. Typically placed near the machine for visual monitoring, but it can also be situated in a control room.
Disaster Recovery
A set of policies, tools, and procedures designed to restore and recover IT systems and data after a disruptive event or disaster.
Drum Doctor
A device used to maintain the cleanliness of the reel drum, usually available in either a blade-type doctor that comes into contact with the drum surface or an air doctor that blows the web off the drum.
E
ERP Systems (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Integrated software systems that manage and streamline various business processes, including finance, human resources, inventory, and production within an organisation.
Extruder
A specialised machine used in various manufacturing processes to shape and form materials by pushing them through a die or nozzle.
Extrusion / Off-line Coating
Processes involving the application of material layers through extrusion or coating performed separately from the main production line.
F
Faults
Flaws or imperfections in the material, often identified during the production process, that may impact the quality of the final product.
Finished Good
A product that has completed the manufacturing process and is ready for sale.
Finite Capacity Scheduling
An approach to production scheduling that takes into account the finite and limited capacity of resources within a manufacturing system. In other words, it ensures that the scheduling of production activities considers the realistic constraints imposed by the available resources, such as machines, labour, and workstations.
G
Gantt Chart
One of the main tools for viewing the schedule and performing manipulations on it, including differentiating between firm orders, replenishment orders and reservations, re-sequencing campaigns, freezing and allocating tasks to runs and plotting the Work In Progress (WIP) volume for any work centre to detect bottlenecks.
Genealogy
A comprehensive record or documentation that traces the lineage and history of a product or batch throughout its entire lifecycle, from its inception to the end of its production or usage, enabling a clear and complete understanding of its origins, transformations, and movements.
Guillotine
A cutting device, typically with a straight blade, used to cut materials with precision.
H
HMI
Human-Machine Interface (HMI), the equipment utilised by the operator to communicate with the machine. This may include a touch screen with icons and other controls.
Hay
Another term used to refer to broke or waste paper.
Hay Catcher
Horizontal panels designed to prevent broke and other paper scraps from falling onto the scanner during turn-ups.
Host Parent Reel
When one parent reel/ jumbo is split lengthwise and then slit or cut into different sizes.
Hot Trim
A feature that allows real-time adjustments or modifications to be made to certain parameters or settings during the ongoing production process. This capability is particularly relevant in industries where precision is crucial, and making immediate adjustments to the manufacturing parameters can have a significant impact on the quality and efficiency of the production.
I
IQ
An abbreviation of ‘Improve Quality’ which refers to a set of actions, strategies, or initiatives aimed at enhancing various aspects of the production process to achieve higher standards of product quality.
Integration Server
A server (running either on a separate machine or a consolidated process) responsible of facilitating the intercommunication (integration) of different software (or hardware) components.
J
Just-in-time
A production and inventory management philosophy that emphasises the minimisation of inventory levels and the efficient use of resources in the manufacturing process. The core principle is to produce and deliver goods and services exactly when they are needed, neither too early nor too late, with the goal of eliminating waste, reducing costs, and improving overall efficiency.
K
Knife Change Minimisation
Sophisticated mathematical optimisation can post-process a solution to achieve minimum knife changes, changing the sequence of the patterns and the parent reels within them. This can achieve savings, depending on the circumstances, of over 40%.
Knife Changes
Changes in the specifications of customer orders, such as alterations in size or shape, may necessitate adjustments to the cutting tools. This can involve changing the type of blades or modifying their positioning. The frequency and duration of knife changes can impact overall production efficiency.
L
Length Tolerance
The acceptable range or variation in the length of produced materials from the specified target length.
Limit Count
A restriction on the quantity or count of produced items within a specified range.
Load Planning
The strategic organisation and arrangement of materials or products for efficient loading onto vehicles or transport containers.
M
Machine Environment
The conditions and settings in which a machine operates.
Machine Learning
By predicting the outcome with realistic accuracy, machine learning within the software allows the user to better decide how to make use of their time. For mid & large solutions, machine learning can predict the likely benefits of applying pattern reduction.
Make to Order (MTO)
A manufacturing strategy where products are produced based on specific customer orders rather than being produced in advance and stocked.
Manual Input
The process of entering data or information into a system or computer manually, typically done by human operators rather than automated means.
Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
A computerised system that helps manage and control manufacturing operations, providing real-time production data and facilitating communication between different stages of manufacturing.
Master Solution
A comprehensive and overarching solution that addresses various aspects or challenges within the production process.
Mixed Length Pattern
A pattern featuring different material lengths.
N
NIP
The point of contact between two moving objects, such as the reel drum and a parent roll. The nip between a parent roll and the reel drum is one of the three parameters controlling the tightness of the parent rolls.
O
OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
A key performance metric used in manufacturing to measure and evaluate the efficiency and productivity of equipment or machinery. OEE provides insights into how well equipment is utilised and how effectively it performs in producing high-quality products.
Offset
A value added to or subtracted from a predetermined setpoint.
Order Separation Minimisation
The practice of minimising the separation or disintegration of orders during the production process to enhance efficiency and reduce complexity.
P
Pallet Wrapper
A machine or device used to wrap pallets with stretch film for stability and protection.
Panelview
Allen Bradley’s human-machine interface (HMI) used to control the movements and functions of the machine. It typically features touchscreen or button access to machine control screens, functioning similarly to a monitor in a PC-based system. The HMI contains a Graphic User Interface (GUI) composed of multiple screens.
Paper Mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients.
Paper Pulp
Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre crops or waste paper. Used to produce paper.
Parent Roll
The end product of a reel, consisting of a roll of paper tightly wrapped around a reel spool. A parent roll may undergo additional processes or rewinding at a later stage of production.
Pattern
The arrangement or sequence in which the individual orders are positioned on the reel before the cutting process.
Pattern Assignment
The act of assigning specific patterns to certain entities or processes.
Pattern Count
The count or frequency of a specific sequence or arrangement within a given dataset, where the dataset represents the orders placed on a jumbo reel or sheet during manufacturing. It involves analysing how often certain order configurations, layouts, or sequences occur within the specified material, providing insights into the distribution and repetition of order patterns on the manufacturing substrate.
Pattern Reduction
Minimise total number of physical patterns in a run
Pattern Run Length
The duration or length of a specific pattern in the production process before it repeats.
Peripheral Force
Also known as torque or circular force, this tangential force affects the web and tightens the structure of the parent roll. It can be generated by the torque of the primary or secondary drive and is one of the three parameters controlling the roll structure.
Plan Status
The current state or condition of a plan.
Position Constraints
Refers to restrictions or limitations placed on the placement of orders within a production run, dictating the specific positions or orientations of items on the material. Trim optimisation software considers these position constraints to efficiently arrange and allocate orders on the material, taking into account the unique characteristics of the production machinery and the desired output specifications.
Primary Machine
A.k.a. paper machine in the paper industry. It produces paper jumbo rolls from paper pulp. It is a board machine for the board industry.
Primary Processing
The manufacturing process’s second stage is referred to as primary processing, wherein the raw material resources undergo transformation into industrial materials or standard stock.
Primary Slitting
Marks the beginning of the slitting process, where the wide material, often referred to as the “master” roll, is unwound and subjected to the first series of cuts to create narrower rolls or sheets.
Problem Advisor
A tool or feature that provides guidance or recommendations for addressing issues or challenges encountered during the production process.
Production Route
The sequence of operations assigned to an order.
Profiling
The process of roll building at an angle to the reel drum with specified tension, nip load, and torque values in order to create a uniform roll.
Pulper
A vat situated beneath the machine for collecting broke and other paper pieces to be rendered into pulp and recycled in the papermaking process. Typically, the web runs down into the pulper when not reeling.
Q
Quality Status
The state or condition of the quality of a product.
QuickTrim
A function that quickly evaluates the likely waste of a run. This information is useful to adjust the run’s capacity and also to serve as an early warning for finding suitable filler orders. 
Quire
One-twentieth of a ream of paper; a collection of twenty-four or twenty-five sheets of paper of the same size and quality, unfolded or having a single fold (bookbinding) A set of leaves which are stitched together, originally a set of four pieces of paper (eight leaves, sixteen pages). This is most often a single signature (i.e. group of four), but may be several nested signatures.
R
Raw Material
Basic materials or substances used in the initial stages of production, which are transformed into finished goods through manufacturing processes.
Ream
A number of sheets of paper, formerly 480 sheets (short ream), now 500 sheets (long ream) or 516 sheets (printer’s ream or perfect ream). One ream is equal to 20 quires.
Reel
A machine used to reel (wind, wrap) paper onto reel spools, creating parent rolls that are used later in the manufacturing process. Reels are typically used in high-speed conditions, such as when paper comes from a paper machine or coater. The term “reel” is also synonymous with “parent roll” to indicate paper wound on a spool.
Reel Change
The process of changing a reel on a machine.
Reel Spool
A metal roll onto which the web is wound during reeling operations.
Reel Wrapper
A machine used to wrap reels of material.
Reeling
The process of winding a paper sheet onto reel spools.
Register
The act of recording or entering information.
Rewinder
The rewinder serves the purpose of rewinding and longitudinally slitting the paper web from the paper machine reel spool into paper rolls of the desired dimensions. The winding section of the machine comprises two rolls, with each of these rolls having its own independent drive.
Roll Building
The process of wrapping the web on the reel spool with adequate tension and pressure to create a parent roll of uniform density.
Route
A route is a sequence of operations assigned to an order. An example of a route is Paper machine -> Winder -> Packing.
Run
A period of time in which a work centre produces the same basic product without a significant switchover. Each run can produce multiple different orders. 
Run Assignment
Refers to the list of orders allocated to each run in the campaigned work centres and the free capacity of any run in the schedule. 
Run Length Constraints
Restrictions or specifications regarding the length of production runs before changes or adjustments are made.
S
SCR
Abbreviation of System Change Request, a formal document or request that outlines a proposed modification, enhancement, or correction to a software system or information technology infrastructure.
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) refers a combination of product (e.g. grade and basis weight), properties (e.g. diameter, width and core), location (can be either a site, a distribution centre or a customer) 
Schedule Optimisation
The process of refining and improving the scheduling of tasks, activities, or production processes to achieve more efficient resource utilisation, reduce costs, meet deadlines, and enhance overall productivity.
Secondary Processes
Additional manufacturing or operational steps aimed at refining or enhancing the final product.
Secondary Scheduling
Where block scheduling is not possible for certain work centres, opt-Studio employs rule-based scheduling logic to calculate the sequence and dates of the tasks in the planning horizon. It can also distribute tasks among similar work centres to reduce setups or balance the load. 
Sequence Number
A unique number assigned to items in a specific order.
Set
A set consists of all items produced in one registration.
Sheet
The terms “web” and “sheet” are used interchangeably to refer to the continuous sheet of paper coming from the paper machine or parent roll.
Sheet Rotation / Grain
The orientation or rotation of sheets during the production process, often considering grain direction.
Sheeter
A machine that turns reels into sheets.
Shop Floor
The shop floor is the floor of a factory (machine shop) where people work on machines.
Side Reels / Butt Rolls
Components or sections of reels located at the sides or ends, often with specific constraints or considerations.
Similar-width Constraints
Restrictions on the variation in widths of the produced materials, ensuring similarity or uniformity.
Skew
In the reeling process, “skew” refers to the uneven loading or positioning of one side of the reel compared to the other side.
Slab
Waste paper that is torn from the roll, typically occurring after a web break or during threading.
Slabbing
The process of removing unwanted paper from the roll by tearing or cutting it off.
Slitter
A slitter machine, commonly known as a slitter rewinder, serves as specialised equipment employed to convert or slit various materials into narrower rolls. To ensure cost-effectiveness, master rolls are frequently produced in their largest possible size before being cut down.
Slope
An increase or decrease of a particular value over a specific period of time or distance.
Soft Maximum Width
A flexible or adjustable upper limit on the width of the material, allowing some variation within specified constraints.
Speciality Paper
Paper designed for specific applications or with unique characteristics, tailored for specialised uses.
Splice
The place or point where two parts of material (e.g. paper, plastic film, aluminium foil) are joined. Splices affect the quality of the produced goods so they need to be tracked. Composite (laminated) goods may have splices on their separate layers.
Splice-tolerant
The ability of a system or material to withstand or accommodate splices, which are junctions or connections between different sections or lengths. Being splice-tolerant means that the system or material can function effectively and maintain integrity even in the presence of splices or connections, often minimising the impact of interruptions or changes in continuity. A splice-tolerant system can handle and continue processing seamlessly despite the presence of spliced sections.
Spool
Cylindrical piece on which something is wound. It typically refers to a reusable metal core used on primary machines. A primary machine has usually 5-15 spools available for jumbo reels.
Spreader Roll
A roll designed to spread or smooth out the paper web, typically used at the beginning of the reeling process.
Stock Conversion
The process of transforming or converting raw materials or components into finished goods or products that are ready for sale or use.
Stock Conversion Option
The ability to convert or transform existing stock materials into different forms or dimensions.
Stock Fragments
Broken or fragmented pieces of stock materials resulting from the production process.
Stock-outs
Occurs in inventory management when a business or organisation runs out of stock or inventory for a particular product or item. This means that the available quantity of a product has been depleted, and there are no units left in the inventory for customers or for use in the production process.
Supply Queue
The queue of items in the supply chain waiting to be processed.
System of Record
The central repository where accurate and up-to-date data related to manufacturing processes, production activities, and associated information is stored.
T
TS
Abbreviation for the “tending side” of the reel frame, where operators typically approach or tend the machine, opposite to DS (drive side).
Tension
The force created by stretching the web from opposite directions, one of the three controlling parameters in tight roll building.
Tension Control
The process of controlling the amount of tension applied to the web to create a tightly wrapped roll.
Throughput
The rate at which a manufacturing system can produce, process, or deliver a product or service within a given time period.
Torque Control
The process of controlling the amount of torque applied to the reel drum or reel spool.
Traceability
The ability to trace or track the history, location, and application of a product or component through various stages of its lifecycle, from raw material sourcing to manufacturing, distribution, and beyond. The primary goal of traceability is to provide transparency and accountability in supply chains, manufacturing processes, and product-related activities.
Trim Optimisation
The process of maximising material efficiency during cutting or shaping operations, aiming to minimise waste and reduce production costs. It involves using algorithms or software to optimise the arrangement of cuts on raw materials, such as rolls or sheets, while considering various constraints and specifications.
Trim Waste
Excess material or scraps generated during the manufacturing or cutting process that are not part of the final product. This waste typically results from trimming, cutting, or shaping raw materials such as rolls or sheets to achieve the desired dimensions or specifications.
Turn-Up
The process of switching the web from a nearly completed building parent roll to an empty reel spool.
V
Variable-width Make-to-Stock
A production strategy where items are manufactured and stocked in anticipation of future demand, with the flexibility to accommodate variable widths.
W
WIP
Abbreviation for ‘Work In Progress’, refers to goods, products, or tasks that have undergone some level of processing or production but are not yet finished.
Web
The terms “web” and “sheet” are used interchangeably to refer to the continuous sheet of paper coming from the paper machine or parent roll.
Web Reports
An interactive record accessible and presented through a web browser, providing up to date with the latest planning and production data.
Web Welding
A tool that combines two reels side-by-side to create a wider one
What-ifs
Hypothetical scenarios or simulations used to explore the potential outcomes or impacts of various decisions or changes within a system
Winder
A machine that winds material onto a spool.
Winder Station Constraints
Restrictions or limitations specific to the winding station in the manufacturing process, which may include factors such as speed, capacity, or configuration.