2 Chapter 2 – Literature Review 2.1 PlanningPlanning is the act of determining when resources will be used. The resources mentioned come in the form of equipment, facilities and human activities in an organization. It occurs in every organization, regardless of the nature of the activities. In manufacturing, manufacturers are required to schedule company production, which means developing schedules for workers, equipment, purchasing, maintenance and other aspects that affect productivity in a plant. 2.1.1 Planning operations and terms Planning operations in different companies differ based on the variety of products manufactured and the volume of which these parts are made. This difference in operations will affect how a company organizes its operations. Each type of business operation requires different planning techniques. There are many terms involved in planning that have specific definitions. Examples of these terms are routing, bottleneck, due date, slowdown, and queue, among others (Reid and Sanders, 2009). Routing Takes the work into consideration...