How does HublerX know which product-to-product transitions require allergen cleans?

The changeover matrix — which transitions require allergen cleans, which require standard changeovers, and the duration for each — is configured per line in HublerX, typically during implementation. The matrix reflects the operation's allergen risk assessment and cleaning validation. Where the cleaning protocol changes (new product, updated risk assessment), the matrix is updated in HublerX and applies to all subsequent schedules.

Can HublerX handle multiple allergen constraints simultaneously — for example, nut-free and gluten-free on the same line?

Yes. The changeover matrix supports multi-allergen configurations — where a line runs both nut-containing and gluten-containing products, the matrix specifies the clean required for each combination of allergen groups. HublerX applies all applicable constraints simultaneously when generating the sequence.

What if a high-priority delivery order falls outside the optimal allergen sequence?

Priority is a configurable weight in the HublerX scheduling engine. Where a high-priority order must run earlier than the allergen-optimal sequence allows, HublerX flags the additional changeover cost — in time — so the planner can make an informed decision: accept the delay cost or reschedule the lower-priority order. The planner always makes the final call.

Does HublerX replace the ERP production scheduling module?

No. HublerX reads the work orders and due dates from the ERP and adds the changeover optimisation layer above them. The confirmed sequence is written back to the ERP as the production schedule for the shift. The ERP remains the system of record; HublerX provides the optimisation logic that the ERP scheduling module typically cannot perform.

Production Scheduling with Changeover Constraints

The Problem

The planner sequences work orders by delivery date. The line loses 4 hours a day to changeovers that could have been half as long.

In food manufacturing, changeover time is not fixed — it depends on the sequence. Switching from a nut-containing product to a nut-free product on the same line requires a full allergen clean: 90 minutes. Switching from nut-free to nut-containing requires only a standard changeover: 20 minutes. The sequence determines the cleaning requirement, and the cleaning requirement determines how much of the shift is spent producing. A planner scheduling by delivery date alone — without accounting for changeover cost — can easily produce a sequence that requires three full allergen cleans in a shift that needed only one.

The lost time is invisible in the ERP. The schedule shows eight work orders. The line completes five. The gap between the plan and the output is recorded as downtime — but the root cause is a sequence that generated avoidable changeovers. The planner has no tool to evaluate the changeover cost of a sequence before the line starts. The only feedback is at shift end, when the output is already short.

Current Workaround

What most operations do today: Most food manufacturing operations today: the production planner sequences work orders in the ERP by due date, adjusting manually for the highest-priority orders. Changeover rules — allergen sequences, colour progressions, flavour to flavour — are held in the planner's head or in a laminated rule card on the planning office wall. Before each shift, the planner or line supervisor reviews the sequence and manually adjusts for obvious allergen conflicts. Some conflicts are caught; others are not. Cleaning time is estimated from memory. The resulting sequence is rarely optimal, and the optimisation takes 30–60 minutes of manual effort every shift.

The HublerX Approach

Changeover cost is computable — every product-to-product transition has a known cleaning requirement and duration. HublerX holds the changeover matrix for each line: which transitions require allergen cleans, which require standard changeovers, and how long each takes. When building the production schedule, HublerX evaluates the changeover cost of each sequence option and generates the sequence that minimises total changeover time while respecting allergen rules, delivery priorities, and line capacity. The planner reviews and confirms; the schedule that reaches the shopfloor is already optimised.

How It Looks in HublerX

Live workflow view

Line Scheduling Board

Line 2 · 7 WOs scheduled today

RUNNING1

WO-5841 · Glucose Biscuits 200gLine 2 · 4,800 units · Started 6:00 AMRunningOn track · Est. complete 9:30 AM · Next: standard changeover 20 min

SCHEDULED4

WO-5843 · Digestive Biscuits 200gLine 2 · 3,600 units · Start 9:50 AMScheduledChangeover: standard · 20 min · Same allergen family

WO-5845 · Cream Cracker 200gLine 2 · 2,400 units · Start 12:10 PMScheduledChangeover: standard · 20 min · Wheat group

WO-5847 · Oat Cookies 150gLine 2 · 1,800 units · Start 2:00 PMScheduledChangeover: allergen clean · 90 min · Oat after wheat

WO-5849 · Oat & Honey 150gLine 2 · 2,400 units · Start 5:30 PMScheduledChangeover: standard · 20 min · Same allergen family

CHANGEOVER0

COMPLETE2

WO-5837 · Marie Light 100gLine 2 · 3,200 units · Completed 5:50 AMCompleteCompleted on time · Changeover 18 min actual vs 20 planned

WO-5839 · Butter Cookies 200gLine 2 · 1,600 units · Trial run completedCompleteCompleted · Changeover to WO-5841: standard 20 min

How HublerX Coordinates It

The step-by-step sequence

1
Work orders and priorities loaded
HublerX reads the open work orders for each line from the ERP — with quantities, due dates, and customer priority flags. The planning horizon is set by the planner: next shift, next day, or next week. Work orders are grouped by line based on product-line assignment.
On schedule generation · daily
2
Changeover matrix applied
HublerX applies the changeover matrix for each line — the cleaning type and duration required for every product-to-product transition. Allergen transitions (nut to nut-free, gluten to gluten-free, dairy to dairy-free) are flagged separately and respected as hard constraints. Standard changeover times are applied as costs to be minimised.
On sequence optimisation
3
Optimal sequence generated
HublerX generates the production sequence that minimises total changeover time across all work orders for the shift — grouping allergen families where possible, sequencing flavour and colour progressions in the low-to-high direction, and protecting delivery priority for time-critical orders. The total changeover cost of the recommended sequence is shown alongside the baseline delivery-date sequence for comparison.
On optimisation completion
4
Planner reviews and adjusts
The planner reviews the recommended sequence on the HublerX scheduling board — with each work order, its quantity, its changeover requirement from the previous order, and the cleaning duration shown inline. The planner can adjust the sequence manually; the changeover cost recalculates in real time as orders are resequenced.
Planner review · pre-shift
5
Schedule confirmed and published to shopfloor
The confirmed sequence is published to the line supervisor's view in HublerX — with each work order, its start time, its changeover type, and the cleaning protocol required. The line supervisor and QA team receive the allergen changeover requirements in advance, not when the line is already stopped.
On planner confirmation
6
Changeover compliance tracked
As each changeover is completed on the line, the duration is recorded in HublerX against the planned duration. Where an allergen clean is required, QA sign-off is captured before the next work order starts. Changeover performance — actual vs planned — is visible to the planner throughout the shift.
Continuous · during shift