The manufacturers are experiencing the same technological and communication problems faced by their counterparts in other industries: legacy systems built on islands of automation, production operations engineered to defy design changes, and proprietary architectures that make integrating new equipment arduous and expensive. When inconsistencies occur in scheduling or the utilization of equipment or manpower or materials are less than optimal, the overall procedure--already operating under razor-thin margins--can significantly hinder profitability. By combining a finite capacity scheduling system with a manufacturing execution systems (MES),all levels of manufacturing, engineering and production management become visible throughout the entire manufacturing process. Integrating control and information along with finite capacity scheduling allows manufacturer to streamline their operations, which can lead to significant financial savings, including achieving increased manufacturing throughput as well as benefits from greater visibility, tracking and control of operations.