The critical insight of TOC is that only ONE bottleneck or capacity-constraint-resource (CCR) really governs the performance of the whole system.
In a plant, the CCR is the resource having the largest queue, i.e. the output of the plant depends on the output from the CCR.
DBR is a relatively simple, yet effective, production planning methodology.
It is a control method that recognizes the slowest operation of the plant—the bottleneck— as the single determinant of the throughput for the entire plant.
DBR centers on detailed finite capacity scheduling of the capacity constraint resource.
DBR helps to move material quickly and smoothly through the various resources of the plant, thus synchronizing the manufacturing operation. The Drum-Buffer-Rope method strives to achieve the following:
Very reliable due-date performance
Effective exploitation of the constraint
As short response time as possible, within the limitations imposed by the constraint(s).
Conceptually, the three main elements of DBR are:
Drum is the schedule of the CCR based on the orders at hand.
Buffer is a protection mechanism to keep the drum from disruptions.
Rope is the raw materials schedule – forcing the choke of the release (Preventing too much WIP.)
