This system is used to track compliance by the Distribution Centers to the Master Shipping Schedule.
The Master Shipping Schedule is a schedule of what products can be shipped on what days from each plant in Canada. The Distribution Centres are required to order product from each plant such that the shipment of the product coincides with the schedule. The process is in place so that the plants can plan the production of products and minimize changes to this plan.
This system is similar to the Master Production Schedule system but it tracks the Distribution Centre compliance in ordering product so that it gets shipped to them on a scheduled day, as opposed to the plants' compliance in producing the product on the scheduled day. The two schedules are linked in that there is a delay between the Production schedule to the Shipping schedule because it requires a certain amount of time to actually ship the product. For example, 640 gram Sunchips Harvest Cheddar may be scheduled to be produced on Monday in the Cambridge plant. The shipping schedule for Mississauga would be Tuesday (takes one day to produce and then ship the product) while the shipping schedule to Thunder Bay would be Wednesday (takes one day to produce and then another day to ship the product) .
This system allows Frito Lay to enter the Master Shipping Schedule, and to import the actual shipments sent from the plants to each of the Distribution Centers.
The reports from this system give compliance by week, period (there are 13 four week periods per year) and for the entire year.