A firm uses graphical techniques in its aggregate planning efforts. Over the next twelve months (its intermediate period), it estimates the sum of demands to be 105,000 units. The firm has 250 production days per year. In January, which has 22 production days, demand is estimated to be 11,000 units. A graph of demand versus level production will show that:

Aggregate scheduling is a part of aggregate planning, which is the process of creating an approximate schedule for how an organization will operate over a period of time, typically 3–18 months. Aggregate planning covers all production activities at a facility, not just individual production runs or the manufacture of individual products. The goal of aggregate planning is to help a business fulfill forecasted demand at minimal cost.  Aggregate planning helps management decide when and how much to procure materials and other resources. It also helps determine: Outsourcing, Subcontracting,... Show more

Aggregate scheduling is a part of aggregate planning, which is the process of creating an approximate schedule for how an organization will operate over a period of time, typically 3–18 months. Aggregate planning covers all production activities at a facility, not just individual production runs or the manufacture of individual products. The goal of aggregate planning is to help a business fulfill forecasted demand at minimal cost. 

Aggregate planning helps management decide when and how much to procure materials and other resources. It also helps determine: Outsourcing, Subcontracting, Overtime, Hiring and firing, and Inventory. 
Aggregate planning can help improve efficiency and reduce waste by integrating labor, equipment, and material requirement parameters. For example, when demand and production are aligned together, production houses can buy only the required materials, which highly reduces the cost. 
Aggregate planning differs between services and manufacturing. For example, a massage therapy business offers services on demand, so they can't stockpile inventory. This means that any services that are not used are wasted. 

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