In many manufacturing companies, the primary goal is to shorten lead times, utilize machine capacities optimally and increase overall production performance. Both mass manufacturers and, in particular, batch-size-one operations with highly variant product portfolios and frequent changeovers are confronted with this challenge. There are numerous levers that can influence throughput time, machine utilization or overall output. In production, a wide range of factors affect productivity – from machine occupancy and material availability to set-up times and order prioritization. Managing these interdependencies manually is hardly feasible and often results in time‑consuming coordination efforts and trial‑and‑error planning.