Batch Planning
The Batch Planning section is where a Production Order goes from "a big intent" to "a list of batches the floor can actually run." It lives on the Batch tab.
The planner is a UI on top of a JSON config stored on the order (batch_plan_json). You don't usually edit the JSON by hand — you work in the planner and let it serialize for you.
What a good plan looks like
A batch is a slice of the order that will travel together through the floor: same cut, same line, same path. The batch boundaries you draw decide a lot of downstream behavior:
- Material issuance is per batch. Bigger batches mean fewer issuances and less paperwork; smaller batches mean tighter shop-floor control and quicker reaction to problems.
- Cutting Orders are typically one per batch. Bigger batches mean a longer lay; smaller batches mean more setups.
- Cost rollup is per batch. If you want to know what this particular batch of black M tees cost, the batch boundaries decide what gets included.
There's no universal right answer. Tighter batches are better when the cloth is new, the brand is tight on tolerances, or the line is unfamiliar with the style. Looser batches are better when you've made the style a hundred times and the win is throughput.
Splitting by size and variant
The most common axes to split on:
- Size — if you have a 1,000-unit order across XS–2XL, you might cut a single lay covering all sizes (one batch), or one lay per size group (two or three batches). Decided by the marker yield and how comfortable the cutting team is with mixed-size lays.
- Variant (color) — different colors usually mean different fabric and almost always different lays. One batch per color is the default.
- Line assignment — if you have multiple stitching lines, a planner sometimes pre-assigns batches to lines so capacity is balanced before the floor starts.
Reading the planner
The planner shows you, per row: which sizes and variants are in the batch, the resulting quantity, the cut count, and any warnings (overflowing the lay limit, hitting your Max Table Length, etc.). The lay limits and overflow tolerances come from Garment Manufacturing Settings — if you find the planner constantly flagging you, the right fix may be to revisit those limits, not to fight the planner.
Image: The Batch Planning panel on a Production Order with three batches laid out, showing sizes per batch, quantities, and any lay-limit warnings.
A working example
You're planning a 1,200-unit dress order across S–XL in three colors (Black, Stone, Navy).
A naive plan: one batch, 1,200 units, all sizes and colors in one lay. The planner flags it — you'd exceed Max Lay Limit and you can't mix colors in one cut anyway.
A reasonable plan: three batches, one per color, each covering all four sizes. Each batch is 400 units. The marker yield is acceptable, the lays fit within your Max Table Length, the cutting room cuts each colour in one go, and stitching can take batches in sequence as they finish cutting.
Once the plan looks right, save the order and move to the Simulator to see what the plan looks like in time and money before you release it.