The embodiments described herein relate to methods, systems, and computer program products for improving the product quality of product lots produced on a production line. A quality value for each product lot is determined, and a quality benchmark is established. Each product lot is classified based on the quality benchmark. Product lots that have a quality value meeting the quality benchmark are classified as quality lots, and product lots having a quality value failing to meet the quality benchmark are classified as failing lots. Tools used in the production of the product lots are identified, which includes identifying a set of quality tools and a set of failing tools. Routing of additional product lots is directed by shifting production at least substantially to the set of quality tools.

A manufacturing management apparatus includes an operation information acquisition unit, a trace information acquisition unit, a storage unit, a manufacturing device determination unit, and a transfer destination indication unit. The storage unit stores inspection information on each article in association with the trace information. The manufacturing device determination unit creates combinations of the manufacturing devices that can perform manufacturing processes in consideration of operation information and trace information, determines a quality index from the inspection information for each of the created combinations, and determines, based on the quality index determined for each of the combinations, a combination of the manufacturing devices to be used. A transfer destination indication unit indicates a transfer destination of a part to a transfer device based on the determined combination of the manufacturing devices.

A method for controlling a manufacturing of final metal product(s) from intermediate metal product(s) is implemented by an electronic controlling device and comprises, for each intermediate metal product acquiring (110) a set of intermediate characteristic(s) (C.sub.IP) for said intermediate metal product; determining (120) a current estimated set of final characteristic(s) (C.sub.est_cur) with a prediction model, according to the set of intermediate characteristic(s) and a current manufacturing route; comparing (130) the current estimated set of final characteristic(s) with a current target set of final characteristic(s) (C.sub.target_cur); and if a deviation between the current estimated set of final characteristic(s) and target set of final characteristic(s) is above a threshold obtaining (140) new target set(s) of final characteristic(s) (C.sub.target_new) for new final metal product(s); and calculating (150) a new manufacturing route according to the set of intermediate characteristic(s) and to the new target set(s) of final characteristic(s).