In Quebec, labor rates are high and labor availability is low, making bake furnaceFurnace relines a difficult challenge for smeltersSmelter to manage. A limited number of qualified bricklayers mean that smeltersSmelter often need to wait their turn to reline in order to avoid competition, with few refractory contractors able to meet the safetySafety, quality and schedule requirements. SmeltersSmelter often operate their bake furnacesFurnace beyond their useful life, leading to higher energy consumptionEnergy consumption, lower anodeAnode quality and refractory maintenance that can no longer keep up. Moreover, most smeltersSmelter have managed to creep amperage over time, thus reducing overcapacity in the furnacesFurnace, obliging them to purchase anodesAnode externally to maintain potline production. Given the step-by-step nature of bake furnaceFurnace relines, it is possible to optimize the schedule by developing and adhering to the critical path, thereby reducing the period over which the smelterSmelter is not producing anodesAnode.