Manufacturing Planning & Control Software: An Extension of ERP

For project managers, many are wondering how they can enhance their manufacturing operation. This could be in any area within the supply chain from demand planning all the way to production control. As manual data entering production systems are becoming an aspect of the past, it may be time to integrate a manufacturing planning and control system. Manufacturing planning and control software enables users to be able to stand out among the competition and take their production to the next level. Therefore, here are a few ways that a manufacturing planning and control software can enhance your operation.

Production Scheduling

Through data accuracy and system integration, production scheduling can successfully control and execute production based off of the schedule. Production scheduling permits your operation to be able to generate various schedules in case of equipment breakdown, downtime, or maintenance. This feature greatly benefits areas of capacity and demand planning, allowing for the factory to operate collaboratively.

Materials Requirements Planning (MRP)

Materials requirements planning (MRP)  is an advantageous component of manufacturing planning and control systems that handles material order fulfillment. Instead of having to manually order the materials that are needed, the system adequately orders the materials based off historical and present data. This enables an efficient flow of materials throughout the supply chain. 

Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

This system component takes information from the entire system and ensures that areas within the system are operating as expected. The goal of MES is to improve overall production efficiency and quality through systemic accountability and analysis.  As the system carries out tasks, MES collects data and locates various areas where production can be improved and determines outcomes for the production process.

Business Planning

To successfully carry out your business plan, accurate data and information is needed. This feature handles growth within the company through coordination and strategic planning capabilities. As goals and objectives are established by the operation, the system takes this into account and aims for the goal. Although the goals within the system are broad, the system is still able to move production closer toward the goal and optimize production.

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) and Manufacturing Planning and Control

Many project managers fall under the false assumption that their ERP system alone is enough for production management. ERP systems are not enough for strategic, complex manufacturing operations, which is where manufacturing planning and control software can be beneficial. With advanced planning and scheduling software (APS), it offers an extension to your modern day ERP system.

Some of the capabilities of APS include the following:

• Simple, Quick Integration
• Capacity Planning
• Production Scheduling
• Up-To-Minute Demand Planning and Forecasting
• “What-if” Scenarios

Implementation of an advanced planning and scheduling (APS) system is simple and will permit your production facility to take the next step in overall production efficiency. 

How Advanced Planning Software Helps Your Business with Lean Manufacturing

See how advanced planning and scheduling (APS) works alongside ERP to improve lean manufacturing and day-to-day planning and control. This video explains how advanced planning software helps manufacturers move beyond manual data entry and basic ERP scheduling by optimizing production schedules, synchronizing materials, and improving visibility across the factory. It’s a great next step if you’re evaluating manufacturing planning and control software as an extension of your ERP system. 

Your ERP Is the Backbone—Planning & Control Software + APS Make It Complete

In this article, you’ve seen how manufacturing planning and control software extends ERP by improving production scheduling, materials requirements planning (MRP), MES, and business planning—so you can react to breakdowns, update schedules quickly, and support growth with accurate data instead of manual workarounds.

But as the post points out, many project managers still assume their ERP system alone is enough for production management, even though ERP isn’t designed for detailed capacity planning, what-if scenarios, or fully optimized schedules.

Our white paper, “Why ERP Alone Is Not the Answer,” explains exactly where ERP stops and where Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) has to take over. It shows how adding APS on top of ERP gives you the planning and control capabilities needed for modern, complex manufacturing.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

• Move from tribal knowledge and basic dispatch lists to data-driven capacity management decisions
• Quote and keep realistic delivery dates instead of padding lead times or relying on expediting
• Minimize labor and inventory costs while still meeting customer demand reliably
• Build optimized production schedules that reflect real constraints—machines, labor, changeovers, and maintenance
• Use ERP and APS together to create a scalable planning and control environment that supports growth and lean initiatives

If you’re evaluating manufacturing planning and control software as the next step beyond ERP, this white paper will help you define why APS matters, and how it fits into your overall systems strategy.