3 Key Differentiators in Connected Planning and Scheduling

Production Planners and Schedulers can encounter many challenges when creating production plans and schedules. As new orders come in, these individuals must find a solution to incorporate them into the existing schedule without causing any delays or bottlenecks. With the growing demands of customers to receive their orders quickly, it is important to be able to find this solution quickly. The speed at which you can translate a new customer order and integrate it into your production schedule highly depends on your planning and scheduling software(s). 

Traditional spreadsheets are time-consuming and depend on the expertise of the scheduler. With an Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software, the scheduler can quickly see the impact of adding a new order and can even adjust the schedule in seconds to prevent any delays. As it is connected to materials, and capacity planning, you can see whether you have enough materials and capacity to produce and deliver the item on time. 

Combining the strengths of production planning and scheduling can be advantageous for your company as it provides your team with three key differentiators:

1. Agility
2. Visibility
3. Connectivity

These differentiators allow your planners and schedulers to come to a speedy solution and make the most out of their available resources.

1. Agility

Agility is defined by the ability to move quickly and easily. An Advanced Planning and Scheduling software allows you to shorten the time it takes to make a decision and helps you react faster to changes. It allows you to quickly and easily see the impact of adding a new order while taking into consideration any scheduling constraint. 

By having a "Factory Digital Twin" that allows you to create an accurate schedule, you can be confident that you can deliver your products on time. This means that you have the ability to react quickly and make the required changes that may occur, from adding new customer orders to adjusting the schedule in the event of an unexpected machine breakdown.

2. Visibility

Visibility is defined by the state of being able to see or the prominence by which something attracts attention. The lack of visibility throughout the planning and scheduling systems is the key challenge faced by planners and schedulers on a daily basis. 

PlanetTogether's Advanced Planning and Scheduling software allow individuals to easily see the impact of new orders on the schedule. In addition, Gantt label colors and alerts help quickly identify the most urgent issue in the plant that requires intervention. 

The impact of any schedule change can be compared through various KPIs such as efficiency or on-time delivery to ensure that you are creating the best possible schedule for your company. 

3. Connectivity

Connectivity is defined by the ability, state, or capability of being connected. Often, Planning and Scheduling are considered to be independent activities, especially when traditional scheduling methods are involved. However, information from various sources such as capacity and material plans is required to build the most efficient production schedule. In addition, it is important to use the most up-to-date and accurate information to make the right decisions. 

PlanetTogether's Advanced Planning and Scheduling software can be integrated with your ERP system to ensure that your planners and schedulers are always using the most up-to-date information. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) System

An APS system is a planning and scheduling system by which raw materials and production capacity are optimally allocated to meet demand. It allows for simultaneous planning and scheduling of your production based on available material, labor, machines, constraints, capacity, and other sequence-dependent setups. The result is a feasible plan that is optimized for your KPIs of interest that is created in a matter of seconds. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling software have become a must for modern-day manufacturing operations as customer demand for increased product assortment, fast delivery, and downward cost pressures become prevalent. These systems help planners save time while providing greater agility in updating ever-changing priorities, production schedules, and inventory plans. APS Systems can be quickly integrated with an ERP/MRP software to fill the gaps where these systems lack planning and scheduling flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency.

With APS you can:

• Create optimized schedules that balance production efficiency and delivery performance
• Maximize throughput on bottleneck resources to increase revenue
• Synchronize supply with demand to reduce inventories
• Provide company-wide visibility to resource capacity
• Enable scenario data-driven decision making

The implementation of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software will take your manufacturing operations to the next level of production efficiency by taking advantage of the operational data you already possess in your ERP system. APS is a step in the right direction of efficiency and lean manufacturing production enhancement. Try out a free trial or demo!