Essential Features Of Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software (APS)

Within modern manufacturing, Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software has become absolutely essential for operations that are seeking to improve overall efficiency. With APS, you are adequately armed with data from your shop floor and have the power to transform overall factory floor productivity. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software enables manufacturers to access accurate, real-time shop floor data that provides the foundation to unlock improvements in labour productivity and overall plant/factory utilization. If you are seeking to utilize an APS software and integrate with your ERP or MRP system, then it is necessary to understand what exactly to look for in terms of the software. Therefore, within this blog we are going to discuss four features that are an absolute must within an APS software that will ensure absolute productivity enhancement and overall efficiency optimization. 

Four Features of Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software

The five features of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software include the following: 

• Task Time Completion Accuracy - It is important to know how long a task will take to be completed. While your design and cost engineers will have a view of how long the tasks will take, these times are overall just estimates. In order to ensure for the best results, you need to collect actual data from the shop floor through typical use of a shop floor data collection system. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software offers the use of Gantt Charts and other forms of visual scheduling which allows you to have a visual representation of when various jobs/tasks will be completed. 
• Real-Time View of WIP - If you are unsure of the progress of the various aspects that are already in motion, how can you determine what the best move is next? Ultimately, you will need real-time information about jobs that have started, what is finished and what is on hold and why. An integrated shop floor data collection system will provide this level of intelligence on your factory floor. APS software allows for real-time view of WIP and what the best next step will be. 
• Realistic Capacity Planning - For tools to derive an accurate production schedule, it needs to be aware of any potential constraints in your factory. These include labor, materials, shift patterns, working hours, floor space, power constraints, etc - really anything that pertains to constraining your process. The APS environment must be able to capture and model all of these constraints and then use the model to generate a plan. APS supports integrated day-to-day scheduling, constraint-based capacity planning, what-if analysis, finite scheduling, and more. 
• Process to Share, Monitor, and Update - With a generated plan, it does not benefit your facility if it is not implemented. Any planning schedule will evolve with time, and for any plan to be effective, it must be shared with everyone involved in its execution. This is how you will ensure for thorough visibility and the chance to address any issues that cause slippage. 

Overall, Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software can greatly benefit your manufacturing operation with ease and allow you to step up your operation in terms of operational efficiency. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software is an absolute must for manufacturing operations that are seeking to enhance visibility, profitability, and ultimately reduce waste and cost within their production facility. The features of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software allow for simple and easy integration into MRP and ERP software and fill in the gap where these softwares lack. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software is being implemented into manufacturing operations around the globe and production managers are reaping the benefits. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software has become a must for modern-day manufacturing operations due to customer demand for increased product mix and fast delivery combined with downward cost pressures. APS can be quickly integrated with a ERP/MRP software to fill gaps where these system lack planning and scheduling flexibility and accuracy. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) helps planners save time while providing greater agility in updating ever-changing priorities, production schedules, and inventory plans.

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

Implementation of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software will take your manufacturing operations to the next level of production efficiency, taking advantage of the operational data you already have in your ERP.