Frequently Asked Questions: Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) and PlanetTogether APS
Welcome to our FAQ on APS and PlanetTogether APS
Here you will find answers to common questions about advanced planning and scheduling, system integration, production best practices, analytics, and implementation. Whether you are exploring APS concepts or evaluating PlanetTogether APS for your facility, this FAQ will help you understand functionality, integration options, deployment paths, and the metrics that matter most.
Scroll down to find clear, concise explanations and practical insights into how PlanetTogether APS can transform your scheduling.
Where good questions comes to get answered, frequently.
What is advanced planning and scheduling (APS)?
It is the practice of creating production schedules that account for real constraints such as machine capacity, labor availability, material lead times, and changeover requirements to produce feasible, optimized plans. APS optimizes the entire manufacturing process by modeling production capacity limits alongside material and labor constraints.
What is PlanetTogether APS?
PlanetTogether APS is our cloud-based software solution that brings the power of APS to your operations. It models your constraints, runs what-if scenarios, and updates schedules in real time.
How does APS differ from ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)?
ERP systems manage transactional data such as orders, inventory, and bill of materials (BOMs). APS uses that data to build constraint-based schedules, perform scenario analysis, and make dynamic adjustments. APS also uses demand-planning outputs from ERP to refine forecasts and align schedules to actual market needs.
How does PlanetTogether work with my ERP system?
PlanetTogether integrates bi-directionally with major ERPs. It imports master data, orders, forecasts, and inventory levels for scheduling and exports updated dates and resource allocations to maintain consistency.
How does APS support Just In Time (JIT) production?
APS schedules work so materials and parts arrive exactly when needed. This minimizes work-in-process and inventory buffers and supports pull-based, lean workflows.
Can PlanetTogether connect to Shiftboard for labor scheduling?
Yes. Our native Shiftboard connector syncs employee shift patterns and availability with PlanetTogether, ensuring labor assignments match machine schedules in real time.
How does APS improve supply chain management and operations management?
APS bridges the gap between planning and execution by providing live visibility into constraints. It syncs live constraints with demand-planning forecasts to align production to actual market needs. Planners can adjust schedules proactively, reducing delays and firefighting.
What role do Lean Manufacturing principles play in APS?
PlanetTogether APS embodies lean principles by sequencing work to reduce waste, leveling workloads, and creating continuous flow of product in the factory. It smooths changeovers and aligns production to demand signals.
How does PlanetTogether help increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)?
PlanetTogether identifies bottlenecks, optimizes changeover timing, and balances workloads so machines run more consistently and with fewer interruptions. It also aligns schedule throughput with available production capacity to smooth peaks and valleys.
How does PlanetTogether handle Theory of Constraints (TOC)?
PlanetTogether identifies the most constrained resource in your process and sequences orders to maximize throughput at that point. This ensures the slowest step is always fed.
What is master scheduling in APS?
Master scheduling sets high-level production plans based on demand and capacity. APS refines these plans into detailed, day-by-day schedules that respect real constraints.
Does PlanetTogether support multi-user and multi-site operations?
Yes. PlanetTogether is a cloud-based platform that supports multiple users and facilities. It consolidates data from each site into unified dashboards for analytics. Users can view cross-site dashboards, evaluate schedule attainment, compare performance across plants, and share interactive reports, all within the web interface.
Why replace Excel spreadsheets with PlanetTogether for production scheduling?
How does PlanetTogether manage batch changeovers and campaigns?
PlanetTogether groups similar jobs, schedules cleaning or tooling steps in the same run, and sequences campaigns to minimize downtime and waste during changeovers.
How does PlanetTogether respond to real-time data and disruptions?
PlanetTogether ingests live data from ERP, MES, Shiftboard and other systems, identifies emerging conflicts or delays as they occur, and provides planners with alerts and rescheduling tools so they can update schedules based on the most current information.
How does APS help reduce setup times and machine downtime?
How does APS support pull-based scheduling?
It sequences production according to actual demand signals and maintains buffers at key points, preventing overproduction and ensuring flow matches customer requirements. It also smooths the manufacturing process and reduces waste.
What analytics capabilities does PlanetTogether provide?
PlanetTogether delivers built-in dashboards and reports that surface key production KPIs such as throughput, resource utilization, on-time performance, and schedule adherence. Users can filter data by site, line, or work center, drill into exceptions, create custom views, and export reports for deeper analysis. These analytics enable data-driven decision making and continuous process improvement.
Does PlanetTogether integrate with MES systems?
Yes. Companies can pull MES data through their ERP integration or connect their MES directly to PlanetTogether. Many of our customers use our native connector for AVEVA MES. This setup lets PlanetTogether ingest real-time shop-floor events for schedule updates and analytics.
How long does a typical PlanetTogether implementation take?
We offer two implementation paths. SureStart is a streamlined approach for companies on a tight budget and delivers a narrow feature set in 45 days. Our standard implementation runs 4 - 6 months and includes blueprinting, configuration, ERP integration, training, user acceptance testing, Go-Live cutover, and a hypercare support period.
What support and training does PlanetTogether APS include?
Our Professional Services team can deliver onsite consulting, virtual training, and ongoing support with defined service levels, ensuring smooth adoption and sustained success.
How secure is PlanetTogether APS?
PlanetTogether APS is built on top of Azure Data Cloud as part of our enterprise-grade infrastructure, ensuring high availability and scalability. We maintain SOC 2 compliance, employ encryption in transit and at rest, enforce role-based access controls, and conduct regular security audits to safeguard your data.
What benefits can I expect from using APS?
It delivers realistic schedules, faster what-if analysis, fewer fire drills, improved on-time delivery, reduced inventory, enhanced utilization of people and equipment, and improving productivity by streamlining workflows and balancing workloads. You’ll also see cost savings from fewer expedited orders, reduced overtime, and more efficient manufacturing processes.
Which industries use PlanetTogether APS?
PlanetTogether APS serves batch, discrete, and process manufacturers in industries such as Food & Beverage, Life Sciences, Chemical, High-Tech, Metal Fabrication, and more.
How do I get started with PlanetTogether APS?
Request a personalized demo through our website. Our sales team will work with you to identify your production challenges, show how PlanetTogether APS can address them, and outline the potential return on investment you could realize within six months of go-live.
How does APS differ from MRP (Material Requirements Planning)?
MRP calculates material needs and order releases based on demand and inventory data. APS goes further by modeling finite capacity, resource constraints, and job sequencing to create realistic production plans. APS explicitly accounts for finite production capacity constraints when sequencing work orders, whereas MRP focuses solely on material availability.
What is Master Production Scheduling (MPS) and how does PlanetTogether APS support it?
MPS defines the timing and quantities for finished goods based on demand-planning outputs and demand forecasts. PlanetTogether APS refines the MPS by applying real-world constraints, optimizing sequence, and generating detailed daily schedules.
Want to see Advanced Planning and Scheduling in action?
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