Advanced Planning & Scheduling#

The shop floor is a very complex environment. There is a big variety of equipment with different capabilities and characteristics (different processing speeds, different product setup times, different maintenance plans). There is also a set of orders for different products with different due dates. Furthermore, the shop-floor environment is also very fluid and unpredictable: new orders can arrive; orders can be cancelled or have their due dates and priorities changed; orders can be put on hold or require rework; and equipment can breakdown. Determining the best processing sequence for each resource is quite demanding and challenging and it can significantly impact the performance of the factory as well as the bottom line.

The Advanced Planning & Scheduling module generates resource processing sequences that optimize some key performance indicators, such as equipment utilization or order fulfillment. While dispatching provides only a local optimization considering the current state at a Step or a Resource, Scheduling considers multiple Steps and multiple Resources, as well as a more comprehensive set of constraints and a bigger time horizon. If required, the system is also capable of sequencing personnel or tools. Being a fully integrated module, it has access to all the master data as well as the current WIP and equipment state, and it can also ensure that the generated resource processing sequences are followed.

Available guides#

Table: Schedule Scenario Overview guides