Production planning and control system (PPS system)
A production planning and control system, or PPS system for short, is an information-processing software that takes over the entire production organization. This also includes the underlying processes. The aim is to increase and simultaneously regulate the effectiveness and efficiency of the production lines using the associated information.
Nowadays, providers of large ERP systems are trying to fully map the somewhat outdated concept of PPS and its production-related functions. However, the requirement to manage, control and coordinate all of a company’s resources in the form of capital, equipment and personnel on the basis of different departments and software elements is often technically problematic. In addition, a very wide range of products often prevails today (no mass production). Mapping a dynamic and individual production process with all its environmental influences requires countless adjustments when using standardized software – any changes to the system are only possible, if at all, with great effort and under rolling wheels.
The reason: the complexity of the individual manufacturing processes can hardly be transferred to other areas of the company. Otherwise, they have to be linked: ERP systems usually take over the data records for wage costs, raw material costs and any forward transactions from production. In addition, there is the preparation of article master data / customer master data, orders and the reconciliation of stocks(goods receipt / goods issue). The individual production processes, on the other hand, are handled exclusively by the PPS system.
A PPS system coordinates the following processes in detail (including labor):
- Scheduling and capacity planning
- Start and end dates for work processes
- Type and quantity of the end product (can also be a raw material)
- general quantity planning (to control the logistical supply and disposal processes)
- Production processes
- Machine sequences
- People
In the end, the order initiation of the software is the actual acceptance of the collected information. However, this only takes place when the presentation of all concepts, methods and tools, which in their interaction make up the effectiveness and efficiency of the entire production process, are profitably taken into account.
Further information on this topic can also be found under Production management and Production logistics.
Image source: © Joe Page / License(CC BY-ND 2.0)