What requirements an APS system must fulfill – Part I
Many companies are gearing their production to individual customer requirements. As a result, supply chain and production planning processes are becoming increasingly complex. With the right advanced planning and scheduling (APS) system, customers can still be assured of binding delivery dates.
The flexible production of individualized products as an alternative to “amateurish” mass production is already a reality in many industries. In mechanical and plant engineering anyway, but even in the process industry and in series production, material flows and production capacities have to be planned on an order-related basis and within tighter deadlines. Because ERP systems work with batch processing to generate daily “account balances”, they are only suitable for planning tasks to a limited extent.
Parallel data storage and the proliferation of individual Excel tools
When analyzing the practice in companies, this is often most clearly demonstrated by the proliferation of individual Excel tools and the resulting parallel data storage. As a result, planning details are no longer maintained in the ERP system and the quality of master datacontinues to fall.
Only seeing the effects of a decision after the next batch run? This is not an option for flexible planning. The most important capability that a planning tool must have is real-time capability. An in-memory system, which does not require an external database, can be used to run through different variants of machine allocation or material delivery, for example, and immediately see the effects. APS systems must be able to simulate complex interrelationships.
The basis for this is the master data from the ERP system, the quality of which naturally has an influence on the accuracy of the planning. In particular, order throughput times, the duration of setup changes or quality inspection processes must be stored in order to be able to make accurate schedules. The planning tool must be independent of the ERP so that alternative scenarios can be maintained. At the same time, it must be connected via an interface that enables not only the import of data, but also the writing back of planning results.
APS: Making complexity manageable
For flexible supply chains that include the production and storage capacities of several locations, for example, a planner needs tools that help to manage the resulting complexity. The visualization and filter options of an APS system must enable direct interactive access in complex order networks. It should be possible to systematically hide details that do not contribute to the current issue and solution finding. Conversely, it must be possible to filter out all processes that are influenced by an event from the entirety of workflows and loads. For example, this could be a bottleneck in a particular material or work processes that are affected by a shutdown or necessary maintenance work. Peak loads or optimization potential must be visible at a glance. Different order types or the respective status are usually visualized using colour schemes. The aim is always largely automated planning, but where individual planning decisions are necessary is always visible.
You can find the continuation of this article under What requirements an APS system must fulfill – Part II.
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