Industrial demands are increasingly challenging and need to keep pace with market changes. Therefore, relying on the help of an APS software is a key differentiator.
Nowadays, the production chain has taken on new forms as consumers obtain products directly through digital channels. This has made production and logistics much faster, more personalized, and more flexible.
Given this scenario, having a platform that supports industry in planning various scenarios is essential to ensure a competitive advantage, while also working to optimize the supply chain.
Continue reading the article to discover what an APS software is, what it does, and what its advantages are for the shop floor!
What is an APS software?
The acronym APS stands for Advanced Planning and Scheduling. The main function of this software is to perform industrial production planning, as well as to monitor the sequencing of operations.
It can also be integrated with other systems, which enhances its performance. In addition, the tool includes detailed scheduling and synchronizes with the entire operational chain.
This technology is able to perform comparisons between available capacity and projected load for a factory’s machines, as well as identify priorities, difficulties, and capacity bottlenecks in advance.
The problems encountered when an industry does not implement advanced production planning can be numerous, including high inventories, low productivity, production delays, communication failures, and low alignment with scope.
What are the functions of an APS software?
APS systems plan and monitor operations through different configurations to ensure that the process is fully reliable and optimized. In other words, it enables production to be delivered on schedule, with less material waste and less rework.
To be more effective in meeting deadlines, Advanced Planning systems take into account factors such as:
- Work shifts;
- Stoppages and downtime;
- Machine and operator capacity;
- Tooling requirements;
- Setup times;
- Calendar holidays;
- Priorities and delivery dates.
In addition, an APS software is also capable of sequencing production orders, scheduling operations, and forecasting different scenarios, all taking the factory’s historical data into account.
As a result, the tool automatically generates the data that needs to be analyzed. This technique also evaluates and simulates delivery dates based on the current factory schedule.
What are the benefits of using APS?
In addition to offering a rapid return on investment (ROI), advanced planning software enables industries to operate digitally and intelligently, based on synchronized data. Information is generated in real-time, accompanied by charts for tracking.
Another decisive factor is that the system takes into account past situations—such as seasonality, vacations, and equipment maintenance—to calculate delivery deadlines with greater accuracy. Such information might go unnoticed when planning is done manually.
With the simulations and scenario comparisons performed on the platform, whenever there is a change in scope, the response time is much faster, resulting in up to 60% time savings in scheduling.
Furthermore, the APS software monitors KPIs, triggering alerts when any indicator is exceeded. This allows for better control of production bottlenecks on the shop floor.
Did you enjoy learning about APS software? If you want to further your knowledge on the subject, access our webinar and discover how production planning financially impacts industries!
