Advanced Planning Software
APS systems or advanced planning software is generally an extension to manufacturing production scheduling systems. The reason they are are called advanced planning systems is that they generally go far beyond the scope of a traditional scheduling solution. An APS is usually a goal oriented system that incorportes the production scheduling task with outside influences. One example is MRP or material requirement planning a good APS might be capable of building a finite or master production plan based on the availability of raw materials and the impending availability of raw material. Other advanced functions could include efficiency functions that study the plan in relationship to operational efficiency within a plant or machine loading efficiency throughout the enterprise. Energy reductions, finished goods inventory reduction, transportation loading and transporttation routing can also be incorporated into many advanced planning software systems.
These systems help manufacturers create the most optimal schedules, while meeting a number of important priorities.
The routines that are used to create good planning systems vary greatly as you look hard at different vendors but in general they tend to include linear functions, intelligent networks and genetic routines. Genetic functions and routines are programs that study the arrangement of data within a plan over and over again. The system rearranges the schedule until it runs out of possibilities and then releases a plan that hopefully has value to the customer. Whatever technology you choose for you planning system vendor choice is of paramount importance. Be sure to look at vendors that offer a lot of flexability and a high level of customer support. Flexability is very important because the rules within planning systems tend to change at about the same rate that business opportunities and practices change. You're going to be asking your vendor to change your system(s) as new business opportunities arrise. So the vendor choice and the capability for the system to adapt to changing business conditions cannot be underestimated.
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