Improving Supply Chain Performance in Packaging and Containers Manufacturing: The Strategic Edge of Integration with PlanetTogether

In today’s fiercely competitive packaging and containers manufacturing landscape, supply chain performance isn't just a KPI—it's a survival metric. With fluctuating raw material costs, demand volatility, sustainability pressures, and increasingly complex customer expectations, Supply Chain Managers are under constant pressure to deliver speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency.

The key to rising above these challenges? Digital orchestration of the supply chain. And at the center of this orchestration is advanced planning and scheduling (APS) technology—especially when it integrates seamlessly with your existing enterprise systems like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Kinaxis, or Aveva. One standout in this arena is PlanetTogether APS.

In this blog, we’ll explore how packaging and containers manufacturers can improve supply chain performance by leveraging PlanetTogether APS in combination with their existing systems, and what benefits this integration unlocks for Supply Chain Managers like yourself.

The Unique Challenges in Packaging and Containers Manufacturing

Before looking into the solution, let’s acknowledge the battlefield:

Short lead times and custom orders: With demand for unique, sustainable, and even digitally printed packaging increasing, production agility is critical.

Volatile raw material markets: The cost and availability of paperboard, plastics, and metals are highly sensitive to global market conditions.

Complex production processes: Tooling changes, die-cutting variability, and varying machine capabilities can all add layers of complication to planning.

Regulatory and sustainability demands: Customers are demanding sustainable materials, traceability, and reduced waste.

The result? A need for a supply chain that is flexible, data-driven, and deeply integrated across planning, production, and procurement.

Why PlanetTogether APS Is a Game Changer

PlanetTogether is a powerful Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software that empowers manufacturers to optimize capacity, reduce lead times, and balance inventory levels across the board.

But where it really shines is how it enhances performance when integrated with ERP, MES, and SCM platforms like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Kinaxis, and Aveva.

Let’s break this down.

Real-Time Visibility through System Integration

Siloed data is the enemy of supply chain performance. Many manufacturers struggle with data fragmentation across ERP, MES, and shop-floor systems. When data lives in silos, decisions get delayed or are made with outdated information.

By integrating PlanetTogether with SAP or Oracle, for instance, Supply Chain Managers gain real-time access to synchronized demand, inventory, and production data. Imagine this scenario:

A surge in demand comes in through SAP. Instead of a manual re-planning process, PlanetTogether instantly receives the update and recalculates optimized production schedules, adjusting labor and machine availability to match. You respond faster, with better accuracy, and avoid overpromising or overstocking.

Constraint-Based Scheduling for Complex Manufacturing

Packaging lines are rarely straightforward. Different orders require different machinery setups, and maintenance windows must be respected. That's where PlanetTogether’s finite-capacity scheduling comes into play.

When integrated with Microsoft Dynamics or Aveva, for instance, PlanetTogether can:

Recognize real-time machine availability and operator skill sets

Automatically avoid bottlenecks and downtime clashes

Sequence production runs to minimize changeover time and waste

This not only improves on-time delivery rates but also significantly reduces operational costs and material waste.

Inventory Optimization with Predictive Planning

Holding too much inventory erodes profit margins. Holding too little risks missed shipments. The balancing act is even more precarious when dealing with bulky, perishable, or seasonal packaging materials.

By connecting PlanetTogether with Kinaxis RapidResponse, Supply Chain Managers can move from reactive to predictive inventory management. The integration allows for:

What-if simulations based on forecast changes, supplier delays, or production line breakdowns

Real-time alerts when inventory levels deviate from optimal thresholds

Improved vendor collaboration by syncing purchase planning with production needs

This helps reduce carrying costs, while also ensuring raw materials are always aligned with demand.

Demand-Driven Planning Meets Agile Execution

Modern packaging orders are smaller, more customized, and more frequent. Traditional monthly or weekly planning cycles just don’t cut it anymore.

When PlanetTogether integrates with your ERP or SCM systems, it enables a shift toward continuous, demand-driven planning. For example:

Daily or even hourly rescheduling based on order intake, customer changes, or production anomalies

Quick visibility into the impact of any change in order mix or volume

Better communication between production, purchasing, and logistics teams

This agility translates into greater customer satisfaction, because you can fulfill urgent orders without disrupting everything else.

Sustainable Operations Through Smarter Scheduling

Sustainability is no longer optional. Many packaging manufacturers are being asked to show progress on carbon emissions, energy usage, and waste reduction.

By integrating PlanetTogether with SAP or Aveva’s energy management modules, manufacturers can:

Schedule energy-intensive processes during off-peak hours

Consolidate runs to reduce start-up and shut-down energy waste

Monitor scrap rates and adjust production runs accordingly

This not only supports ESG goals but often leads to direct cost savings.

The Human Side of Integration: Empowering Supply Chain Teams

Improving performance isn't just about machines and software. Supply Chain Managers need intuitive tools that give them control without requiring an IT degree.

PlanetTogether provides:

Visual drag-and-drop Gantt charts

Customizable dashboards showing key metrics like OEE, OTIF, and inventory turns

Collaborative planning features that improve communication across departments

And with integrations to Microsoft Teams or other communication tools, decision-making becomes faster, more collaborative, and less siloed.

If you’re a Supply Chain Manager in the packaging and containers sector, the path to better performance doesn’t require a rip-and-replace overhaul. Instead, it lies in connecting the systems you already use with a best-in-class APS solution like PlanetTogether.

With this integration, you gain:

Faster, data-driven decision-making

Better alignment between supply and demand

Lower costs through smarter scheduling and inventory control

Enhanced agility in responding to customer and market changes

Clearer paths to sustainability and regulatory compliance

In a world where delays, waste, and inefficiency are the enemies of profitability, improving your supply chain performance with an integrated APS approach might just be your best competitive advantage.

Are you ready to take your manufacturing operations to the next level? Contact us today to learn more about how PlanetTogether can help you achieve your goals and drive success in your industry.