Manufacturing Planning and Control Software

For project managers, many are wondering how they can enhance their manufacturing operation. This could be in any area within the supply chain from demand planning all the way to production control. As manual data entering production systems are becoming an aspect of the past, it may be time to integrate a manufacturing planning and control system. Manufacturing planning and control software enables users to be able to stand out among the competition and take their production to the next level. Therefore, here are a few ways that a manufacturing planning and control software can enhance your operation.

Production Scheduling

Through data accuracy and system integration, production scheduling can successfully control and execute production based off of the schedule. Production scheduling permits your operation to be able to generate various schedules in case of equipment breakdown, downtime, or maintenance. This feature greatly benefits areas of capacity and demand planning, allowing for the factory to operate collaboratively.

Materials Requirements Planning (MRP)

Materials requirements planning (MRP) is an advantageous component of manufacturing planning and control systems that handles material order fulfillment. Instead of having to manually order the materials that are needed, the system adequately orders the materials based off of historical and present data. This enables an efficient flow of materials throughout the supply chain.

Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

This system component takes information from the entire system and ensures that areas within the system are operating as expected. The goal of MES is to improve overall production efficiency and quality through systemic accountability and analysis. As the system carries out task, MES collects data and locates various areas where production can be improved and determines outcomes for the production process.

Business Planning

To successfully carry out your business plan, accurate data and information is needed. This features handles growth within the company through coordination and strategic planning capabilities. As goals and objectives are established by the operation, the system takes this into account and aims for the goal. Although the goals within the system are broad, the system is still able to move production closer toward the goal and optimize production.

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) and Manufacturing Planning and Control

Many project managers fall under the false assumption that their ERP system alone is enough for production management. ERP systems are not enough for strategic, complex manufacturing operations, which is where a manufacturing planning and control software can be beneficial. With advanced planning and scheduling software (APS), it offers as an extension to your modern day ERP system. Some of the capabilities of APS include the following:

• Simple, Quick Integration
• Capacity Planning
• Production Scheduling
• Up-To-Minute Demand Planning and Forecasting
• “What-if” Scenarios

Implementation of an advanced planning and scheduling (APS) system is simple and will permit your production facility to take the next step in overall production efficiency. For more information on APS software, click here.