Production Planning and Control

In the past, manufacturers could functions solely with ERP and MRP software without losing their competitive advantage. In today’s manufacturing industry, it is much more difficult to operate without utilization of production planning and control software. With production planning and control, there are various key functions and benefits that can quickly improve efficiency within your manufacturing operation. Before implementing this software, it is important to understand all of these functions and benefits.

Functions within Production Planning and Control

A few of the functions within production planning and control software include the following:

Materials Functions - This functions pertains to the elimination of waste, high inventory, and other costly inefficiencies. This is because production planning and scheduling software ensures that there are specific measurements of materials needed within a certain time period. This is how raw materials and other components are delivered within a cost-effective and timely manner.
Equipment - Being aware of down time or maintenance is essential within a manufacturing operation. Down time or maintenance hinders the operation from operating efficiently, which is where production planning and control performs analysis on this. The analysis generates other schedules that account for this, ultimately saving the operation from efficiency loss and enables a continuation of on-time future orders.
Routing - Routing pertains mainly to the overseeing of raw materials being transformed into a finished product. The software is able to locate the most advantageous path for raw materials to take.
Estimating - Once the process sheet for operations is made available, operation time can be properly estimated. Once this is carried out, analysis is then conducted on areas of the operation such as routing, raw materials, and others.
Dispatching - Execution is key within production planning and control. The process includes setting production activities in motion through a set of instructions, which then take control of production through material, component, and tool realizing to operators.

Although these are not all of the functions within production planning and control, these functions are a few of the most advantageous to the entire operation. Once these functions are put into play, there are benefits that are easily visible.

Benefits of Production Planning and Control

A few of the benefits within production planning and control include the following:

Improved Production Quality - Having a quality product ensures that customers will continue to purchase from you. Customer satisfaction is key within a business, which is why improving efficiency and quality is a must. Production planning and control enables managers, supervisors, and employees to locate any defects before it reaches the customer. Ultimately, this saves you from losing customers due to poor product development and keeps your business reputation intact.
Waste Reduction - Any form of waste within an operation is not ideal, which is why it is important to reduce waste as much as possible. Production planning and control identifies areas of waste and locates methods for waste reduction. Waste reduction not only benefits the operation, but the consumer through development of a more quality product.
Operation Cost Reduction - With production planning and control, the software helps determine what cost are considered wasteful and inefficient within the operation. Since overhead cost are a considerably large determinate within a company, removing waste can easily aid the company through market share gain and bottom-line profit improvement.

One of the most popular forms of production planning and control software include PlanetTogether’s advanced planning and scheduling software (APS). This software is becoming a top choice for manufacturers around the globe.