Production Planning and Scheduling

Production planning and scheduling has always been concerned with the overall efficient utilization of resources. The overall goal of production planning is to ensure flow within the supply chain process - the easier your supply chain and production flows, the lower your cost and higher your profitability will be. The ease of flow is by far one of most important aspects and indicators of the health of your supply chain. If your production process is flowing with ease - you’re on the right track.

The idea is to obtain a regular use of company resources with minimal downtime, minimal bottlenecks, and a consistent level of output with all resources being put into the process. While production planning and scheduling is a bit of a broad term, just remember that the primary focus is efficient use of resources. This term covers all aspects of operations, from workforce activities to product delivery. This concept is almost exclusively in manufacturing environments and various techniques employed in production planning are used by many service-oriented businesses. Within this blog, we are going to discuss some of the most important concepts to understand within production planning and scheduling. 

Production Planning and Scheduling Concepts 

Some of the most important concepts within production planning and scheduling pertain to the following : 

• Production Scheduling - As explained earlier, production planning is primarily concerned with the efficient utilization of resources. This term covers all aspects of operations, from workforce activities to product delivery. Production planning is by far one of the most important aspects to consider within a manufacturing operation. Without an adequate plan - you shouldn’t carry forward. 
• Static Planning - The are two different types of production planning, which are static and dynamic. Static production planning carries the assumption that steps in a process can be defined and ultimately will not chance. An example of this includes retail clothing, in which production levels are determined up to a year in advance. 
• Dynamic Planning - The other type of production planning, dynamic planning, assumes that steps in the process will change, so nothing is planned until demand is received. One of the examples of dynamic planning is a floral shop, where there may be a few arrangements for display and possible purchase, but the primary focus is on creation of custom arrangements after an order is received. 
• Capacity Planning and Scheduling - Capacity planning is ultimately focused upon maximization of capacity of a company in a way that enables it to be more efficient and thus, more profitable. Basic capacity planning attempts to match volume of a company and is able to product to the demand in order to avoid downtime by preventing bottlenecks. 
• Aggregate Planning - Aggregate planning is an approach that operations management takes to satisfy demand. This could be in relation to production, the workforce itself, or inventory management. Aggregate planning ties facility planning in with scheduling decisions and does so in a way that is quantitative. This means that it produces numbers to back up an operations plan. Aggregate planning aids in the sense that it matches supply and demand while minimizing costs through applying upper-level forecasts to lower-level, production floor scheduling. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software can greatly benefit your manufacturing operation with ease and allow you to step up your operation in terms of operational efficiency and production planning. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software is an absolute must for manufacturing operations that are seeking to enhance visibility, profitability, and ultimately reduce waste and cost within their production facility. The features of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software allow for simple and easy integration into MRP and ERP software and fill in the gap where these softwares lack. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software is being implemented into manufacturing operations around the globe and production managers are reaping the benefits. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software has become a must for modern-day manufacturing operations due to customer demand for increased product mix and fast delivery combined with downward cost pressures. APS can be quickly integrated with a ERP/MRP software to fill gaps where these system lack planning and scheduling flexibility and accuracy. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) helps planners save time while providing greater agility in updating ever-changing priorities, production schedules, and inventory plans.

• Create optimized schedules balancing production efficiency and delivery performance
• Maximize output on bottleneck resources to increase revenue
• Synchronize supply with demand to reduce inventories
• Provide company-wide visibility to capacity
• Enable scenario data-driven decision making

Implementation of Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software will take your manufacturing operations to the next level of production efficiency, taking advantage of the operational data you already have in your ERP.