What is an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system?
Production planning and scheduling system (APS – Advanced Planning and Scheduling) is a digital tool that enables precise, time-synchronised, and resource-optimised planning of production operations. In contrast to traditional planning, which is based on static assumptions, APS enables dynamic alignment of orders, machine capacities, material availability, and the competencies and qualifications of employees.
APS enables:
• long-term and medium-term capacity planning,
• detailed scheduling of production at the level of individual operations,
• schedule optimisation based on actual capacities,
• rapid adaptation to changes (e.g., breakdowns, delays, changes in priorities),
• better utilisation of resources and shorter lead times.
It is a key component of modern manufacturing environments, where responsiveness, traceability, and efficiency are decisive for competitiveness.
APS can also include human resources
Modern APS systems enable coordinated planning of all available resources – not only machines and materials, but also employees. In industries with high requirements for quality, regulation, and safety, staff competencies are often just as important as the technical capabilities of the equipment.
APS therefore makes it possible, for each operation, to define precisely:
• which competencies or certifications are required,
• which employees meet these criteria,
• and whether that person is available in the desired time slot (taking into account shifts, absences, and already assigned tasks).
This results in higher schedule reliability, better utilisation of personnel, and reduced operational risk.
Scheduling production based on competencies
In modern manufacturing environments, staff qualification is no longer a matter of internal records or manual checks, but an integral part of digital planning. Advanced production planning makes it possible to treat employee competencies as a formal requirement for assignment to a specific operation or workplace. This not only improves effectiveness, but also ensures compliance with internal standards, industry norms, and legislation.
APS schedules operations automatically, but first verifies that all conditions are met. If the requirements are not fulfilled (for example, no suitably qualified person is available), the operation will not be placed on the planning board. The system thus prevents unintentional assignment of tasks to insufficiently qualified staff.
This approach enables the company to:
• comply with quality and safety standards,
• reduce errors, stoppages, or rework,
• make optimal use of employee competencies.
APS as a safeguard for compliance, safety, and quality
| Target area | Risks without control | What APS ensures |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory compliance | ▪ breaches of GMP, ISO, IFS, EASA, FDA standards | ▪ verification of qualifications |
| Workplace safety | ▪ accidents due to lack of experience | ▪ consideration of qualifications for hazardous tasks (machinery, ATEX, electrical work, lifting equipment) |
| Product quality | ▪ defects, scrap, complaints | ▪ task assignment only to qualified staff |
| Operational reliability | ▪ manual errors | ▪ automatic condition checks |
APS functions as a digital safeguard: instead of the planner manually checking conditions or relying on memory, APS automatically prevents an operation from being scheduled if no suitably qualified personnel are available. It must be taken into account, however, that in practice, even with correct scheduling in the APS, an inadequately qualified worker can still log on to the operation. Such cases are subsequently prevented and controlled by the Manufacturing Execution System (MES).
What if a key employee is absent or their certificate expires?
In a real production environment, absences, sick leave, emergency leave, or expired certificates are everyday occurrences. Incorrect staff assignment in such circumstances can lead to downtime, non-compliance, or even safety risks.
Advanced planning and scheduling systems include mechanisms that reduce the risk arising from the unexpected unavailability of key staff.
APS in such cases enables:
• Automatic search for replacements:
o the system checks the competency profile of all employees,
o finds replacements with the required skills,
o proposes the optimal substitute based on availability and workload.
• Blocking of tasks when competencies are missing:
o the system marks the task as not executable,
o alerts the planner,
o enables plan adjustments to prevent downtime.
• Alerts for expiring certificates:
o automatic notifications before expiry (e.g., 30 days in advance),
o prevention of assigning operations where qualification is mandatory, if no suitable person is available.
All of this is possible when the APS is connected to reliable data from HR, MES, and ERP systems.
Does your APS system also take the human factor into account?
A shortage of skilled staff, stricter regulatory requirements, and complex production processes demand systematic control of the human factor. An APS that also includes personnel competencies delivers:
• fewer errors and fewer stoppages,
• better visibility (forward-looking insight),
• higher effectiveness of the existing workforce.
This is not an add-on – it is a prerequisite for stable and responsive production.
If your current system does not yet include employee competencies in planning, there is a high likelihood that key data are missing from the planning process, which can affect quality, safety, and production stability.
For more than 20 years, INEA has been helping manufacturing companies integrate production planning and scheduling systems, including Siemens Opcenter APS (Preactor), DELMIA Ortems, and others.
If you are interested in how competency-based scheduling is implemented in an APS system in practice, we recommend taking a look at our case studies, which present real solutions in industrial environments. For more information, you can contact us – we will be happy to help you find the right approach for your production.