Advanced Planning and Scheduling

When materials from one order are used by another, they are defined as dependent. It is quite common for ERP systems to generate an order for each part of the BoM structure for a product. To ensure that this dependency is utilized when generating a plan or schedule, they must be connected in some way.

The simplest way to do this is to manually set the start date of the dependent order the same as the due date of the producing order. However, this does not work very well where the real constraints of the facility must be considered, or delays occur.

Opcenter Scheduling allows you to connect orders together so it can consider real constraints and unexpected delays automatically. SMC or Standard Material Control is a function that creates links between orders (pegging of materials). These links can then be used by Opcenter Scheduling to ensure that only when materials are available from one or more producing orders can the consuming orders connect with them.

Main features:

• Automatic pegging (link creation) with locking options
• Graphical user interface for material consumption/production analysis
• Display provisional shortages and unused materials
• Display links between production orders and customer orders
• Projected stocks plots and stock movements for all BoM levels

Opcenter Scheduling has enhanced functionality to deal with complex scheduling problems. It offers additional optimizations rules that can be further customized for each application.

Standard dispatching rules include those that attempt to minimize setup time, minimize late orders, use a preferred sequence at each resource, bottleneck scheduling (theory of constraints), and campaigning.

Rules can be made to be customer, product, or resource specific and virtually any logic can be built into a customized scheduling rule. These can be built using a PESP tool, a scripting language with standard building blocks, or by using a programming language such as VB.NET thanks to Opcenter Scheduling API.

Main features:

• Event-based or order-based sequencing rules,
• Set of predefined APS rules available from standard configuration,
• Ability to build any logic within a customized sequencing rule,
• Ability to create multi pass sequencing rules with the PESP tool,
• Ability to apply different logic and constraint model to each resource, work center or shop floor.

Opcenter Scheduling provides a set of standard reports and KPIs which use standard SQL reporting technology. Reports can be amended, and new reports can be added at will. The software also provides graphical KPIs based on lateness analysis, resource utilization, setup times, WIP, stock levels, order lead times, and custom KPIs using the Opcenter API module.

Different levels of aggregation such as resource, work center, shop floor, and plant-level are available.

Main features:

• Graphical indicators and reports on due date adherence
• Utilization of resources
• Material shortages
• Work orders statistics
• Projected stock plots
• Planning comparison reports to visualize impact of changes
• Staff level simulation with usage plots

Where there is an inbuilt table of routing information, a (possible) multi-level BoM and sub-assemblies, you can use the Order Enquiry function to find the earliest delivery date for a batch of product.
Where a multi-level BoM and sub-assemblies exist, Opcenter Scheduling will leverage the routing and BoM explosion features, allowing for orders to be created for all the required items which are currently in a shortage state.

Main features:

• Unlimited number of enquiries
• CTP on material/semi-finished/finished product level
• BoM explosion