What is Advanced Planning and Scheduling?
Advanced planning and scheduling (APS) is a manufacturing planning approach that uses optimization to align demand, materials and production capacity—connecting longer-term production plans with detailed, executable shop-floor schedules so manufacturers can meet commitments while making the best use of their resources.
Why It Matters: Agility in the Face of Volatility
When market demand shifts or supply chains falter, production schedules must change just as quickly. Traditional planning methods struggle with the trade-offs between competing priorities—due dates, changeovers, material availability and capacity—leaving factories exposed to component shortages, idle time and late orders. APS lets planners re-plan quickly as conditions change, bridging high-level sales and operations planning and the factory floor.
Key Capabilities
- Factory and Capacity Planning: Models the factory with routings, resources and bills of material to create executable production plans that update as orders, work in process and materials change.
- Material and Resource Coordination: Synchronizes supply with production needs, flagging purchases to expedite, de-expedite or cancel.
- Order Slotting and Sequencing: Assigns orders to the best-fit line and sequences them to minimize changeovers and respect real-world constraints.
- Detailed Scheduling and What-If Scenarios: Generates detailed schedules for machines, labor and materials, and lets planners evaluate alternatives before committing.
Key Benefits
- Realistic Plans: Long-range and mid-term plans that are synchronized and adaptable.
- Efficient Schedules: Shop-floor schedules that reduce changeovers and balance workload across lines.
- Reliable Delivery: Schedules built around due dates support on-time delivery.
- Faster Response: Planners can evaluate and act on changes quickly.
The Blue Yonder Difference: Planning and Scheduling Together
Blue Yonder Production Planning and Scheduling connects long-term production plans with real-time shop-floor execution, using a wide range of optimization and heuristic techniques to align demand, materials and capacity. Planning and scheduling work together in one solution, so the schedule the floor runs reflects the plan the business committed to.