FAQ – Features & Answers about Opcenter APS

APS stands for “Advanced Planning and Scheduling” – the core functions of Opcenter APS are detailed scheduling and capacity planning of all production resources. Opcenter APS generates a production plan within minutes that considers all rules and constraints and defines a start and end date for each operation within the planning horizon. Through manual adjustments and scenario analysis, the plan can be further optimized. This allows you, for example, to optimally control lead times, working capital, or setup times. As part of capacity planning, Opcenter APS ensures at the resource level whether sufficient capacity is available. Unlike in the past, planning is no longer validated against anonymous capacity buckets, but specifically against individual machines.

All production technologies can be mapped – from manual workstations to fully automated production lines. Opcenter APS enables:

• to take industry‑specific rules and constraints into account
• to perform manual or rule‑based splitting of production orders
• consideration of multiple alternative machines
• consideration of overlapping successive production steps

Opcenter APS always considers which machine or machine group a product can be manufactured on. The following allocation rules, for example, are taken into account when creating the production plan:

consideration of different machine characteristics
technical dimensions of the product
machine approval/qualification
technology
material constraints
…

Opcenter APS can also take rule‑based preferences for a specific machine within a group of similar machines into account (e.g. different processing speeds, cost rates, priorities, etc.). In addition, Opcenter APS is highly flexible and allows the consideration of a wide variety of secondary constraints, such as tools, transport equipment, space, conveyors/piping, and electricity/energy.

Opcenter APS enables the consideration of setup matrices, for example in:

• material changes / tool changes
• consideration of required preparations based on defined logic
• consideration of master data for setup processes

Additionally, further rules can be considered for periodically occurring required stops (e.g. quality inspections), event‑based stops (e.g. operational disruptions), or rule‑based stops (e.g. tool adjustments).

The system can consider both internal and external production steps. This can either be defined within the ERP system or determined based on rules. In addition, Opcenter APS also takes preparatory production steps such as cleaning, drying, etc. into account.

Opcenter APS checks the material availability of all materials included in the bill of materials. This ensures that the availability of all materials required for each operation is secured in advance. Opcenter APS takes into account the current inventory availability, future planned availability, and additional parameters such as: replenishment lead times, quality control durations, transport times, etc.

We recommend limiting which materials should be checked.
This ensures that attention is focused on critical materials – checking the availability of C‑parts should not be the responsibility of the production planner.

The reverse approach is also possible: Opcenter APS can initially plan without considering material dates and generate “action lists” for procurement that must then be processed accordingly.

Opcenter APS can provide rule‑based suggestions for which material to consume – possible variants include, for example: “always consume the lot with the earliest expiration date”, “consume according to the FIFO principle”, or alternative rule‑based material selections. Additionally, reports on material coverage can be generated, serving as a basis for procurement. If minimum stock levels of auxiliary materials fall below defined thresholds, alerts can be issued as warnings.

Planners are able to use Opcenter APS within just a few days of training, with the full functionality of the APS tool available to them.

In addition, Opcenter APS enables fast and easy menu‑ and field‑based adjustments of individual values, such as parameter changes for process and lead times, machine cycles, workforce capacities, etc.

Opcenter APS automatically generates a production plan that fully complies with all defined rules and constraints. The plan remains transparent and easy for operators to understand, as the planning rules are collaboratively developed during the project. As a result, companies using Opcenter APS achieve rapid user adoption and high acceptance across their teams.

Der Planer hat die Möglichkeit, das Ergebnis manuell mittels Drag & Drop zu übersteuern. Zusätzlich können auch automatisierte Warn-/Sperrhinweise erstellt werden. Opcenter APS kann einen beliebig wählbaren Zeitraum planen, der auch jederzeit angepasst werden kann.

Opcenter APS enables the mapping of personnel availability using standard shift schedules. These can be customized individually and extended, for example, with breaks and other calendar events down to the minute. In addition, data from HR systems, workforce management (PEP) systems, or other upstream systems can be processed automatically.

Personnel deployment planning can be carried out in 2 ways:

• Variante 1: Opcenter APS erstellt einen Produktionsplan und berücksichtigt dabei die verfügbare Anzahl der Mitarbeiter als Einschränkung
• Option 2: Opcenter APS generates a production plan based on machine availability and provides the required personnel demand as an output.

These two approaches can also be used in parallel for each resource/technology.

Opcenter APS enables the consideration of maintenance orders, provided they are defined in the ERP system or MES system. If no maintenance orders exist in other systems, they can also be created manually or rule-based within Opcenter APS.
When maintaining tools, the tool shop or maintenance department (including personnel) can also be taken into account. In addition, the system can schedule planned maintenance based on data from the MES system using predefined rules (e.g. every 25,000 shots). The system can also display information about a tool.

Opcenter APS stores all data in an SQL database. Through an archiving concept, historical data states can be considered when creating reports.
Visualization is possible in the form of Gantt charts, bar charts, etc., and integrations with other systems (BI tools) as well as file exports (xls, csv, doc, etc.) are supported.
Thanks to the open SQL database, Opcenter APS also allows you to create custom reports. These can be distributed automatically (time- or event-driven) via email to defined recipients.

Opcenter APS already provides standard planning rules out of the box. In addition, custom rules can be created – anything that can be logically defined can also be modeled.
Customers have the ability to select which KPIs should be optimized, apply weightings to planning parameters, and thereby create different scenarios.
Planners can compare the results of multiple what-if scenarios in the KPI cockpit and select and release the optimal plan.

Another form of scenario creation is the variation of a production plan into multiple versions (simulation). Opcenter APS allows saving and loading different planning scenarios.

If cost rates for machines, personnel, etc. are available, a cost-optimized production plan can be created. A clear overview of the utilization of all resources is displayed in the system.

Production orders can be combined by manually or rule-based merging of production batches (lot size optimization).

First, it is necessary in Opcenter APS to consider all factors that may influence the critical path of a production order.

In addition, there are a number of process-related measures which, depending on the industry and the company, help make production less susceptible to disruptions.

This includes, among others:

1. Intelligent buffer management, especially in front of bottleneck resources, within planning
2. Introduction of a frozen zone
3. Use of machine learning to improve the quality of planning times
4. Centralization of planning into a “single point of truth” for all stakeholders
5. Continuous recording of disruptions and their root causes in order to gradually improve them
6. Release of material-available production orders in the short-term horizon
7. Continuous process for validating and correcting data quality

Many different factors influence how long a production schedule remains valid in practice. Process times may fluctuate or be difficult to estimate from the outset, equipment and machines may fail unexpectedly, employees may be absent due to illness, materials may not arrive as planned or may have quality issues, and short-term, high-priority orders (“rush orders”) may be introduced into production, among others.

To quickly generate a new and optimized production plan in Opcenter APS, it is essential that all required data is always captured immediately in the designated systems (ERP, MES, PLS, etc.).
This enables Opcenter APS to transparently show the consequences within a very short time and adjust the production plan accordingly. In the best case, this results in no delays.
However, if delays do occur, it becomes immediately visible which orders are affected, when the delays arise, and where corrective actions can be taken.

Opcenter APS is designed to generate error-free plans. As long as all relevant factors are mapped in the system and the data is kept up to date, the user no longer needs to check the plan for planning errors after rescheduling.
Only due date violations may occur, as Opcenter APS typically plans against finite capacities. In such cases, various tools are available to help users evaluate actions to meet deadlines:

1. Change the prioritization of particularly important orders and reschedule. ATTENTION: This will very likely lead to due date violations for other orders.
2. Display of the critical path of a specific order to evaluate at which point overtime could potentially lead to improvement.
3. Rescheduling with a different weighting can lead to improvements in delivery reliability. However, this may come at the expense of other KPIs, such as setup efforts or work in progress (WIP).
4. Display of orders and resources with the longest waiting times. This helps identify bottlenecks across the entire planning horizon. Based on this information, the currently planned shifts in the different production areas can also be reviewed.

The required data partly varies depending on the industry and the company. The following list of objects aims to provide the most comprehensive overview possible; however, not all objects are relevant for every company.

Master data:

1. Assets and asset groups (alternatives)
2. Setup times and/or cleaning times
3. Production resources / tools
4. Silos and tanks
5. Pipelines and transport equipment
6. Site groups

Transaction data:

1. Production orders / manufacturing orders, including routing and bill of materials
2. Planned orders / production proposals, including routing and bill of materials
3. Inventory (in-house production and external procurement)
4. Planned goods receipts
5. Planned goods issues

Opcenter APS is used worldwide – more than 5,000 companies, from small to large, use Opcenter APS as a planning tool. These companies can be found in 70 countries around the globe.

Thanks to its flexibility, Opcenter APS can be used by companies across almost any industry in manufacturing and logistics.

As Opcenter APS has been developed since the mid-1980s, it offers a very extensive range of functionalities in both discrete manufacturing and process industries.

Opcenter APS is designed to work alongside existing systems rather than replace them. It can be seamlessly integrated with ERP systems, spreadsheets, MES, and production data collection systems.

Opcenter APS erstellt eine Produktionsfeinplanung durch das Verteilen der Arbeitsschritte von Aufträgen auf Ressourcen und berücksichtigt dabei alle Regeln, die für die Erstellung eines realistischen Feinplans nötig sind. Opcenter APS stellt eine interaktive Drag and Drop-Umgebung zur Verfügung, um effizient auf unerwartete Änderungen der Bedarfe und Kapazitäten reagieren zu können. So können Sie auch in schwierigen Situationen die Ausbringungsmenge und die Termintreue optimieren.

In general, Opcenter APS is an “out-of-the-box” system that allows a basic configuration to be set up in a very short time.

Implementation projects typically take between two and six months.

The duration of implementation depends on several factors:

• Complexity and scope
  • Machine resources
  • Personnel resources
  • Tools
  • Scheduling rules
  • Production processes and dependencies
  • Routing
• System architecture
  • single-stage
  • multi-stage
• Customer requirements for the system
• Quality and completeness of master data
• Availability of resources on the customer side

To provide an accurate estimate of the project duration, we are happy to offer on-site analysis workshops in order to develop a well-founded proposal based on a detailed specification document.
Alternatively, we can discuss the key parameters of your project in a one-day session to provide an initial high-level assessment.

Analysis and design: The objective of this project phase is for MCP to understand the company’s requirements and current situation, and to jointly define the future planning process.

Implementation: In the first step, integration with the existing customer systems takes place. MCP then focuses on gradually expanding the solution using an agile approach and training users on the system.
During this phase, the company focuses on ensuring the required data quality. At the same time, regular coordination meetings are held to review project status and refine specific requirements.

Parallel phase: At the start of this phase, the integration and functional scope of Opcenter APS are fully implemented and are now thoroughly tested in the company’s day-to-day operations. Users gain in-depth experience with Opcenter APS, and any remaining issues are reported to MCP and resolved. The goal is to ensure that Opcenter APS runs reliably in daily operations so that the previous planning system can be decommissioned.

Go-live: With this milestone, the old system is officially replaced and Opcenter APS goes into productive operation.

After go-live: In most cases, MCP continues to act as a support partner to provide fast assistance with any issues or user questions even after go-live.

Employee training is conducted in several steps.

During the project implementation, Opcenter APS releases are delivered and installed in agreed time intervals. As part of these deliveries, employees are trained to become familiar with the solution and provide feedback. This ensures that future users are introduced to Opcenter APS quickly and confidently.

During the parallel phase, which takes place as the final project stage before go-live, users are not only trained on the system but also learn how to identify a “good” production plan and actively intervene in the system to achieve the best possible results.
This also includes how to handle unplanned events, create and compare scenarios, and determine which settings in the planning rules best support the company’s objectives.

You can choose the Opcenter APS version based on your individual needs and available budget.
Since all versions share a unified code base, switching from one version to another is simple.

• Opcenter APS is highly flexible.
  • All production technologies can be mapped – from manual workstations to fully automated production lines.
• Opcenter APS enables:
  • Consideration of industry-specific rules and constraints
  • Carry out manual or rule-based splitting of production orders
  • Consideration of multiple alternative machines
  • Consideration of overlaps between consecutive production steps
  • Consideration of parallel production steps within a production order

• Opcenter APS is highly flexible and enables the consideration of production resources and other potential constraints of various kinds:
  • Tools
  • Transport equipment
  • Space
  • Conveying systems / pipelines
  • Electricity / energy
  • …

• Opcenter APS enables the consideration of setup matrices, for example in:
  • material changes / tool changes
  • consideration of required preparations based on defined logic
  • consideration of master data for setup processes
• Opcenter APS can also consider additional rules when planning setup and production:
  • Periodic stops (e.g. quality inspections)
  • Event-based stops (e.g. operational disruptions)
  • Rule-based stops (e.g. tool adjustment)