Production planning is one of the most complex tasks in managing a manufacturing enterprise. Traditional approaches based on spreadsheets or simple planning tools fall short as the number of orders, product variants, and demands for fast delivery times increase. The QI APS (Advanced Planning and Scheduling) module offers a solution to these challenges.
What Is QI APS
QI APS is an advanced planning module integrated directly into the QI ERP information system. Unlike classic MRP planning, which works with unlimited capacities, APS takes into account the actual availability of machines, tools, materials, and workers. The result is a realistic and feasible production plan.
Key Features
Finite capacity planning — the system automatically schedules production operations on available machines while respecting their calendars, shift patterns, and planned downtime. This eliminates machine overloading, which in practice leads to delays.
Sequence optimization — QI APS minimizes changeover times by intelligently ordering jobs on individual machines based on technological similarity. For pressing or painting operations, this can mean saving tens of percent in changeover time.
Visual Gantt charts — the planner has access to an interactive graphical display of the plan, where operations can be dragged and dropped, priorities changed, and the impact of changes on order completion dates can be seen immediately.
Scenario simulation — before confirming the plan, it is possible to simulate various scenarios (what if an urgent order arrives, what if a machine breaks down) and select the optimal solution.
Benefits in Practice
Our customers typically observe a 15 to 25 percent reduction in production lead times after deploying QI APS. Utilization of key machines increases thanks to sequence optimization and elimination of downtime caused by poor planning.
A significant benefit is also the improvement in delivery date reliability. The sales department can communicate realistic delivery dates to customers backed by the current production plan, rather than estimates.
Integration with Other QI Modules
The strength of QI APS lies in its direct integration with other QI system modules. Data about material stock levels, supplier orders, technological procedures, and capacity calendars are shared in real time. The planner always works with current data without the need for manual exports and imports.
Who Is QI APS Suitable For
We recommend the QI APS module for manufacturing enterprises with discrete or process production that handle dozens or more orders simultaneously and need to efficiently manage shared production capacities. Typical users include mechanical engineering, electronics, and food processing companies.
If you are interested in how QI APS could improve planning at your company, we will be happy to prepare a demonstration using your real data.