APS expertise
APS advanced planning and production scheduling
Meet deadlines, smooth the workload, keep inventory down: our APS consultants put in place planning and scheduling that take your real constraints into account.
Why work with an APS consultancy?
An APS (Advanced Planning and Scheduling) system calculates realistic production plans, taking into account machine capacity, skills, tooling and materials. Whereas the ERP often plans at infinite capacity, the APS schedules under constraints.
For a planning manager or site director, an APS project requires detailed modelling of the shop floor and its decision rules. CNEXT supports you with tool selection, modelling, integration with the ERP and MES, and equipment connectivity (IoT).
The problems we solve
Situations we regularly encounter with our industrial clients.
Spreadsheet-based planning
The schedule relies on a file that only one person fully understands; every disruption means recalculating everything.
Missed deadlines
Delivery promises do not reflect the actual workload; rush orders disrupt the shop floor.
Hidden bottlenecks
Critical resources are poorly identified; the workload is unevenly spread across lines and teams.
No shop-floor data
Without automatic data feedback from equipment, the plan quickly drifts away from reality.
Our APS services
We work on the modelling, the tool and the data flows.
- Scoping and audit of your existing APS set-up
- Solution selection and support with software vendor consultation
- Business-side project assistance (AMOA): requirements definition, acceptance testing, integrator management
- Solution, software and infrastructure architecture
- Integration, configuration and custom development
- Migration and data transfer
- Version upgrades
- Interfaces with other information system components
- Change management and training
- Third-party application maintenance (TMA)
These services form part of our four offerings: strategy consulting, business consulting, integration and deployment and support, maintenance and training.
What you gain
Tangible benefits, which we measure with you throughout the project.
Realistic plans
Finite capacity and shop-floor constraints are taken into account.
Greater responsiveness
A disruption is handled by rapid rescheduling rather than manual recalculation.
Reliable delivery promises
Customer commitments are based on the actual workload.
Comparable scenarios
You simulate the impact of an urgent order or a breakdown before deciding.
Our method
A step-by-step approach, tailored to the size of your project.
1
Understand
Workshops with business teams, analysis of processes and the existing set-up, identification of pain points and priorities.
2
Design
Target architecture, solution selection, phased roadmap and data migration plan.
3
Deliver
Configuration, development, interfaces and acceptance testing in iterations, with key users.
4
Embed
Training, go-live support, application maintenance and version upgrades to keep the solution running for the long term.
Keys to a successful APS project
- Model resources and planners’ decision rules in detail.
- Make routings, cycle times and calendars reliable.
- Connect the APS to the ERP and MES so that you work with up-to-date data.
- Validate the model on a pilot shop floor.
- Support the planners: the tool proposes, they decide.
Technologies we master
APS solutions worked on by consultants from our pool of 3,600 experts.
- Siemens Opcenter APS
- DELMIA Ortems
- DELMIA Quintiq
- Linx Sphere
- Interfacing
- EPC
Profiles deployed
Depending on your needs, we put together a team or provide a targeted expert.
- APS project manager
- Solution architect
- Functional consultant / Business Analyst
- Software architect
- Developer
- Infrastructure consultant (IoT)
Industries covered
Our APS consultants work in particular in the following industries:
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an APS and the ERP planning module?
The ERP generally calculates requirements without taking finite capacity into account. The APS schedules under constraints (machines, staff, tooling) and makes it possible to simulate scenarios.
Which APS tools do you master?
Siemens Opcenter APS, DELMIA Ortems and DELMIA Quintiq, Linx Sphere, Interfacing and EPC, as well as the associated IoT solutions.
How long does an APS project take?
It depends on the scope and the quality of the data. We recommend starting with a pilot shop floor to validate the model before rolling it out further.
A PLM, ERP, MES or EAM project? Let’s talk.
Speak with an expert to scope your needs, with no obligation.
contact@cnext-consulting.fr
La Turbine, 32 boulevard du Port
CS20001, 95015 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex