APS Feasibility in an Engineer to Order Environment

Abstract

This paper discus the feasibility of using advanced planning and scheduling (APS) in an engineer to order manufacturing company. The starting point is a company producing customised variants of standard products involving engineering, machining, sub-assembly, and final assembly operations. There is limited degree of parts commonality as the product variety is high with respect to material and size. APS is normally used in repetitive manufacturing companies but we argue that some ETO companies with a somewhat fixed planning setup could benefit of implementing an APS engine on top of their ERP system. One of the critical elements is, however, whether the company is able to formalise their tacit knowledge in the complicated planning processes to rules and options in an APS environment.