Shop floor characteristics influencing the use of advanced planning and scheduling systems

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate how the manufacturing process, the shop type and the data quality, i.e. the shop floor characteristics, influence the use of advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in production activity and control (PAC). The methodology implemented is a multiple case study at three case companies. Each company has different shop floor characteristics, but all use a scheduling module in an APS system, which supports production scheduling. A theoretical framework is developed suggesting how APS system are used in the PAC activities, and which major aspect to consider. The case analysis shows that the scheduling module in APS system, foremost supports sequencing and dispatching. In particular, the shop type is influenced by the decision of how often the APS runs and what freedom is given to the shop floor. The manufacturing process influences how the dispatch list is created. Contrary to the literature presuming that APS systems are most suitable in job shop processes, it is found that the manufacturing process is not a crucial factor when deciding whether APS systems are an appropriate investment. It is found that the level of data quality needed in the APS system depends to a large extent on how the dispatch list is used. For example, is the dispatch list used as a guideline, not a regulation, the need for accurate data in the module is reduced. This article extends the previous literature concerning APS systems by analysing how APS systems influence PAC as a whole and increase the understanding of the challenges of using APS systems in PAC.

Supply chain information utilisation: conceptualisation and antecedents

“…While IT and automated transfer between planning systems may be important for formal routine information, social network governance and face-to-face communication may be more important for informal and spontaneous information. In addition, the feedback of shared information is important for information quality (Jäckel et al , 2006; Ivert, 2012).…”

Shop scheduling in manufacturing environments: a review

“…APS systems are computational decision tools used to support process planning and scheduling that use optimization models to create detailed plans inside the manufacturing environments. Ivert (2012a) observed that the primary ability of APS systems is that of finding an optimal assignment of resources to sequences of operations, considering critical elements such as process flow, resource availability, floor shop capacities, precedence constraints, and load balance. In addition, Hvolby and Steger-Jensen (2010) considered that APS systems might take into account other types of constraints, including the availability of raw materials, inventory levels, costs, sales, and demands.…”

Designing a Decision Support System for Production Scheduling Task in Complex and Uncertain Manufacturing Environments

“…By doing that, they prevent some of the shop floor uncertainties that ERP systems are bound to encounter on the shop floor. APS is recently standardized and presented as an advanced scheduling technology and how this technology can handle uncertainties is still an open research topic [12].…”

“…In stable and reliable environments, these analytical tools and computerized systems can yield expected performance results, especially for the high level material and capacity planning decisions [3]. However, shop types with high uncertainty and complexity where many factors affect the decision making process can be substantially challenging [8][9][10][11][12]. As such, very few of the advanced models and systems that address dynamic scheduling/ re-scheduling decisions have influenced and provided guidelines in the industrial practice [2,13,14].…”