Introducing a Breakthrough in APS Technology ADF/APS © Advanced Descriptive Framework for Advanced Planning and Scheduling (ADF/APS) is a new level of Technology that dramatically increases the capabilities of the current APS Standards. This level incorporates descriptive features that model production activities more accurately than previous APS applications. Here are a few examples of the new standard introduced by Unique Scheduling Solutions. No time buckets. This means there is no rounding up or down for activity durations that are not an exact number of pre-defined buckets like hours, days, shifts, etc. It is not a spreadsheet derivative. This alone provides[...]
Scheduling and the New Generation ERP ERP vendors and their investors, especially those focused on manufacturing, are scrambling to upgrade and retool their offerings. A recent Wall Street Journal article (June 10-11, page B9, “Less Flashy Business Software Draws Investors” by Angus Loften) included this quote from a prominent manager: “Most people are at the 20 to 25-year mark with their system, and all the new technology and data that has come out does not bolt on well.” Most ERP vendors recognize the need to accommodate machine learning, AI, shop floor data collection, robotics, and the latest developments in user[...]
Current Challenges to Enterprise Software Nearly 150 vendors of Enterprise Resource Planning applications (ERP) compete to stay useful as digitization makes new data available and technology impacts production processes. To stay current, the ERP providers must adapt their offerings. Here are three current challenges facing ERP vendors. How to use Data From the Shop Floor Collection of real-time data related to production progress and anomalies is becoming standard operating procedure. But knowing what is going on is only part of the production management issue. Determining what to do about anomalies is more challenging than just collecting the data. Is the[...]
Closing the Loop on MES and Lights-Out Production A White Paper © 2022 Unique Scheduling Solutions, LLC. September 2022 Recently, the Gartner Group published a white paper entitled “Lights-Out Production will be a Reality by 2025.“ They describe the concept of lights-Out manufacturing as “equipping shop floor equipment with sensors and monitoring devices that communicate with analytic and predictive automation software –” This suggests that producers of enterprise support applications (ERP) must take a serious look at the requirements for automating the changes necessitated by off-plan deviations detected by shop floor data collection. In a blog, R. Landman has identified[...]