RockPlus APS

Advanced Planning & Scheduling System

Put orders, materials, routings and capacity into one model to build production plans that are executable, committable and adjustable, so delivery answers move from "roughly" to "well-founded".

Book a Demo → Explore Core Modules

Master Production Scheduling Finite Capacity Scheduling Changeover Optimization Kitting Analysis Rush-Order Rescheduling What-if Simulation

PLANNING & SCHEDULING CENTER

Resource Capacity Load

SMT Line 01

92%

SMT Line 02

76%

ICT / FCT

84%

Assembly Line

58%

OrdersDue date · Priority

KittingShortage · Available date

ScheduleDown to line · hour

RescheduleRush · Failure · Shortage

Order Schedule · SO-2309-0016

DemandKittingScheduleReleaseExecuteAdhere

SMT Line 01Est. delay 6 hoursAdjust

Kitting Alert
Shortages found early

Scenario Comparison
Overtime · Outsourcing · Reset due date

12 Planning ModulesA complete chain from demand to adherence

Finite Capacity SchedulingDown to line, equipment and time slot

Kitting & Shortage AlertsSpot risks before start-up

Closed Loop with MESPlans released, progress fed back

Planning Challenges

The hard part of scheduling
is more than "assigning dates to orders"

In high-mix, low-volume electronics manufacturing with frequent rush orders, scheduling by spreadsheet and experience can hardly balance delivery, materials, changeovers and capacity at once.

Delivery promises lack basis

When taking an order, it is hard to quickly tell whether capacity and materials suffice. Dates are quoted from experience, and delays follow.

Shortages found too late

Shortages surface only after work orders are released. Last-minute changes disrupt the line and hold up later orders.

Changeover loss is hard to control

Time for changing materials, programs, stencils and fixtures is overlooked, and poor sequencing causes heavy changeover waste.

Changes are hard to reschedule

After a rush order, equipment failure or shortage, manual rescheduling is slow and the impact on other orders is unclear.

ADVANCED PLANNING PLATFORM

Solve demand, constraints and resources in one model

It takes in orders and forecasts upstream, releases to MES for execution downstream, and receives execution progress back, forming a closed loop of plan, execute, feedback and adjust.

Demand Orders
Demand

Master Production Schedule
MPS

Constraint Model
Constraints

Finite Capacity Scheduling
Scheduling

Simulation & Reschedule
What-if

Plan Analysis
KPI

RockPlus APS · Planning & Scheduling Core

Customer Orders

Product BOM

Routing

Resources & Shifts

Inventory & In-transit

Execution Progress

ERP Orders & ForecastsRockPlus MESRockPlus WMSRockPlus EAMSMT LineICT / FCTAssembly Line

Core Modules

Twelve Core Modules

Modules follow the logic of demand, constraints, scheduling, adjustment and analysis. Deploy them together, or start with plan visualization and expand step by step to finite capacity scheduling.

01 / DEMAND

Demand & Order Management

Manage sales orders, forecasts and due dates in one place, and separate regular orders from rush orders by priority.

Customer Orders · Forecast · Rush Orders

02 / MPS

Master Production Schedule

Build weekly and monthly production plans by product, quantity, date and plant as input to detailed scheduling.

Weekly Plan · Monthly Plan

03 / MATERIAL

BOM & Material Constraints

Combine BOM, inventory, in-transit stock and substitute materials to identify shortages and treat them as scheduling constraints.

PCB · IC · Passives · Structural Parts

04 / ROUTING

Routing

Define operation sequence and standard times as the basis for scheduling.

SMT → DIP → Assembly → Test

05 / RESOURCE

Resource Model

Model lines, equipment, personnel, fixtures and skills, and define which operations each resource can perform.

SMT Line · ICT · FCT

06 / CAPACITY

Capacity Management

Combine UPH, shifts and equipment capability to calculate each resource's available capacity over time.

8H / 12H · Two Shifts · Overtime

07 / SCHEDULING

Finite Capacity Scheduling

Break orders down to operations and assign them to specific resources and times, producing a plan accurate to the line and hour.

Order → Operation → Resource → Start / End

08 / CHANGEOVER

Changeover Optimization

Optimize sequencing based on the changeover time matrix to cut losses from changing materials, programs, stencils and fixtures.

Changeover Matrix

09 / KITTING

Material Kitting Analysis

Calculate material available dates and gaps at scheduled times, warn of shortages early and give the kitting-complete date.

Available Date · Shortage

10 / RESCHEDULE

Rush Orders & Rescheduling

Reschedule dynamically after rush orders, equipment failures or shortages, and assess the impact on other orders.

Reschedule

11 / WHAT-IF

What-if Simulation

Simulate options such as overtime, added equipment, outsourcing and due-date changes, then decide after comparing scenarios.

Scenario Comparison

12 / KPI

Planning KPIs & Analysis

Show on-time delivery, capacity load, bottleneck resources and plan adherence to reveal improvement opportunities.

OTD · Capacity Load · Bottleneck · Capacity Heatmap

From Demand to Plan

From demand to plan: a sound basis for every order

Once in the system, orders pass through master planning, constraint checks and detailed scheduling to become a releasable production plan.

Intake & Planning

Distinguish customer orders, forecasts and rush orders and sequence them by due date and priority. Plan products, quantities and plants by week and month, so capacity gaps surface early.

Order IntakeMPS

Constraints & Kitting

Use BOM, inventory, in-transit stock and substitute materials to determine the earliest start date, with early shortage alerts, so plans are not released without materials.

Material ExplosionKitting Analysis

Scheduling & Execution

Schedule finite capacity by operation, resource and time slot, create work orders and assign lines. Progress is returned for rolling adjustment.

Finite SchedulingPlan ReleaseExecution Feedback

Finite Capacity Scheduling

Finite capacity scheduling: plans down to the line and hour

Scheduling considers routings, resource capability, shift calendars and material availability together. The output is not a quantity target but a timetable that can be executed.

Scheduling Engine

Constraints solved together,
results ready to execute

No longer "how much to make this month", but "which line this order runs on, when it starts and when it ends".

The system breaks orders down to operations by routing, calculates available capacity from the resource model, UPH and shifts, and weighs due date, priority and changeover cost to assign operations to specific resources and time slots. Operation sequence is enforced automatically.

Split orders into operationsExpanded by routing and standard time

Match resourcesLines, equipment, personnel, fixtures and skills

Calculate available capacityBased on UPH, shifts, overtime and equipment capability

Optimize sequenceWeighing due date, priority and changeover time

Output the scheduleStart and end times, viewable on a Gantt chart

Resource Model

Lines, equipment, personnel, fixtures and skills are modeled together, defining the resource combinations available for each operation.

Capacity & Shifts

Supports calendars for 8H, 12H, two-shift and overtime patterns, and calculates daily available capacity per resource.

Operation Sequence

SMT, DIP, assembly and test operations are linked in order, and upstream and downstream times are matched automatically.

Gantt & Load Views

Show order schedules on a Gantt chart and resource capacity on a load chart, making bottlenecks obvious at a glance.

Changeover & Kitting

Changeover and kitting: keep plans clear of hidden losses

Changeover time and material gaps are the two main reasons plans fail in electronics plants. They should be calculated at scheduling time, not discovered during execution.

01 / MATERIAL

Material Change

Material differences between products determine the changeover workload and feed the changeover time estimate.

02 / PROGRAM

Program Change

Equipment program switch time counts toward changeover cost, reducing unnecessary program changes.

03 / STENCIL

Stencil Change

Stencil change and preparation time is built into sequencing, so similar products run consecutively.

04 / FIXTURE

Fixture Change

Test and assembly fixture switching accounts for fixture availability and changeover time.

05 / MATRIX

Changeover Matrix

A Changeover Matrix records switch times between products and guides the production sequence.

Shortage risks are visible at scheduling time

Kitting analysis checks materials against the scheduled start time and gives available dates and gaps. Risks surface in the planning stage, so purchasing and warehouse have time to respond.

Material GapInsufficient material before start time, with alerts by shortage quantity

Kitting DateCalculates the earliest date materials are complete to guide start-up planning

In-transit DelayIn-transit material arrives after the start time, prompting a sequence change

Substitute AvailableIdentifies usable substitute materials during shortages to reduce stoppage risk

Excess ChangeoversSequencing causes frequent switching, prompting product order optimization

Reschedule & What-if

Rescheduling and simulation: plans that handle change

Change is the norm. The system recalculates quickly when changes occur and puts the results of different options side by side before you decide.

Rush-Order Insertion

Recalculate after adding a rush order to see the affected orders and delay time, then decide whether to accept it.

Equipment Failure Reschedule

When equipment is unavailable, move affected operations to other resources or adjust the sequence.

Post-Shortage Adjustment

When materials arrive late, schedule orders that can start first to reduce line waiting.

Rolling Schedule

Keep updating the plan from actual execution progress so it always stays close to the shop floor.

What-if · Simulate before deciding

Set ScenarioOvertimeAdd EquipmentOutsourceReset Due Date

Schedule each option separately, compare delivery, capacity load and changeover counts, and choose the better one.

Scenario Comparison

BaselineSimulatedCompare DifferencesConfirmRelease to MES

The confirmed scenario is released straight to execution with no re-entry, and the decision process is traceable.

Planning KPI

Plan analysis: keep improving the plan

Comparing schedules with execution data helps planners find bottlenecks, assess plan quality and keep optimizing.

OTD

On-Time Delivery

Track on-time order delivery and analyze causes of delay by customer and product.

LOAD

Capacity Load

Show each resource's load rate over time to identify overload and idle capacity.

BOTTLENECK

Bottleneck Analysis

Locate the resources and operations limiting overall output to guide improvement and investment.

ADHERENCE

Plan Adherence

Compare planned and actual output and analyze deviations by line, shift and date.

Integration

Working with MES, WMS and EAM

A plan's credibility comes from execution data. APS works with the manufacturing operations systems so plans, materials and equipment status confirm one another.

ERP

Orders & Master Data

Sync production orders, products and routing-related master data as planning input.

MES

Plan Release & Progress Feedback

Schedules are released as work orders and line plans; actual progress returns for adherence analysis and rescheduling.

WMS

Inventory & Staging Link

Read inventory and in-transit stock for kitting analysis; activating a work order triggers staging tasks.

EAM

Equipment Availability

Equipment status, maintenance and failure information affect resource capacity, and plans avoid downtime windows.

Application

Typical Use Cases

For discrete manufacturing with high mix, low volume, tight deadlines and frequent changeovers.

High-Mix SMT Scheduling

Run similar products consecutively to cut changeover time and raise line utilization.

Contract Manufacturing with Frequent Rush Orders

Assess the impact of rush orders quickly and compare scenarios before replying to customers.

Orders with Tight Materials

Know kitting dates ahead of time and schedule orders that can start first to reduce line stoppage.

Multi-Line, Multi-Operation Coordination

Schedule SMT, DIP, assembly and test in sequence and pinpoint bottleneck resources.

FAQ

Common questions about APS concepts, finite capacity scheduling and rescheduling.

What is an APS advanced planning and scheduling system? How does it differ from ERP and MES?

APS is an advanced planning and scheduling system for manufacturers, focused on turning orders into executable production plans under material, equipment, capacity and process constraints. ERP handles order and resource planning, APS optimizes the schedule, and MES executes it on the shop floor. Working together, the three form a closed loop from order and scheduling to production feedback.

How does APS achieve finite capacity scheduling and automatic scheduling?

When scheduling, APS considers order demand, equipment capability, production lines, material readiness, routings and changeover constraints, assigning production tasks to specific resources and time slots. Compared with manual scheduling in Excel, finite capacity scheduling identifies resource conflicts in advance and uses visual plans to help planners quickly adjust production sequences.

How does APS reschedule when there is a rush order, equipment failure or material shortage?

When rush orders, equipment failures, material shortages or due date changes make the original plan unworkable, APS can reschedule with order insertions or run What-if simulations against the new constraints, comparing how different options affect capacity and delivery dates. Actual scheduling results depend on how complete the base data is for equipment capacity, routings and materials.

Every order scheduled, deliverable and accurately promised

Unify demand, materials, routings and capacity to build planning and scheduling that is executable, adjustable and analyzable.

Book a Demo →

RockPlus APS

Advanced Planning & Scheduling System

Resource Capacity Load

Order Schedule · SO-2309-0016

The hard part of schedulingis more than "assigning dates to orders"

Delivery promises lack basis

Shortages found too late

Changeover loss is hard to control

Changes are hard to reschedule

Solve demand, constraints and resources in one model

Twelve Core Modules

Demand & Order Management

Master Production Schedule

BOM & Material Constraints

Routing

Resource Model

Capacity Management

Finite Capacity Scheduling

Changeover Optimization

Material Kitting Analysis

Rush Orders & Rescheduling

What-if Simulation

Planning KPIs & Analysis

From demand to plan: a sound basis for every order

Intake & Planning

Constraints & Kitting

Scheduling & Execution

Finite capacity scheduling: plans down to the line and hour

Constraints solved together,results ready to execute

Resource Model

Capacity & Shifts

Operation Sequence

Gantt & Load Views

Changeover and kitting: keep plans clear of hidden losses

Material Change

Program Change

Stencil Change

Fixture Change

Changeover Matrix

Shortage risks are visible at scheduling time

Rescheduling and simulation: plans that handle change

Rush-Order Insertion

Equipment Failure Reschedule

Post-Shortage Adjustment

Rolling Schedule

What-if · Simulate before deciding

Scenario Comparison

Plan analysis: keep improving the plan

On-Time Delivery

Capacity Load

Bottleneck Analysis

Plan Adherence

Working with MES, WMS and EAM

Orders & Master Data

Plan Release & Progress Feedback

Inventory & Staging Link

Equipment Availability

Typical Use Cases

High-Mix SMT Scheduling

Contract Manufacturing with Frequent Rush Orders

Orders with Tight Materials

Multi-Line, Multi-Operation Coordination

Related Products

FAQ

Every order scheduled, deliverable and accurately promised

Hotline

The hard part of scheduling
is more than "assigning dates to orders"

Constraints solved together,
results ready to execute