Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) is the planning layer that goes where classic MRP cannot. MRP assumes infinite capacity — it calculates what to make and when, but does not check whether the available machines, tooling and operators support the plan. In operations with real bottlenecks (long setups, machines shared between products, limited shifts), the result is a plan that is theoretically correct and operationally impossible.
APS incorporates finite constraints: capacity per workstation, setup times between orders, tooling dependencies, available labour profiles, maintenance windows. The algorithm optimises the order sequence by minimising setups, maximising utilisation, and respecting delivery dates — or customer priorities when there is a conflict. The result is a schedule the factory can actually execute.
In INFOS environments, APS can run on the MULTI ERP or QAD Adaptive ERP depending on complexity. For industrial groups with multiple units and chain synchronisation, APS cross-references MES (KORA Productivity) to react in real time to deviations — a broken-down machine, a supplier delay, an order added at the last minute.