10 Myths About APS
When Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) systems first surfaced, many ERP proponents rushed to dismiss this exciting technology without taking time to understand how powerful it was. Despite the thousands of success stories, there are still consultants and ERP vendors who still resort to spreading myths in a losing battle against progress.
This list has been compiled over the last twenty years by seasoned proponents of Finite Capacity Scheduling systems. It has been based on countless success stories and is as valid today as it has ever been. The purpose of reviewing this list is to counter some of the misinformation that has been published over the years about scheduling. Most of these myths have been spread by those who do not understand the nature of either the problem or the solution.
Unless your ERP system comes with an APS system this one is dead wrong. Solving scheduling problems with standard ERP/MRP logic is equivalent to trying to solve a three-dimensional problem with two-dimensional logic. In other words, it simply can’t be done in a timely manner.
Replacing complex ERP logic with Kanban and demand-based manual systems is very tempting, but of course, it has its limitations. Toyota themselves recognized the limitations of these techniques in a demand-driven business model. This is because manual systems do not give you the ability to plan around your capacity constraints. This becomes critical once the buffers of time and inventory have been removed from the equation. In most cases, an APS system will support and improve your lean initiative.
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