Opcenter (Preactor) Advanced Planning & Scheduling

It is not always easy for others to understand what makes Siemens Opcenter Advanced Planning & Scheduling software solution work when other systems don’t, but its approach is fundamentally different. Most of the systems being offered today are based on algorithmic sequencing (optimization) techniques. Although Siemens Opcenter Advanced Planning & Scheduling software solution can use algorithmic sequencing, it is primarily based on heuristics (rules) and it does not claim to “optimize” your master production schedule. Optimizing sounds wonderful, but in most cases, it is totally unrealistic and leads to disaster. The difference may sound insignificant, but having the ability to build your tribal knowledge into your manufacturing production scheduling solution is what allows you to take what has worked for you and just automate it. In a nutshell, this is what makes it work in the real world.

Another dose of reality is that in our 20+ years of experience we have seen that it is almost impossible to identify all your scheduling requirements before you start your APS project. APS solutions built on algorithmic sequencing can be severely limiting and may not be able to replicate your needs. This means that even if your changes are possible (and they often aren’t), the developer is the only one who can make them. You are then at the mercy of the developer. Since Siemens Opcenter Advanced Planning & Scheduling is built with heuristics (rules), there is no need to involve the developer as you have complete control of the way the system behaves.