INFORM North America, a provider of AI-based optimization software that facilitates improved decision making, processes and resource management, has added a new module to its production planning tool, FELIOS.
The Liveplanner module provides real-time planning support that enables the combining of short-term manual rescheduling on the shop floor with global production planning. It supplements the automatic detailed planning of FELIOS, an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system used by mechanical and plant engineers for optimizing their production, construction, assembly and shift planning. By leveraging advanced technologies such as AI and Operations Research, FELIOS also facilitates improved adherence to delivery dates, more accurate replenishment lead time projections, while improving production scheduling even where limited capacities exist.
The Liveplanner user interface was designed to provide quick visibility of all orders, resources and their allocations on a timeline. With easily definable fields, users can display real-time information, including material availability, order classes, previous and follow-up orders, as well as the duration of an operation. This, in turn, supports easier and improved planning. Further, the Liveplanner module displays recommendations and warnings that prevent manual rescheduling from inadvertently creating unwanted results. Among the recommendations the module offers are those regarding the most suitable resources, and/or the earliest or latest possible start dates for a particular work task that reflects when an entire order's on-time delivery can be met. Other information that can be displayed using the Liveplanner are which machines are being utilized and what pending work processes are underway. Also integrated into the software are functionalities for efficient communication flow (e.g., individual comments on an order or work process).
The Liveplanner's real-time functionality is based on FELIOS' advanced algorithms, which manage all planning-relevant data from the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), to generate optimized schedules which reflect all available capacities. The planning algorithms dynamically encompass every scheduling change that has occurred since the last optimization. The entire production network-its resources, orders, dependencies, prioritizations and restrictions-are all considered. The objective is to achieve the optimum overall result. When delaying an order can enable more urgent orders to be processed on-time, the system will delay the lower priority order.
Other performance features of the FELIOS Liveplanner module include spontaneous plan changes when unexpected contingencies arise (e.g., machine failures, an urgent rush order, human error, etc.) and user-friendly solutions for manual replanning, which transfers all changes to the APS system when relevant data is not adequately available in an ERP system (e.g., for a short-term rework).
In short, with the addition of the Liveplanner module in the FELIOS APS system, planners in mechanical and plant engineering companies are armed with informed decision-making, enabled through greater visibility into their operations, machine utilization, capacities, throughput times, potential disruptions, priority orders and other critical planning parameters.
"Manufacturers in industries ranging from machine building, marine and aircraft engines, turbines, generators, fluid power and air motors to pumps, hydraulics and industry cranes are benefiting from their application of FELIOS. They are deriving shorter throughput times, cost reductions, optimized materials management and improved customer service," said a company spokesperson.
For more information contact:
INFORM North America
1050 Crown Pointe Pkwy., Ste. 310
Atlanta, GA 30338
404-333-0233
atlanta@inform-software.com
www.inform-software.com