We’ve written a few blogs on APS; we could write many more!
It can be a topic of endless frustration for some, but we know that if you get your data and set it up ‘right’, it can be the most powerful tool in your business. There is lots of advice out there about how to get the best from APS, which is all valid!
This month, we’ve asked our Consultant, Guy, for his opinion on what quick wins you can put in place to help your planners. After all, happy planners is what we all want, right?
Here are his top five tips on things to check to make sure your APS will tick along nicely.
Are your BOMs and Routings accurate?
One of the easiest things that you can do to make sure that APS gives you the right answer to your planning is to check that all your routings and BOMs are correct. Over time things may change, so although the shopfloor is working as it should, the details in SyteLine may be a little off.
It’s worth taking that extra bit of time to check through and ensure that BOMs and Routings reflect what happens in the real world!
Don’t over-egg it!
By that, we mean keeping your routings as simple as possible. If you’ve got fifteen operations, do they all need to be there? If the three are incredibly similar, and the process will allow, then make them one operation. Of course, there may be cases when this is not possible. But this is all about casting that critical eye over things and making sure that it makes practical sense!
Do your BOMs need to have sub-assemblies?
Again, this is all about keeping things simple and easier to manage. It can be tempting to have sub-assemblies as it should make things easier, but sometimes it’s easier to keep the BOM flat and easier to understand. Again this is about getting detailed on what you need to plan effectively versus what may look better on paper.
Are your purchasing lead times and throughput times accurate?
We may have said this once or twice before, but APS works when the data is correct. If timings are off, then this can really cost you as a business. After all, planning is about making effective use of time to ensure that you deliver goods to people when they expect them. So by ensuring that all the timings are correct, you will get more accurate planning results!
Make use of planner codes!
Planner codes are there to make your life easier, but not everyone uses them. They come into their own when you want to get more detail about the critical path in your BOM. This gives you the option to look in greater detail at these parts of your bill of materials and get clarity on potential issues before they become a larger problem.
So that’s it, our top five tips on how to get APS working well for you. There are many more tips that we could share and probably will over the coming months. These tips talk about SyteLine, but in reality, these would work for other ERP systems too. It’s all about ensuring that you have the right data in the right place and also that you really don’t overcomplicate things!
Of course, not all these will be applicable, and sometimes it’s easier said than done to do all this work. But that is where we come in. If you need to make changes to BOMs or perhaps what to look at using planner codes, then please get in touch, and we can discuss how we can work together to get your APS running like clockwork!