Planner+PLUS is built on AMAPS unique supply/demand database that balances inventories and orders against independent and dependent demands. Planner+PLUS takes a proactive approach to material control based on timely information and suggested alternatives. Planner+PLUS combines the power of an intelligent Graphical User Interface and advanced user features to help your materials personnel quickly identify and select corrective action options. Planner+PLUS, working in conjunction with other AMAPS+PLUS modules supports material planning and control for all types of manufacturing environments: flow, repetitive, discrete, and job shop.
User oriented
Planner+PLUS was designed based on over thirty years of working with AMAPS+PLUS users. The windows and displays eliminate the need for the printed reports of the past. Planner+PLUS is a "paperless system" that supports the natural functioning of the user's job.
Single Window for Exception Analysis and Action
The Planning Window in Planner+PLUS provides a comprehensive but easily understood "picture" of an item's inventory and order situation. Inventory coverage over time is graphically displayed at the top of the window. Order due dates with recommended changes are shown as icons. Orders and inventory are continuously analyzed throughout the day as transactions are processed and exception conditions are recalculated and graphically displayed. Detail information on orders, requirements and supply/demand analysis is only a button click away.
Real Time Simulation
The Projected Inventory window provides the view of all orders, requirements and projected inventory. Planners may enter proposed changes to dates or quantities and simulate the impact of these changes before taking action. This enables the planner to test various replenishment plans before committing to action.
Real Time MRP Analysis
Whenever a new manufacturing order is entered or an existing order changed, MCS+PLUS will "explode" the order to recalculate the demands for components. The resultant changes will then be reanalyzed, and if new exception conditions are created, the affected items or orders will be flagged and appropriate planners will be notified.
Pegged Requirements
All requirements within the AMAPS+PLUS supply/demand database are pegged either to a forecast, customer order or higher level manufacturing order. Using the Projected Inventory window in MCS+PLUS, the planner, by simply pointing and clicking, can peg up and down the order structure. The Pegging+PLUS module provides full upward and downward pegging. Using this pegging window, you can peg upward from a purchase part to determine which end item and intervening orders are planned to consume it. Additionally, you can peg downward from a manufacturing order to see the status of lower-level supporting orders or inventory.
"Can Build" Calculation
Under some circumstances when an order may be short certain components, you may want to reduce the order quantity to avoid the shortage. However, it is often not easy to manually calculate how many of the order you could actually build based on the components' inventory situations. MCS+PLUS automatically calculates a "Can Build" quantity for any order that is short components. Using the simulation capabilities with MCS+PLUS, you can then see what the impact higher level assemblies or customer orders by building a reduced quantity.
"Push Out" Identification
In planning materials, it is usually best, to "push out" orders, particularly for higher level orders, to their true need dates before attempting to resolve shortages or "reschedule ins." By doing this, you reduce the near term component demands and therefore eliminate shortages caused by building orders you don't need. In addition, you free up factory capacity to work on jobs that are needed. Planner+PLUS provides a list box of all items that have orders that can be de-expedited and then will display the recommended reschedule out date. This analysis for potential move-outs is continuously performed that day as part of normal transaction processing.
Simplified Order Maintenance
Within an MRP system, there are many orders that require only cursory review before updating their status. MCS+PLUS allows you to display multiple orders in one window (e.g., all orders for a planner code to release), sort the orders by any criteria (e.g., quantity), then select a group of the orders and change the status from firm to released with one click of the mouse. This valuable time saver enables you to spend your efforts on those items that require greater analysis.
Substitute Part Control
In most manufacturing environments, there are components that can be substituted for each other depending on availability or other conditions. However, this substitution process is often informal and undocumented. AMAPS+PLUS full supports the control of substitutes. You may define authorized substitutions in the BMS+PLUS module. Within MCS+PLUS, whenever there is a shortage for a part that has substitutes defined, the substitutes are displayed in a drop down list. The availability of the substitutes can then be reviewed by simply clicking on the item.
Simplified Transaction Processing
MCS+PLUS minimizes the amount of data entry required for inventory transactions. Scrollable displays with pop-up windows allow users to point and click to select valid data fields instead of error-prone keying. Inventory and order balances are shown with current quantities. When a user enters a transaction quantity, the resultant balances are immediately displayed prior to updating. This allows the user the opportunity to verify the correct data has been entered.
Flexible Issue Control
In order to support the different types of manufacturing environments, MCS+PLUS provides three material issuing methods: manual, automatic, and group. The issue control may be specified by plant and overridden at the item and the bill of material levels. This flexibility enables you to maintain tight control over those items, which require it, but to simplify reporting and transaction processing for floor stocked items, line replenishments or kit issues.
Summary
These are just a few of the capabilities that highlight the feature richness and ease of use of MCS+PLUS that will improve the productivity of all the users and improve the effectiveness of your materials organization.