8 Myths of Production Planning
Production planning is the topic for all manufacturing businesses. While some still fall behind with Excel spreadsheets or the old pen & paper, forward-thinking businesses have used modern, easy-to-use solutions such as a Production Planning & Control (PPC) system. Unlike the aging methods mentioned before, a PPC System is specifically built to meet the needs of the manufacturing industry. But what blocked businesses from moving to a more intuitive solution like that? Let’s introduce the most common myths surrounding production planning and why they are far from facts.
1. Production Planning System takes a long time to implement
Setting up digital production planning is never meant to be time-consuming. Modern cloud PPC systems are explicitly made for rapid deployment and quick onboarding. With well-proven implementation methodologies, you can already see the results within a few weeks and have complete transparency in your production.
2. Production Planning System needs planning experts to run
Not really. Modern PPC system aims to reduce individual dependency through standardized user interfaces. As a result, it does not reply on the expertise of one or two of your employees yet still delivers crystal-clear production transparency to you and your management team.
3. Production Planning System is not for my kind of manufacturing
Despite different processes, the basic manufacturing principle always applies: As long as the processes are plannable, we can plan it. However, before its deployment, your solution should always be discussed with experts to suit the needs of your manufacturing process. With customer-specific modules and configurations, even the most complex manufacturing scenario would also fit well in the system. If you want to know how to plan your production with a PPC system – Ask us!
4. Production Planning only benefits my management team
Not at all. A well-executed, transparent production planning will benefit your management team and your entire business: Your planners can now plan reliably. Your shop floor workers will know what comes first and will not struggle with last-minute changes and overtime work. Your management and sales team have a precise overview and can send out accurate production estimations to clients. A modern PPC System should be a comprehensive solution that adds value to your business’s synergy.
5. Production Planning is a time-consuming and futile attempt
What makes plans fail is not the planning itself but the unplanned changes, production interruptions, and quality defects. When production planning is done right, you will be in control of your production, keeping your nerves and saving your time and money.
6. I have an ERP system. It will do production planning for me
A common myth. An ERP system handles the commercial process from quoting to invoicing. For manufacturers, this often results in a wide gap between the creation and completion of an order. ERP usually does not take care of aspects like your value chain and its involved parties. Some ERP system may include some manufacturing modules, but their ways of handling manufacturing often cannot meet industrial standards. Therefore, it’s better to look for a production planning solution that is industry-proven and integration-ready for your ERP system.
7. Connecting my ERP to Production Planning System is complicated
Transferring data between your ERP system and a modern PPC System are simpler than you think. There are already standardized data platforms (such as API) for this exact task. Modern PPC Systems can take over new orders from the ERP system via API, plan them, and send the confirmed data back to ERP. Alternatively, they can also send and receive data via automatic file transfer or by accessing database – all simple and quick.
8. I need an IT department to maintain a Production Planning System
There is no need to hire an IT department or IT experts to help you install and maintain a PPC system – You can start digital production planning right away! Your system will always be up to date with the update service packages. And PPC System should never be a headache for your IT team but a great companion for all your employees at work.
