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FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about planeus
Welcome to the planeus FAQs hub! This section answers common questions about how planeus helps manufacturers streamline their processes.
Find out how planeus adapts the planning and scheduling needs of various industries, and how planeus makes it easy for you to stay in control and keep your operations running smooth.
Planning & Master Data Management Features in planeus
Can planeus handle multi-level assemblies?
Plan Multi-Level Assemblies with Ease
With the Assemblies feature, you can easily plan multi-level assemblies in planeus. You can create or import items in a tree structure, and planeus will automatically generate production orders for each sub-assembly. Every order stays linked to the main order, keeping everything organized.
How can I schedule employees and machines with multiple qualifications?
Assign Multi-Talented Employees & Machines Flexibly
With Multifunctional Resources, you can flexibly assign employees with different skills—like assembly and quality assurance—and machines with multiple functions. Simply add them to the qualification matrix and schedule them as needed.
Does planeus offer a What-If Simulation feature?
Test Planning Scenarios Without Risk
Yes, the Simulation module lets you create “what-if” scenarios without affecting live data. Work with a duplicate dataset, tweak key parameters, evaluate the results, and apply changes only if they make sense.
Can I assign multiple resources to a single operation?
Use Multiple Resources Without Delays
The Parallel Resources feature lets you assign multiple tools or employees to a task, ensuring work gets done without delays. You can also add “accompanying resources” (like transport racks) across entire orders or multiple tasks.
How do I monitor capacity in employee and machine pools?
Keep an Eye on Capacity & Optimize Scheduling
The Pool Utilization tool gives you real-time insights into capacity levels. Check if a team with specific skills or a set of machines has enough availability, so you can plan efficiently without overloading resources.
How do I break down large orders into smaller tasks?
Split Large Orders in Just a Few Clicks
With the Order Splitting function, you can divide large orders into smaller, manageable tasks with just a few clicks. This keeps production running smoothly while maintaining a clear link to the original order.
How do I ensure critical operations start on time?
Keep Your Workflow on Track
With Fixed Start Dates, you can lock in deadlines for key tasks, whether in production or project management. If a job depends on a supplier or a team member, it starts exactly when planned—no delays, no disruptions.
How do I make sure the best machines and resources are used first?
Maximize Efficiency with Smart Scheduling
The Resource Prioritization feature lets you rank machines and resources by preference. Need to use the most efficient machine first? No problem—planeus ensures top-priority equipment and workers are scheduled before less optimal options.
What happens when unexpected delays affect my scheduled orders?
Adapt to the Unexpected Without Losing Progress
When unexpected events—like material delays or machine breakdowns—disrupt your schedule, Order Pausing lets you remove affected orders while keeping their progress saved. Once conditions improve, simply reintegrate them into the plan without losing track.
How do I handle last-minute disruptions like maintenance or sick days?
Plan Ahead for the Unexpected
With Gap List, you can account for machine maintenance, employee absences, and other schedule gaps in advance. These time blocks appear directly in your Gantt chart, making it easy to adjust plans and avoid conflicts.
Can I give users access to the production plan without letting them make changes?
Share Information Without the Risk of Mistakes
With Read-Only Planning, users can view the full production schedule but can’t modify it. This keeps your plan transparent while preventing accidental changes or disruptions.
How do I assign resources based on specific characteristics like weight or size?
Match the Right Resources to the Right Jobs
The Physical and Free Characteristics feature lets you set specific conditions for machines and materials, such as maximum weight capacity or product dimensions. The system then ensures only compatible resources are used, optimizing efficiency and reducing errors.
If I want to generate a sequenced plan for a resource, what can I do?
Plan Tasks in the Best Possible Sequence
With Characteristics for Sequence, you can define the sequence of operations on a resource—like a machine—based on specific characteristics. For example, you can ensure products are manufactured from light to dark colors, reducing setup time and improving efficiency. This smart sequencing helps streamline production and optimize workflows.
Shopfloor & Data Collection Features in planeus
Can I scan work documents in the data collection system?
Quickly Access Work Orders with Barcode Scanning
With Workbench Scan for Barcodes, production workers can scan existing barcodes on job travelers. This instantly directs them to the correct work order, eliminating search time and making processes faster and more efficient.
How can I provide production workers with real-time status updates?
Live Production Updates for Everyone
planeus TV gives all production workers a clear status update, much like an airport departure board. They can see job progress, on-time performance, and completed tasks at a glance. This improves visibility and keeps teams motivated.
Can employees log into the production planning system with RFID?
Fast & Secure Employee Identification with RFID
With the RFID Extension, employees can log in without manually entering a username or password. The system automatically recognizes them via RFID, making shopfloor data collection much faster and easier.
Can employees take photos or upload documents directly in the workbench?
Attach Photos & Documents to Shop Floor Feedbacks
With Workbench Photo, production workers can include images and attachments in their reports. This allows them to document issues immediately, ensuring a faster and more efficient resolution process.
Material & Supplier Features in planeus
Can external suppliers be integrated into the production plan?
Give Your Suppliers Controlled Access to Your Main Schedule
With the External Partners license, suppliers see their upcoming production orders and submit updates directly in the system. This reduces back-and-forth communication and streamlines coordination.
How does planeus manage material demand?
Keep Material Flowing Without Overstocking
The automated Material Requirements Planning feature calculates exactly when and how much material is needed. This helps you plan purchases efficiently, keeping inventory lean while avoiding shortages.
Analytics & Reporting Features in planeus
What reporting options does planeus offer?
Stay on Top of Key Metrics
planeus provides a wide range of reports to analyze all collected data. Track quantities, time records, downtime reasons, planned vs. actual comparisons, capacity utilization, and key performance indicators like OEE or process efficiency.
How can I monitor and analyze resource usage effectively?
Optimize Resource Deployment
The Resource Utilization Report feature of planeus presents a visual analysis of how employees and machines are used relative to their availability. Review past data trends to make informed decisions and optimize resource allocation.
Does planeus provide an OEE report?
Measure Machine Productivity
Yes, planeus provides an OEE Report. It calculates Overall Equipment Effectiveness by evaluating availability, performance, and quality. This gives you a clear picture of how efficiently your machines operate.
How can I reduce lead times and unnecessary costs?
Identify Bottlenecks & Optimize Workflows
The Process Efficiency Report highlights how long semi-finished products sit idle in production, adding unnecessary costs. Use this data to detect inefficiencies and streamline your lead times.
How can I improve delivery reliability and identify production delays?
Enhance Punctuality & Keep Customers Happy
With the On-Time Delivery Report, track which departments contribute to delays and how many orders ship on time or late. This data helps pinpoint issues and improve overall delivery performance.
How can I quickly see which resources still have capacity and which are overloaded?
Instantly Identify Free Capacity or Critical Overloads
The Daily Resource Availability Report gives you a real-time snapshot of which employees and machines still have buffer capacity and where bottlenecks are forming. Quickly adjust schedules, reallocate resources, and keep operations running smoothly—before reaching a critical point.
Popular Industries for planeus
Is planeus for your industry?
If your operations involve complex workflows, limited resources, or high coordination between teams, then planeus is undoubtedly built for your industry.
Whether you’re managing job-shop operation, make-to-order productions, coordinating cross-functional teams, or planning detailed one-off projects, planeus helps turn operational complexity into clarity—with full transparency, intelligent scheduling, and measurable outcomes.
Here’s how planeus supports different industries:
Automotive Industry
In the automotive sector, production is fast-paced, highly sequenced, and dependent on the precise coordination between lines and suppliers.
planeus gives automotive manufacturers real-time control over complex, multi-step processes such as bodywork, engine assembly, and final inspection.
It continuously analyzes production flow to identify risks like upcoming delivery delays, capacity bottlenecks, or tool conflicts—before they affect output. By syncing work orders across departments and managing takt time precisely, planeus ensures just-in-time delivery, efficient use of shared resources, and consistent quality throughout production. Whether in component manufacturing or final assembly, teams stay synchronized and focused on the right priorities.
Mechanical and Plant Engineering
Plant and mechanical engineering projects often span weeks or months, involve long lead times, and require collaboration between planning, production, and procurement.
planeus breaks down these complex projects into manageable, milestone-based plans, giving every stakeholder a clear view of dependencies, progress, and resource needs. It enables smooth coordination across departments by showing exactly when each unit, assembly, or sub-process needs to start and finish.
Even in cases where production steps overlap, change scope, or rely on limited floor space, planeus helps reduce idle time, align teams, and ensure projects move forward on time and within budget.
Metalworking Industry
In metalworking, precision and timing are critical.
From CNC machining to foundry operations and sheet metal processing, manufacturers need to manage tools, molds, machines, and setup sequences without delays.
planeus helps by optimizing planning based on actual machine availability, shift capacities, and real-time data from the shop floor. It keeps track of tool usage, schedules maintenance automatically, and aligns job sequences to reduce changeovers and waste.
Whether you’re producing complex components, highly-customized, or high-mix orders, planeus ensures a smooth and controlled workflow that increases utilization while maintaining flexibility.
Plastics and Polymer Manufacturing
Plastic production processes such as injection molding, extrusion, and thermoforming require tight control over cycle times, tooling, and material flows.
planeus offers an information-driven planning environment where mold availability, changeover time, and utilization are all taken into account. It helps manufacturers minimize downtime by sequencing orders efficiently, forecasting raw material needs, and ensuring tooling and machines are ready when needed. In addition, it supports monitoring of production conditions and quality criteria, enabling consistent output and fast adjustments to urgent orders or short-term shifts in demand.
Food & Beverage Industry
For food producers, efficiency must go hand in hand with capacity constraints, operation cycles, flexibility, and time-sensitive production.
planeus is especially valuable in this environment because it incorporates the planning of cleaning cycles, changeover management, and capacity utilization into the overall production plan. It ensures that production sequences align with processing times, shippment timeframes and packaging schedules, helping to reduce waste and improve throughput.
Whether processing ingredients, managing packaging lines, or coordinating filling and labeling operations, food manufacturers benefit from the clear, actionable, real-time coordination that planeus provides—ensuring maximum utilization, speed, and operational flexibility.
Medical Technology
Manufacturing in the medtech sector involves some of the highest regulatory and quality standards in the industry.
A key advantage for planeus in regulated environments is that no additional system verification is required when implementing planning & control in your operations. planeus is solely responsible for optimizing resource allocation and supports smooth operation by delivering fully monitorable, controllable planning and scheduling.
It ensures that every part of the manufacturing process—whether for devices, implants, or cleanroom-based production—follows qualification matrices, strict procedures, and utilization rules. Qualified operators see only the tasks relevant to them, while planners have complete oversight of upstream and downstream processes, inspection stages, and workforce schedules.
