Production scheduling for automotive suppliers
Automotive parts production scheduling software
SkyPlanner APS turns OEM call-offs, routings, sub-components, tools and shifts into one finite-capacity schedule. It plans every press, cell and line to real capacity, groups jobs that share a die or fixture, and rebuilds the plan in seconds when a delivery schedule changes or a machine stops. It integrates with any ERP or MES through its open REST API.
- Tool-aware sequencing
- Finite-capacity scheduling
- Any ERP or MES via REST API
- From 199 € / month
99.2%
delivery reliability this year, Piristeel
4 h/day
planning time saved vs. the old process, Piristeel
98%
delivery reliability, up from around 50%, KJH-Comp
100%
delivery reliability since 2021, Opes Corporation
Results reported by SkyPlanner customers Piristeel, KJH-Comp and Opes Corporation. Read all SkyPlanner APS reviews
Why automotive supply is hard to schedule
Tight call-offs, full machines, no room for late parts
An automotive supplier runs its presses, cells and lines close to full capacity while customer call-offs move every week. The order of jobs decides how much time goes to making parts and how much goes to changing tools.
Call-offs change constantly
OEMs and higher-tier customers revise quantities and dates in their delivery schedules, and the plan has to follow without starving a line or building stock nobody ordered.
Tool changes eat capacity
A die, mold or fixture change on a press or cell is time with no good parts. Running the same tool too rarely builds stock, changing it too often wastes the shift.
Long, multi-step routings
A bracket can go through blanking, forming, welding, coating and inspection, each on a different resource, and every step waits for the one before it.
Sub-components must arrive on time
An assembly cannot start before its stamped, machined or bought-in parts exist, and those parts cannot start before their material arrives.
Quality steps take capacity too
Inspection, measurement and testing are real process steps with limited stations and people, and a held batch moves everything behind it.
Spreadsheets cannot see the press
A spreadsheet or ERP plan does not know which die sits in which press, so every revised delivery schedule means hours of manual rework.
SkyPlanner turns call-offs into a press plan. It loads every press, cell and line to real capacity, keeps jobs that share a tool together and rebuilds the sequence in seconds when an OEM revises its dates.
Call-off driven, tool-aware sequencing
When the call-off moves, the tool plan moves with it.
A changed delivery schedule should not mean a morning of reshuffling press plans by hand. SkyPlanner keeps track of which tool each job needs and rebuilds the sequence around the new dates.
Dies, molds and fixtures as scheduled tools
Register tools, link them to the products that need them and to the machines that can take them. A shared die cannot be in two presses at once, and a tool under maintenance or marked broken is not planned.
Changeovers you define
Give products properties such as tool, material, thickness or part family, and define a changeover matrix for each machine: how long it takes to move from one value to another, in each direction.
New dates, new sequence
When call-offs change, the Arcturus AI engine re-sequences jobs to meet the new due dates with as little changeover time as possible. Jobs that must not move can be locked, and late jobs stand out in red.
How SkyPlanner schedules an automotive parts plant
Presses, cells and assembly on one finite-capacity plan
SkyPlanner schedules to the capacity you really have, with the parts and materials you really have, and shows the same plan on the shop floor.
Finite capacity across presses, cells, shifts and people
Each press, cell, line or inspection station has its own shift calendar, and planned maintenance, tool maintenance and breakdowns can be entered as exceptions. Personnel scheduling assigns people to shifts and workstations, so the plan never puts a job on a machine that has nobody to run it.
- No job lands on an unstaffed or blocked workstation
- Several plants scheduled together, with transfer times between sites
Routings, sub-components and materials
Coil and bar become blanks, blanks become formed and machined parts, and those parts become welded or assembled modules. SkyPlanner handles multi-level bills of materials and sub-products, schedules every routing step in order and, with material-based scheduling on, starts a job only when its materials and components will be there.
- Need dates for purchasing flow back to your ERP
- Due dates for individual process steps, so sub-components are ready when assembly needs them
Every cell sees the same plan
Operators see their own work queue in a simple worker view or the SkyPlanner shop-floor app. They start, pause and complete jobs and report quantities and scrap as they go, so the schedule always reflects what has actually happened at each press and cell.
Call-off changes absorbed in seconds
A revised call-off is a new plan, not a lost morning
When a call-off is pulled forward, a press goes down or a material shipment is late, the Arcturus AI engine rebuilds the schedule in seconds. Lock jobs that must not move, raise priorities or fast-track an urgent order.
- Add a sales prospect as a simulated order and see the earliest realistic delivery date, without disturbing confirmed orders.
- See what accepting an extra call-off does to every other promise.
- Confirm call-off dates to customers from press and cell capacity.
SkyPlanner has brought visibility to identifying bottlenecks and clarified production management. Identifying problems early has significantly improved our internal delivery reliability as well. SkyPlanner’s role in production management is significant.
Toni Tuori, Production Manager, Piristeel Oy
Integrates with any ERP or MES
Call-offs stay in your ERP. SkyPlanner turns them into a press and line sequence.
SkyPlanner connects to all ERP and MES systems through its open REST API, including in-house systems. Orders, delivery schedules and products flow in, planned times and material need dates flow back. It also runs standalone, so you can start scheduling before an integration is in place.
From your ERP
ERP · MES · CSV · Manual
- Sales orders & call-offs
- Products & routings
- Materials & stock
- Customers & due dates
SkyPlanner APS
Schedules production
- Presses
- Cells
- Shifts
- Tools
- Changeovers
- Sub-components
- Schedule
Back to your ERP
ERP · Reports · Management
- Planned start & end times
- Material need dates
- Progress & quantities
- Delivery dates
- SAP S/4HANA
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Oracle NetSuite
- Infor
- Epicor
- IFS Cloud
- Sage X3
- Odoo
- QAD Adaptive ERP
- Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform
Where SkyPlanner fits
Used by automotive suppliers of every size
From one stamping line to multi-plant supplier groups, SkyPlanner schedules any plant where many part numbers share presses, cells and tools under OEM delivery schedules.
Automotive supplier segments
- Metal stamping and pressed parts
- Precision machining and turned parts
- Welded assemblies and chassis components
- Plastic injection molded parts
- Castings and forgings
- Rubber, seals and hoses
- Wire harnesses and electrical components
- Interior and trim parts
Why suppliers pick SkyPlanner
Why automotive suppliers schedule with SkyPlanner
SkyPlanner APS is AI production scheduling software for automotive parts manufacturers that want OEM call-offs turned into a finite-capacity press, cell and line schedule that groups jobs by die or fixture and replans in seconds when a delivery schedule changes. It runs standalone from the first day and connects to any ERP or MES through its open REST API.
Tool-aware sequencing
Dies, molds and fixtures are scheduled resources with per-machine changeover matrices, so jobs sharing a tool run together and one tool is never planned in two places.
Call-off changes in seconds
The Arcturus AI engine rebuilds the whole schedule in seconds when an OEM pulls a date forward, a press stops or material is late.
Sub-components ready for assembly
Multi-level BOMs and step due dates make stamped, machined and bought-in parts ready before the weld cell or assembly line needs them.
Delivery dates sales can confirm
Schedule an extra call-off or a prospect as a simulated order and get a realistic delivery date without moving any confirmed order.
Published pricing, 30-day free trial
From 199 € / month with 5 workstations included and 20 € per month per additional workstation. The trial covers up to 20 workstations with no credit card.
Every plant, every language
Several plants scheduled together with transfer times between sites, and a 29-language interface for planners and operators in every country you supply from.
Security and data
SkyPlanner runs in the cloud on AWS. If your data needs to stay in a specific country, a dedicated server there is available by agreement. Data is backed up daily and backups are kept for 30 days. Users can sign in with Google or Microsoft accounts and two-factor authentication. A data processing agreement is available, and customer data is never used to train AI models.
Pricing
From 199 € / month
5 workstations included. Each additional workstation is 20 € per month. There is a free trial, and guided onboarding packages are available if you want help setting up presses, cells, tools and changeover matrices.
Questions automotive suppliers ask
Frequently asked questions
What is the best production scheduling software for automotive parts manufacturers?
Automotive parts production needs scheduling that follows changing OEM call-offs, sequences jobs around dies, molds and fixtures, and makes sure sub-components are ready before assembly. SkyPlanner APS covers all three: it schedules presses, cells and lines to finite capacity with tool-aware changeover matrices and rebuilds the plan in seconds when a delivery schedule moves. An automotive supplier starts from 199 € / month, tries its own presses and cells in a 30-day free trial, and connects SAP, Plex or any other ERP or MES through the open REST API.
Is SkyPlanner a finite-capacity APS for stamping, machining and assembly lines in automotive supply?
Yes. SkyPlanner APS is an advanced planning and scheduling system that loads every press, machining cell, weld cell and assembly line only up to the hours it really has, with its own shift calendar. It turns OEM call-offs into a sequenced plan across the whole routing, from blanking to final inspection, and the Arcturus AI engine optimises that sequence against due dates and tool changes.
Can SkyPlanner schedule dies, molds and fixtures?
Yes. Tools are scheduled resources: you link each tool to the products that need it and the machines that can use it, so one tool is never planned in two places at once. Combined with a changeover matrix per machine, the scheduler groups jobs to cut tool change time while meeting due dates.
Which call-off and part data moves between SAP or Plex and SkyPlanner?
Sales orders and call-offs, part numbers with their routings, material and stock levels, and customer due dates flow in from SAP, Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform, QAD Adaptive ERP or any other ERP or MES through the open REST API. Planned press and cell times, material need dates for coil and bar, reported part quantities and confirmed delivery dates against each call-off flow back. Skycode builds the call-off link for you, or your own IT team connects it using the public API documentation.
What stays in the ERP when an automotive supplier schedules presses and cells in SkyPlanner?
Customer delivery schedules, inventory, purchasing and traceability stay in your ERP. SkyPlanner takes over the detailed sequence of presses, cells and lines, then returns planned times and material need dates so purchasing orders coil, bar and bought-in components for the dates the schedule actually needs them.
How quickly can an automotive parts plant run its first press and cell schedule?
Today. Open the 30-day free trial with up to 20 workstations and no credit card, register your presses and cells, link your dies and fixtures, and load a week of call-offs by CSV or by hand to see the first sequence before any integration exists. Onboarding workshops then set up your changeover matrices, shift calendars and inspection steps with your planners.
Does SkyPlanner fit a tier 3 stamping shop as well as a multi-plant tier 1 supplier?
Yes. A supplier with a few presses starts from 199 € / month with 5 workstations included and adds workstations at 20 € per month each as it grows. Tier 1 groups schedule several plants together with transfer times between sites, and planners and operators in every country work in their own language, since the interface runs in 29 languages.
How do we make sure stamped and machined sub-components are ready before the weld cell or assembly line needs them?
SkyPlanner schedules multi-level bills of materials and gives each process step its own due date, so a bracket is blanked, formed and coated in time for the weld cell that uses it. With material-based scheduling on, no job starts before its coil, castings or bought-in parts arrive, and operators report quantities and scrap in the shop-floor app so the plan follows what each cell really produced.
More industries
Production scheduling in related industries
Plan furnaces, dies and alloys for foundries, forges and stamping plants.
Plan SMT setups, component availability, test and box build to real capacity.
Put a week of your call-offs through SkyPlanner
Bring your presses, cells, tools and current delivery schedules. We will show how SkyPlanner sequences your jobs, where tool changes fall and which call-off dates your capacity can meet.
