Customer stories
SkyPlanner APS reviews and customer results
Reviews and reported results from production teams that schedule with SkyPlanner APS: finite-capacity plans built and updated by AI, capacity visible ahead, and fast answers when production changes.
Featured stories
From roof safety to pharmaceuticals
Different production, the same need: a finite-capacity schedule the whole team can trust.
KJH-Comp Oy: delivery reliability raised from 50% to 98%
The challenge: coarse weekly loading in C9000 and spreadsheets, while day-level finite-capacity scheduling stayed a manual job on the floor — two supervisors spent at least half their time loading machines, and delivery reliability sat around 50%.
Read KJH-Comp’s story →“SkyPlanner handles the finite capacity scheduling and which machine each job goes to. It runs completely automatically.”
UTU Oy: from Excel spreadsheets to real-time production planning
The challenge: production planning ran on department-specific Excel spreadsheets with no dedicated planning system — updates in the ERP did not always reach the shop floor, and about an hour every morning went to confirming what to do and in what order.
Read UTU’s story →“SkyPlanner has taken our production planning from Excel spreadsheets to real-time production optimization. We see capacity, load, and the work sequence at a glance.”
Mamec Oy: thousands of work orders scheduled automatically
The challenge: rigid ERP planning functions and paper work orders prioritized on the shop floor — the interdependencies of thousands of jobs could not be managed by hand, and management’s view of the production load rested on subjective estimates.
Read Mamec’s story →“Production is under control in a different way, and our understanding of capacity is on a completely different level. SkyPlanner gives the big picture but also makes it really easy to drill into the details. Compared to where we started, this is a whole different world.”
Opes Corporation: 100% delivery reliability since 2021
The challenge: production planned with Excel and a separate in-house warehouse application with no connection to finance, while products made to stock against three-month customer commitments have to ship on the exact day.
- Delivery reliability: 100% since 2021
- New production planners get up to speed fast
- AI-powered capacity view brings flexibility and predictability
Piristeel Oy: 99.2% delivery reliability and 4 hours of planning time saved per day
The challenge: spreadsheets and printed PDF work orders, no capacity visibility, and keeping three departments scheduled consumed one person’s full working day.
Read Piristeel’s story →“SkyPlanner has brought visibility to identifying bottlenecks and clarified production management. SkyPlanner’s role in production management is significant.”
Laboratory & Allied Limited
The challenge: production planned in Excel and by intuition. Sales had to ask production for completion dates, and machine investments lacked consolidated utilization data.
- Production efficiency up 90%
- On-time deliverables and customer reporting up 50%
- Three-month plan across all workstations in under half an hour
Fredman Operations Oy: free capacity visible to sales six months ahead
The challenge: manual planning had become a growth bottleneck — urgent rescheduling could take an hour or more, with no shift-by-shift capacity picture behind delivery promises.
- Free capacity visible to sales up to six months ahead
- Schedule-change answers from the system in seconds
- Less overtime needed
Eskomatic Oy: more accurate delivery dates and fewer production stoppages
The challenge: work queues organised largely by hand in an ageing system, and material shortages that surfaced too close to a job’s planned start.
- More accurate delivery dates for customers
- Fewer production stoppages caused by material shortages
- Clearer, more controlled daily scheduling
Operational proof
Before SkyPlanner — and what changed
Each result comes from the customer’s own story and production context.
Electrical switchboards & switchgear · Ulvila, Finland
Before SkyPlanner
Department-specific Excel spreadsheets and no dedicated production planning system. Information moved slowly between the manually updated spreadsheets and the ERP, sequence changes did not always reach the shop floor, and about an hour every morning went to confirming the order of work.
What changed
SkyPlanner integrated with Oracle NetSuite and the payroll system unites all lines and departments of the Ulvila factory. AI-powered automatic scheduling and the Gantt timeline show plan and actuals in one view, and a new work queue reaches the installers on the line in seconds.
Reported result
About two hours of working time saved every week, more precise scheduling of project deliveries such as park transformer substations and medium-voltage switchgear, and less downtime in the first year of use.
Mixing technology & high-tech contract manufacturing · Lohja, Finland
Before SkyPlanner
The ERP system’s rigid planning functions gave no overall picture, so production was steered on the shop floor by the delivery dates on paper work orders. The interdependencies of thousands of jobs could not be managed by hand, and management’s view of the production load rested on subjective estimates.
What changed
SkyPlanner, integrated with Oscar ERP, is now the master platform for production planning. AI-powered finite scheduling puts jobs in order automatically, work queues are locked for a week at a time, and anyone can check a job’s status and schedule with an order number.
Reported result
A clearly lighter production planning workload, less downtime thanks to an optimized work sequence, more sensible lead times and improved delivery reliability. Management sees at a glance whether there is work for a week or for five months.
Chemical manufacturing (FSSC 22000) · Salo, Finland
Before SkyPlanner
Production planned with Excel and a separate, in-house-coded warehouse application that had no connection to financial administration. Data accumulated in several places as the company grew into tightly regulated food production.
What changed
SkyPlanner integrated with Visma Nova keeps the data in one place. Production workers log quantities, raw-material consumption and waste with clear reason codes, and AI-powered planning updates the plan automatically when urgent orders or product-development runs come in.
Reported result
100% delivery reliability for the entire time SkyPlanner has been in use, since 2021. Production records are more accurate, traceability is easier, and new production planners get up to speed fast.
Sheet-metal mechanics & contract manufacturing · Alahärmä, Finland
Before SkyPlanner
Production loaded weekly in the C9000 ERP and spreadsheets. Orders fall on a specific day, so day-level finite-capacity scheduling stayed a manual job — two supervisors assigned jobs to machines by hand, and delivery reliability sat around 50%.
What changed
SkyPlanner’s AI handles finite-capacity scheduling and assigns each job to the right machine automatically. A pre-welding check confirms every part is ready before a job enters the queue, and the C9000 integration keeps orders on one source of truth.
Reported result
Delivery reliability up from around 50% to as high as 98%, the scheduling workload halved from two supervisors to one, and a sharply growing product range absorbed without adding staff.
Roof safety & rainwater systems · Kauhava, Finland
Before SkyPlanner
Spreadsheets and printed paper work orders carried to the floor. No view of capacity load across three departments; keeping the schedule current took one person’s full working time.
What changed
AI handles detailed scheduling automatically. The Gantt timeline shows optimized load across departments, and batches, pallet labels and stock events flow through the Visma Nova integration in real time.
Reported result
Up to four hours of working time saved per day, delivery reliability of 99.2% this year — and improved inventory accuracy.
Laboratory & Allied Limited
Pharmaceutical manufacturing · Nairobi, Kenya
Before SkyPlanner
Excel spreadsheets and the intuition of production managers. Sales asked production for completion dates, and machine investments leaned on experience rather than utilization data.
What changed
AI scheduling integrated with SAP Business One on HANA and Power BI produces an optimized plan in seconds. Sales follows orders through blending, production and quarantine without contacting production.
Reported result
Production efficiency up 90%, on-time deliverables and customer reporting up 50%, and investment decisions based on real utilization data.
Food packaging manufacturing · Rauma, Finland
Before SkyPlanner
Work cards transferred manually, jobs prioritised without visibility into machine release times or shift-by-shift capacity. Urgent rescheduling could take an hour or more.
What changed
All machines, booked and free capacity, shift schedules and job progress in one Gantt view. Need dates flow back to Visma L7 so procurement stays aligned.
Reported result
Capacity visible up to six months ahead, schedule-change answers in seconds, reduced overtime need, and delivery promises based on capacity data.
Contract machining · Turku, Finland
Before SkyPlanner
An older ERP and production control system with work queues organised largely by hand. Material availability was not visible in real time, so shortages surfaced too close to a job’s start.
What changed
Visual work queues and an AI-powered Gantt timeline show the optimized upcoming load. Material shortages are flagged clearly the moment an order is created.
Reported result
More accurate delivery dates, fewer stoppages caused by material shortages, and clearer, more controlled daily scheduling.
SkyPlanner creates the foundation and reliability for all production planning. You can trust the system to bring the data and the facts — all durations and the like. You don’t have to personally decide on things you don’t have precise information about.
“SkyPlanner has taken our production planning from Excel spreadsheets to real-time production optimization. We see capacity, load, and the work sequence at a glance, so we can make decisions based on real-time data.”
“Production is under control in a different way, and our understanding of capacity is on a completely different level. SkyPlanner gives the big picture but also makes it really easy to drill into the details. Compared to where we started, this is a whole different world.”
“SkyPlanner gives us visibility into capacity and makes planning predictable.”
“SkyPlanner plays a decisive role in maintaining our delivery reliability. It handles the finite capacity scheduling and which machine each job goes to, completely automatically.”
“Delivery reliability — internal and external — has improved substantially since SkyPlanner was introduced. SkyPlanner has clarified the entire production in practically every respect.”
“Efficiency has gone up 90% in production. Inventory control has gone up, and sales deliverables, getting goods on time and reporting to customer on time, has actually gone up 50%.”
“The way I see it, SkyPlanner’s effectiveness comes from the fact that the system just works. There are no hiccups that eat up time to sort out.”
Lessons
What these stories mean for your production
When ERP alone is not enough
Every manufacturer in these stories already ran an ERP before SkyPlanner — Visma Nova, Visma L7 and SAP Business One among them. The ERP knew the orders and the stock; what was missing was a finite-capacity schedule connected to that data. And connecting doesn’t have to be a project: Laboratory & Allied’s own IT team set up the SAP Business One on HANA integration largely by itself — mapping the data tables was quick work.
How SkyPlanner connects to ERP →Finite capacity is what makes promises real
Fredman’s sales now sees free capacity up to six months ahead; Piristeel addresses capacity shortfalls before they escalate. When the schedule respects real machine and shift limits, delivery promises stop being guesses.
Solutions by production type →Material visibility protects the schedule
Eskomatic’s stoppages fell once shortages were flagged at order creation instead of at job start. Material-aware scheduling means the plan only promises what can actually be built.
See material-aware scheduling →AI scheduling earns its keep on change days
A rush order, a breakdown, a missing material: rescheduling used to take Fredman an hour or more and Lab & Allied had no baseline at all. With AI handling the recalculation, an updated optimized plan arrives in seconds — every day, not just on launch day.
Watch SkyPlanner in action →Questions & answers
Common questions
Where is SkyPlanner used?
Globally — with 29 UI languages and partners and experts in more than 30 countries. The stories here span roof safety manufacturing in Finland and pharmaceutical production in Kenya.
What do customers say about SkyPlanner APS?
Reported proof points from the manufacturers we feature: improved capacity visibility, faster schedule updates after changes, reduced planner workload, and material-aware planning. Every outcome is attributed to the customer that reported it.
What results have manufacturers reported with SkyPlanner?
Results are specific to each manufacturer and its production. To give a sense of the range, among the stories featured here: about two hours of working time saved every week and new work queues on the line in seconds (UTU), thousands of simultaneous work orders scheduled automatically with less downtime (Mamec), 100% delivery reliability since 2021 (Opes Corporation), delivery reliability raised from around 50% to as high as 98% (KJH-Comp), up to four hours of daily planning time saved and 99.2% delivery reliability (Piristeel), capacity visible six months ahead (Fredman), production efficiency up 90% (Laboratory & Allied), and fewer material-shortage stoppages (Eskomatic).
How does SkyPlanner connect with ERP systems?
SkyPlanner connects with a wide range of ERP and production systems through integrations, APIs, and data flows matched to each customer’s environment — it is not limited to a fixed list. The manufacturers featured here run on Oracle NetSuite, Oscar, C9000, Visma Nova, Visma L7 with LTR, and SAP Business One on HANA with Power BI, for example; production data flows both ways, so the schedule and the ERP stay in sync. The setup can be light: Laboratory & Allied’s in-house IT team did the SAP integration largely on its own, with SkyPlanner’s team helping only on the most complex cases.
What is AI production scheduling in practice?
Scheduling and optimization logic that builds and updates a finite-capacity plan from real constraints: machines, shifts, materials, and priorities. In practice it looks like the workflows in these stories — a live Gantt timeline, capacity load views, shortage flags at order entry, and an optimized plan recalculated in seconds when production changes.
Where can I see SkyPlanner itself?
The tutorial videos show the Gantt timeline, capacity views and shop-floor logging in the product, and a meeting walks through them with your own production in mind.
Where can I read independent SkyPlanner APS reviews?
Independent reviews are on G2, where SkyPlanner APS is rated 4.4 out of 5 from 6 reviews. The customer stories on this page were approved by the customers themselves.
See how SkyPlanner would handle your production schedule
Bring your machines, shifts, and order book — in a short meeting we’ll show what finite-capacity AI scheduling looks like with your production, not a generic dataset.
