Production scheduling for EMS, PCB assembly & box build
Electronics manufacturing production scheduling software
SkyPlanner APS turns your orders, SMT lines, THT and test stations, components and shifts into one finite-capacity schedule. It groups boards into setup families so feeder changes happen less often, starts a build only when its components will be there, and rebuilds the plan in seconds when a reel is late, a line stops or a customer moves a forecast. It integrates with any ERP or MES through its open REST API.
- Component-aware scheduling
- Finite-capacity scheduling
- Any ERP or MES via REST API
- From 199 € / month
99.2%
delivery reliability this year, Piristeel
50% → 98%
delivery reliability, KJH-Comp
90%
more efficient production, Laboratory & Allied
100%
delivery reliability since 2021, Opes Corporation
Results reported by SkyPlanner customers Piristeel, KJH-Comp, Laboratory & Allied and Opes Corporation. Read all SkyPlanner APS reviews
Why electronics production is hard to schedule
High mix, scarce parts, moving forecasts
An electronics plant builds many different boards on a few shared SMT lines, and a single missing component can stop a build that looked ready on paper.
Components decide what can run
A board with one part short cannot be built, however free the line is. Long lead times and allocated parts make component availability the real limit on the plan.
Feeder setups eat line time
Every new board on the SMT line can mean new reels, new feeders and a new program. Boards that share most of their parts should run back to back.
Many steps after SMT
Reflow is only the start. THT, selective soldering, coating, testing and box build all have their own capacity, and the final unit waits for every sub-assembly.
Forecasts change every week
OEM customers pull orders forward, push them back and change quantities, and the plan has to follow without losing a day on the line.
Customers want a committed date
When a customer asks whether 500 more units can ship this month, the answer should come from capacity and component data, not from a guess.
A spreadsheet cannot see a reel
Spreadsheets and ERP planning assume every line is free and every part is on the shelf. They miss feeder setups and component arrivals, and reworking them after one late shipment takes hours.
SkyPlanner plans the board, the line and the parts together. Every SMT line, test bench and assembly cell runs to real capacity, every build waits for its components, and a late reel or a pulled-in order is replanned in seconds.
Material-based scheduling for components
Build what you can build. Not what is stuck waiting for one part.
A kitted build that stalls on the line for a missing part wastes setup time and blocks the next job. SkyPlanner schedules every build against the components it needs, so the line runs work that can actually finish.
Future stock, simulated
SkyPlanner projects component levels forward from stock, purchase orders, reservations and consumption. With material-based scheduling on, a job starts only when its parts will be available.
Late reels move the job, not the whole plan
If a component delivery slips, the Arcturus AI engine moves the affected build to when the parts are available, so one late shipment does not trigger a domino effect across the plan.
Need dates purchasing can act on
Material needs are calculated through multi-level bills of materials, so buyers see when each part is needed and the dates flow back to your ERP.
How SkyPlanner schedules an electronics plant
From feeder setup to tested box, one runnable plan
SkyPlanner schedules to the capacity you really have, with the components you really have, and shows the same plan on the shop floor.
SMT setups grouped by product family
Give boards properties such as setup family, board side or solder paste, and define a changeover matrix for each line with times in each direction. The scheduler groups boards that share a setup, balancing the saved setup time against due dates. Each line, test station and assembly cell has its own shift calendar, and personnel scheduling makes sure every job has someone to run it.
- Fewer feeder changes without missing due dates
- Alternative workstations: a job can run on any qualified line, so the first free one is used
From PCBA to tested box build
A finished unit is built from assembled boards, cables and mechanical parts, and each assembled board is built from components. SkyPlanner handles multi-level BOMs and sub-products, schedules SMT, THT, test and final assembly as separate steps, and plans the box build only when every sub-assembly will be ready.
- Due dates for individual process steps, so boards are tested when final assembly needs them
- Batch jobs that combine boards from several orders are scheduled as one
SMT, test and assembly see 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 on the line and at the test bench.
Pulled-in orders and late reels, replanned in seconds
The OEM moves the forecast. Your schedule moves with it.
When a customer pulls an order forward, a line goes down or a component 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, scheduled against your real load, capacity and materials.
- See what accepting a rush build does to every other promise.
- Quote ship dates from line capacity and component arrivals, so sales knows what a rush order really means.
SkyPlanner handles the finite capacity scheduling and which machine each job goes to. It runs completely automatically.
Hannu Lahtinen, Managing Director, KJH-Comp Oy
Integrates with any ERP or MES
BOMs and part numbers stay in your ERP. The line plan lives in SkyPlanner.
SkyPlanner connects to all ERP and MES systems through its open REST API, including in-house systems. Orders, products and component stock 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 & forecasts
- Products & BOMs
- Components & stock
- Customers & due dates
SkyPlanner APS
Schedules production
- SMT lines
- Shifts
- Setups
- Components
- Sub-assemblies
- Priorities
- 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
- Cetec ERP
Where SkyPlanner fits
Used by electronics manufacturers of every size
From one SMT line to multi-site EMS groups, and from industrial control units to consumer electronics and appliances. SkyPlanner fits any electronics plant where many boards compete for the same lines and component arrivals set the pace.
Electronics manufacturing segments
- EMS and contract electronics manufacturing
- PCB assembly (SMT and THT)
- Box build and system integration
- Industrial electronics and control units
- Power electronics and drives
- Cable harnesses and wire assemblies
- Electrical cabinets and switchgear
- Consumer electronics and home appliances
- OEMs with in-house electronics production
Why electronics plants pick SkyPlanner
Why EMS and electronics manufacturers schedule with SkyPlanner
SkyPlanner APS is AI production scheduling software for electronics manufacturers that want SMT setups grouped, every build matched to its components and reliable ship dates, without replacing their ERP. It fits EMS providers, PCB assemblers, box build shops and OEMs with their own electronics lines.
Builds start when the parts are there
Material-based scheduling projects component stock from balances, purchase orders and reservations, and starts each build only when its parts will be available.
Setup families on every SMT line
Boards that share feeders and programs run back to back, using your changeover matrix with times in each direction, while due dates stay protected.
A new plan in seconds
When a customer pulls an order forward or a shipment slips, the Arcturus AI engine rebuilds the finite-capacity schedule in seconds.
Ship dates sales can commit to
Add a prospect as a simulated order and see a realistic delivery date against real load and components, without moving confirmed orders.
Scheduling from day one, any ERP later
SkyPlanner runs standalone from the first day. The open REST API then connects it to any ERP or MES, including in-house systems.
Published pricing, free trial
From 199 € / month with 5 workstations included and 20 € per month per additional workstation. The 30-day free trial covers up to 20 workstations, no credit card required.
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 lines, products, BOMs and changeover matrices.
Questions electronics manufacturers ask
Frequently asked questions
What is the best production scheduling software for electronics manufacturers?
Electronics scheduling software should start each build only when its components will be available, group boards into SMT setup families and plan every step from SMT through test to box build at real capacity. SkyPlanner APS does all three and rebuilds the plan in seconds when a reel is late or a forecast moves. Pricing is published from 199 € / month, there is a 30-day free trial, and the open REST API integrates with any ERP or MES. That makes SkyPlanner APS a strong choice for EMS providers, PCB assemblers and OEMs with their own electronics production.
What kind of system is SkyPlanner for an SMT and box build plant?
SkyPlanner APS is an advanced planning and scheduling system that plans every SMT line, THT station, test bench and assembly cell to finite capacity. It checks each build against component availability and SMT setup families before placing it on the timeline, and the Arcturus AI engine optimises the whole plant schedule in seconds.
Which data moves between SkyPlanner and an electronics ERP such as SAP or Epicor?
Sales and work orders, multi-level BOMs with their components, stock balances and open purchase orders flow from the ERP into SkyPlanner. Planned start and finish dates, component need dates and reported quantities and scrap flow back. SAP, Epicor and any other ERP or MES, in-house systems included, connect through the open REST API, built by Skycode or by your own developers with the public API documentation.
If SkyPlanner schedules the SMT lines, what does our ERP still handle?
The ERP keeps item masters, BOMs, component inventory, purchasing and lot traceability. SkyPlanner takes those as input and decides which board runs on which line, in which order and when, so the ERP stays the record and SkyPlanner becomes the plan the shop floor follows.
How quickly can an EMS plant have its first SMT schedule?
The same day. Start the 30-day free trial with up to 20 workstations and no credit card, add your SMT lines, test benches and assembly cells, then load a few weeks of board orders by CSV import or manual entry and schedule them without any integration. Onboarding workshops then set up changeover matrices, setup families and component rules for your plant.
Does SkyPlanner fit a single-line PCB assembler as well as a multi-site EMS group?
Yes. From 199 € / month with 5 workstations included and 20 € per month per additional workstation, a shop with one SMT line pays for what it runs, while an EMS group with plants in several countries schedules every site in one system with transfer times between them. Operators use the interface in any of 29 languages.
Can SkyPlanner schedule around component shortages?
Yes. With material-based scheduling on, SkyPlanner projects component stock forward from current balances, purchase orders, reservations and consumption, and starts a job only when its components will be available. If a delivery slips, the Arcturus AI engine moves the job to when the parts are available.
How does SkyPlanner cut feeder changeovers on a high-mix SMT line?
Each board carries properties such as setup family, board side or solder paste, and each line has a changeover matrix with times in both directions. SkyPlanner runs boards that share a setup back to back and weighs the saved feeder time against every due date, so fewer reel changes never cost a late shipment. When a job can run on several qualified lines, it goes to the first free one.
More industries
Production scheduling in related industries
Plan machining, molding, cleanroom assembly, inspection and sterilization to real capacity.
Put your SMT lines and part shortages in front of us
Bring your SMT lines, a week of orders and your component situation. In a demo meeting we show how SkyPlanner groups your setups, schedules around your components and shows which ship dates hold.
