Production scheduling for foundries, forges and press shops
Foundry and metal forming production scheduling software
SkyPlanner APS turns your orders, furnaces, presses, casting machines, dies, patterns and shifts into one finite-capacity schedule. It keeps every shared die and pattern on one machine at a time, groups jobs by alloy and die so changeovers cost as little time as possible, holds castings through cooling and heat treatment before fettling and machining, and rebuilds the plan in seconds when a furnace or press stops. It integrates with any ERP or MES through its open REST API.
- Dies, patterns and molds as tools
- 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
2 → 1
supervisors needed for scheduling, KJH-Comp
Results reported by SkyPlanner customers Piristeel and KJH-Comp. Read all SkyPlanner APS reviews
Why casting and forming are hard to schedule
Hot metal, heavy tools and long waits between steps
A casting or a forging passes through melting, pouring or pressing, cooling, heat treatment, fettling and machining. Each step has its own equipment and its own hours, and the tool that shapes the part exists only once.
The furnace sets the rhythm
Melting and holding furnaces have fixed capacity and run on their own calendar. Molding lines, casting cells and pouring can only work with the metal the melt shop delivers.
Alloy order decides the waste
Moving between alloys or grades on the same furnace or casting machine costs time and metal. A good sequence runs the same alloy together instead of switching back and forth.
Every die and pattern exists once
Patterns, core boxes, die casting dies, forging dies and stamping tools are shared between orders and machines. Two orders that need the same die cannot run at the same time, and a die in repair blocks every job that uses it.
Parts wait to cool
Castings stay in the mold or on the cooling line, and forgings and stampings wait for heat treatment or ageing. During that time the part cannot move on, but the machine that made it is already free for the next job.
Finishing has its own bottlenecks
Shot blasting, fettling, grinding, machining, coating and inspection follow every casting and forging. A plan that stops at the casting machine fills the finishing shop with queues.
A spreadsheet cannot see the die
A spreadsheet or ERP plans each press and furnace with endless hours, books one die on two machines and ignores cooling time. Every breakdown means hours of manual rework.
Foundries and forming plants get a schedule that follows the metal. SkyPlanner loads every furnace, casting machine and press to its real hours, keeps each die and pattern in one place at a time, holds parts through cooling and heat treatment and rebuilds the plan in seconds when a furnace or press stops.
Tool-aware, alloy-aware sequencing
One die, one machine, one alloy run at a time.
Every die change and alloy switch is machine time with no good parts. SkyPlanner knows where each die, pattern and mold can run and sequences each machine so changeovers cost as little time as possible.
Dies, patterns and molds as scheduled tools
Register dies, patterns, core boxes and other tools, link them to the products that need them and to the machines that can take them. A shared tool cannot be in two places at once, so the schedule never plans one die on two presses at the same time.
Alloy, die and size as properties
Tag products with properties such as alloy, grade, die or dimension, and define a changeover matrix for each machine: how long it takes to move from one value to another, in each direction.
Same alloy, same die, back to back
The Arcturus AI engine groups similar jobs in succession and minimises total changeover time, so a press keeps its die and a casting cell keeps its alloy for as long as the due dates allow.
How SkyPlanner schedules a foundry or forge
From melt shop to machined part, one plan
SkyPlanner schedules to the furnaces, machines, tools and people you really have, follows every part through cooling and finishing, and shows the same plan on the shop floor.
Finite capacity across furnaces, presses and casting cells
Each furnace, molding line, die casting machine, forging press and stamping press has its own shift calendar, whether it runs one shift or around the clock, and planned furnace relining, die maintenance and breakdowns can be entered as exceptions. Personnel scheduling assigns die setters, furnace crews and operators to shifts and workstations, so the plan never puts a die change on a shift with nobody to do it.
- No job lands on a machine that is blocked, unstaffed or cannot take its die
- Several plants scheduled together, with transfer times between sites
Cooling, heat treatment, fettling and machining in the flow
Teardown times hold a casting or forging after its step for as long as it has to cool or age, while the machine that made it moves on to the next order. Heat treatment, shot blasting, fettling, machining and coating are scheduled as workstations in the same routing, and outside heat treaters or machine shops become subcontract workstations. Multi-level bills of materials and sub-products link cores, inserts and castings to the assemblies they go into, and material-based scheduling starts a job only when its metal and components will be there.
- Minimum degree of completion lets machining start before the whole batch is through fettling
- Need dates for metal, inserts and outside work flow back to your ERP
Furnace, press and finishing crews follow one schedule
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 been cast, forged or pressed.
Furnace down, die in repair, rush order in
A cracked die changes the plan, not the delivery promise
When a die needs repair, a furnace goes down, a heat treatment slot moves or a customer pulls an order forward, 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 scheduled as a simulated order and see the earliest realistic delivery date, without disturbing confirmed orders.
- See what a rush casting or forging does to every other promise and every die already booked.
- Quote ship dates from real furnace and press hours, including cooling, heat treatment and machining.
The value SkyPlanner brings us is that it is a tool that works in daily use, especially for setting delivery dates. There, I think, it works well.
Tommi Männistö, Production Planning Manager, Eskomatic Oy
Integrates with any ERP or MES
Alloys, items and stock stay in your ERP. SkyPlanner decides what each furnace and press runs next.
SkyPlanner connects to all ERP and MES systems through its open REST API, including in-house systems. Orders, products and routings 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 & tools
- Metal, inserts & stock
- Customers & due dates
SkyPlanner APS
Schedules production
- Furnaces
- Presses
- Dies & patterns
- Alloys
- Cooling times
- Shifts
- Schedule
Back to your ERP
ERP · Reports · Management
- Planned start & end times
- Material need dates
- Progress, quantities & scrap
- Delivery dates
- SAP S/4HANA
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Oracle NetSuite
- Infor
- Epicor
- IFS Cloud
- Sage X3
- Odoo
- Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform
Where SkyPlanner fits
Used by casting and forming plants of every size
From a single press line to groups of foundries and forges in several countries. Wherever many parts share furnaces, presses and dies and every part still has to be cooled, treated and finished, SkyPlanner plans it.
Foundry and metal forming segments
- Sand casting foundries
- Investment casting foundries
- Aluminium and zinc die casting
- Iron and steel foundries
- Closed-die and open-die forging
- Stamping and deep drawing
- Metal powder parts and sintering
- Cold forming and fastener production
- Casting and forging suppliers to automotive and machinery
Why SkyPlanner for casting and forming
Why foundries, forges and press shops choose SkyPlanner
SkyPlanner APS is AI production scheduling software for foundries, forges, die casters and stamping plants that want every furnace, press and die planned to real capacity, with cooling, heat treatment and machining in the same schedule. It runs on its own from day one and connects to any ERP or MES through an open REST API.
Dies and patterns never double-booked
Each die, pattern and mold is linked to its products and to the machines that can take it, so a shared tool is never planned in two places at once.
Fewer alloy and die changes
Per-machine changeover matrices by alloy, die or size let the AI engine group similar jobs and cut changeover time while meeting due dates.
Cooling and heat treatment built in
Teardown times hold parts while they cool or age, and heat treatment, fettling and machining are planned in the same routing, in house or as subcontract workstations.
Replans in seconds
When a furnace stops, a die cracks or a rush order arrives, the Arcturus AI engine rebuilds the finite-capacity schedule in seconds.
Ship dates sales can hold
Enter a new casting or forging as a simulated order and see its realistic delivery date from real furnace, press and finishing capacity, without moving a confirmed order.
Published price, any ERP
From 199 € / month with 5 workstations included and 20 € per month per additional workstation. Start a 30-day free trial with up to 20 workstations and no credit card, then connect any ERP or MES through the REST API.
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 furnaces, presses, dies and changeover matrices.
Questions foundries and forming plants ask
Frequently asked questions
What is the best production scheduling software for foundries and metal forming?
Foundry and forming scheduling software has to treat dies, patterns and molds as shared tools, sequence alloys and die changes with direction-dependent changeover times, and carry every part through cooling, heat treatment and finishing to finite capacity. SkyPlanner APS does all of this, and the Arcturus AI engine rebuilds the schedule in seconds when a furnace or press stops. Pricing is published from 199 € / month, there is a 30-day free trial, and the open REST API integrates with any ERP or MES.
Is SkyPlanner a finite-capacity APS for melt shops, casting lines and forging presses?
Yes. SkyPlanner APS is an advanced planning and scheduling system that loads every furnace, molding line, die casting machine and press only up to the hours its shift calendar allows. It builds one schedule from melting and pouring through cooling, heat treatment, fettling and machining, and the Arcturus AI engine optimises the sequence against due dates, alloy changes and die changes.
Which casting and forging data flows between SkyPlanner and SAP or Epicor?
Sales orders and call-offs, products with their routings and dies, metal, inserts and stock levels, and customer due dates come in from SAP, Epicor or any other ERP or MES, in-house systems included, through the open REST API. SkyPlanner sends back planned start and end times, material need dates, reported quantities and scrap, and delivery dates. Skycode builds the integration for you, or your developers work from the public API documentation.
Do alloy specifications, metal stock and costing stay in the ERP when SkyPlanner plans the furnaces and presses?
Yes. Items, alloy and grade data, metal and insert stock, purchasing and costing stay in your ERP as before. SkyPlanner decides what each furnace, casting machine and press runs next and in which order, then returns the need dates your buyers use to order metal, inserts and outside heat treatment for the days the schedule really needs them.
How soon can a foundry or forge see its first furnace and press schedule?
Today. Start the 30-day free trial with up to 20 workstations and no credit card, explore with demo data or enter your furnaces, casting machines and presses, register your dies and patterns, and import your open orders by CSV or by hand. That first schedule runs standalone before any ERP integration, and onboarding workshops then set up your alloy and die changeover matrices, cooling times and shift calendars together with your planners.
Does SkyPlanner fit a jobbing foundry with one molding line as well as a group of forges in several countries?
Yes, every size. A jobbing foundry or small press shop starts from 199 € / month with 5 workstations included and pays 20 € per month for each additional workstation as it adds furnaces and presses. Groups schedule several foundries and forges together with transfer times between sites, and melt crews, die setters and press operators in every country work in their own language, since the interface comes in 29 languages.
Can SkyPlanner schedule dies, patterns and cooling times?
Yes. Register dies, patterns, core boxes and molds as tools and link each one to its products and to the machines that accept it, and the schedule never books the same die on two presses or one pattern on two molding lines. Teardown times keep a casting in the mold or a forging waiting for heat treatment for as long as it needs, while the casting machine or press moves straight on to its next order.
How does SkyPlanner sequence alloy and die changes, and what happens when a die cracks mid-week?
Tag each product with its alloy, grade, die or size and give every furnace, casting cell and press a changeover matrix with the time to move from one value to another in each direction. The Arcturus AI engine then runs the same alloy and the same die back to back for as long as due dates allow. When a die goes to repair or a furnace stops, it rebuilds the whole sequence in seconds, keeps locked jobs where they are and shows the new delivery date of every order that used that die.
More industries
Production scheduling in related industries
Bring a week of castings and forgings. See every die booked once.
Send us a week of orders with your furnaces, presses and dies. In a demo we schedule them, show the alloy and die sequence on each machine, the cooling and heat treatment waits, and the ship dates you can quote.
