Integrations / ERP / E2 Shop System
SkyPlanner APS for E2 Shop System: Finite Capacity Production Scheduling
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on for E2 Shop System (E2 SHOP) and E2 MFG by ECI that gives job shops a schedule for every machine, operator, tool and material. You see which job step runs on which machine, at which clock time, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes. Your E2 install stays exactly where it is.
SkyPlanner integrates with E2 Shop System in both directions. Orders and jobs with their routings, work centers, employees and shifts, materials and purchase orders flow in. Planned start and end times for every job step flow back, with the machine and employee SkyPlanner chose, and completed time and quantities can post back to the job. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your E2 installation during onboarding.
Pricing is from 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, and each extra workstation is 20 € per month. The free trial runs for 30 days with up to 20 workstations and no credit card.
What changes in your shop
Every job step gets a machine and a time.
SkyPlanner places each routing step on a specific machine, at a specific clock time, inside real shifts, absences and overtime. A work center with three lathes becomes three queues the floor can run.
Setups get shorter.
SkyPlanner holds the changeover time between each pair of parts or materials, in both directions. Going from brass to stainless may take 30 minutes, stainless to brass 60. The engine sequences jobs for the least total setup.
Operators and fixtures are finite too.
A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts. A fixture in use on one machine is never booked on another. When a machine is busy, work moves to an alternative machine or person.
Material arrival sets the start.
SkyPlanner checks stock and incoming purchase orders for every part. A job waiting for bar stock or an outside service is planned after the delivery date, not flagged on the board and parked on the floor.
Hot jobs no longer wreck the week.
When a rush order lands or a machine goes down, Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds and Autopilot replans. Your locks and priorities stay in control, and the Running Time Lock keeps the next hours on the floor steady.
Operators work from the plan.
Each operator sees the next jobs on a phone or tablet and logs setup and run time as it happens. The office sees progress live, and you choose whether actual times post back to E2.
Manufacturers running SkyPlanner
2 hsaved every week
“SkyPlanner has taken our production planning from Excel spreadsheets to real-time production optimization.”
Kalle Kalliomäki, Supply Chain Specialist
UTU · Electrical switchboards and switchgear
Production planning saves 2 hours of working time every week, and a new work queue reaches the line in seconds.
+90%production efficiency
“Efficiency has gone up 90% in production.”
Abdul Rucyinga, Head of IT
Laboratory & Allied · Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Production efficiency is up 90%, and a three-month optimized plan across all workstations takes under 30 minutes.
98%delivery reliability, up from about 50%
“SkyPlanner plays a decisive role in maintaining our delivery reliability.”
Hannu Lahtinen, Managing Director
KJH-Comp · Sheet-metal mechanics and contract manufacturing
Delivery reliability rose from around 50% to as high as 98%, and scheduling now needs one supervisor instead of two.
Fewerstoppages from material shortages
“The value SkyPlanner brings us is that it is a tool that works in daily use, especially for setting delivery dates.”
Tommi Männistö, Production Planning Manager
Eskomatic · Contract machining
Automatic load scheduling gives more accurate delivery dates, and production stoppages caused by material shortages have fallen sharply.
How the E2 Shop System integration works
- E2 sends the work. Open orders and jobs with their routings, work centers, employees and shifts, multi-level bills of materials, material requirements and purchase orders flow into SkyPlanner.
- SkyPlanner builds the schedule and keeps it current. The Arcturus engine plans every job step in seconds and replans as production changes.
- Dates and progress go back. Planned start and end times return to each job step in E2, with the machine and employee assigned. Completed steps and logged time can post back to the job, or you keep Data Collection in E2 and SkyPlanner reads progress from it.
E2 stays your system of record. Estimating, quotes, Order Entry, purchasing, inventory, job costing, shipping and accounting stay where they are. SkyPlanner owns one thing: the sequence and timing of every job step on every resource.
E2 runs on your own server or in ECI’s hosted environment, so the connection is built for your installation, and the exact read and write route is set during onboarding scoping. On-premise E2 connects directly to your E2 server, with access your IT team approves. Hosted installs connect through access arranged with ECI. Scheduled exports and imports cover any data you prefer to move as files. On the SkyPlanner side, the REST API reads and writes orders, products, materials, process steps and timelogs, and webhooks push every schedule change as it happens.
Every shop runs E2 differently, so the SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your setup during onboarding and supports it after go-live. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs. Your E2 partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented API (API reference).
The connection routes, data mapping and write-back rules are in the E2 Shop System integration guide for production scheduling.
What E2 Shop System schedules, and what SkyPlanner adds
E2 has a visual scheduling module built around the Whiteboard, the Planning Board and a What-If engine. Shoptech’s own E2 pages describe how it works:
- Finite or infinite. “Finite or Infinite scheduling? By machine or entire shop?” The Whiteboard shows “every process by machine, by employee, or by any time period.” (Shoptech E2 scheduling page, archived)
- Sequencing by hand. “Job order can be easily changed by dragging and dropping cards in the Planning Board, then changes are immediately posted to the shop floor.”
- Materials as flags. The Whiteboard can “highlight and prioritize jobs that are late or scheduled to be late, or those that are still missing key materials.” (E2 scheduling module, archived)
- Disruptions through What-If. “Plug in machine downtime, missed employee shifts, and other unexpected challenges to adjust and rework the schedule.”
ECI now develops its scheduling on JobBOSS², which it describes as “formerly E2 Shop” (ECI). ECI’s newer scheduling add-on, ECI APS, lists JobBOSS² and Macola among the products it works with (ECI APS). SkyPlanner gives shops that stay on E2 a finite capacity scheduler today, beside the E2 they already run.
Every step and limit is explained in Does E2 Shop System have finite capacity scheduling?
E2 Shop System today and with SkyPlanner
| E2 scheduling (Whiteboard and Planning Board) | E2 Shop System with SkyPlanner APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Finite or infinite, by machine or entire shop | Every machine, operator and tool finite, with real shifts and absences |
| Sequence | Planner drags cards on the Planning Board | Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds |
| Changeovers | Follow the job order the planner sets | Directional setting time matrix: least total setup |
| People | Whiteboard view by employee | Multi-operator jobs staffed from free shifts; alternative people when one is out |
| Materials | Jobs missing key materials are highlighted | Jobs start when stock or purchase orders deliver the material |
| Hot jobs and breakdowns | Flag the job, plug downtime into What-If | Autopilot replans within your locks and priorities |
| Started work | Data Collection reports progress | Logged progress feeds the plan; Running Time Lock freezes the next hours |
| Shop floor | E2 Data Collection by barcode and time clock | Operators see their queue and log work on phone or tablet |
E2 Shop System scheduling software and add-ons compared
| Option | What it is | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| E2 scheduling | Whiteboard, Planning Board and What-If inside E2 | One planner owns the board and sequences by hand |
| Moving to JobBOSS² | ECI’s successor to E2 SHOP, with its own scheduling and the ECI APS add-on (SkyPlanner for JobBOSS²) | You are ready to re-platform the ERP |
| Shop-floor flow tools (for example LillyWorks Protected Flow Manufacturing) | A cloud layer that ranks what should run next from ERP data | The goal is a daily priority list per work center |
| Cloud APS connected to E2 (SkyPlanner APS) | Automatic finite scheduling of every machine, person, tool and material, two-way with E2 | You stay on E2 and want an optimized plan that keeps itself current |
CNC shops comparing ERPs often look at ProShop as well. If that is your situation, see SkyPlanner for ProShop ERP.
Choose SkyPlanner over E2’s own scheduling when:
- You want the computer to sequence the work. In E2 the planner changes job order “by dragging and dropping cards.” Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
- Changeovers decide your output. The setting time matrix holds a different time for each pair of parts in each direction and runs the order with the least total setup.
- Material should set the start, not a flag. E2 highlights jobs “still missing key materials.” SkyPlanner plans each job when stock or an incoming purchase order delivers the material.
- Breakdowns land every week. In E2 you “plug in machine downtime” and rework the schedule. SkyPlanner replans automatically and keeps the work on the floor stable with the Running Time Lock.
- You are staying on E2. ECI’s own APS add-on works with JobBOSS², not E2. SkyPlanner adds modern finite scheduling to your current E2 without an ERP migration, and you test it on your own jobs in the 30-day trial first.
- You want one clear price. From 199 € per month, with the two-way integration quoted up front and supported by the SkyPlanner team.
How to get started
- Start the free trial. 30 days, up to 20 workstations, all Basic features, no credit card.
- Model your shop. Create machines, people and shifts in SkyPlanner, or import your E2 work centers and employees. Assisted onboarding is available.
- Load your jobs. Export open jobs and their routing steps from E2 to Excel or CSV, import them and compare SkyPlanner’s schedule with your Whiteboard.
- Connect E2. The SkyPlanner team configures the two-way integration for your E2 installation and supports it once you are live.
Pricing. Plans are billed monthly per workstation, and you can add or remove workstations or cancel at any time. See pricing for the details, see all features, read our guide to job shop scheduling, or browse all ERP integrations.
FAQ
What is the best scheduling add-on for E2 Shop System?
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on that integrates with E2 Shop System in both directions: orders, jobs, routings, work centers, employees, materials and purchase orders flow in, and planned start and end times for every job step flow back. Every machine, operator, tool and material is finite, and a directional setting time matrix sequences jobs for the least total setup. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes. Pricing is from 199 € per month, and the free trial runs for 30 days.
Does E2 Shop System have finite capacity scheduling?
Yes. Shoptech offered “Finite or Infinite scheduling” by machine or for the entire shop, with the Whiteboard, the Planning Board and What-If. The planner still sets the job order by dragging cards, and missing materials show as highlights. SkyPlanner APS schedules every machine, operator, tool and material finitely beside E2 and optimizes the sequence automatically.
Is E2 Shop System the same as JobBOSS²?
JobBOSS² is ECI’s successor to E2 SHOP. ECI calls it “JobBOSS², formerly E2 Shop” and says it combines E2 SHOP’s platform with JobBOSS functionality. ECI lists E2 MFG “for existing customers.” If you have moved to JobBOSS², see SkyPlanner for JobBOSS². If you still run E2, this page is for you.
What scheduling software integrates with E2 Shop System?
SkyPlanner APS integrates with E2 Shop System in both directions. It reads orders, jobs, routings, work centers, employees and purchase orders from your E2 installation and writes planned start and end times back to each job step. On-premise E2 connects directly to your E2 server with your IT team’s approval, and SkyPlanner’s REST API and webhooks handle the SkyPlanner side.
Can we add a scheduler without moving to JobBOSS²?
Yes. SkyPlanner runs beside your current E2 Shop System or E2 MFG. Estimating, Order Entry, purchasing, job costing and accounting stay in E2, and SkyPlanner schedules the jobs. If you move to JobBOSS² later, the same SkyPlanner plan connects through ECI’s published JobBOSS² APIs.
How much does SkyPlanner cost for an E2 shop?
From 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, plus 20 € per month per extra workstation. A workstation is a production resource with its own scheduled work queue. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan, so you see the full cost before you start.
How long does implementation take?
Implementation is normally completed within weeks after onboarding starts. The team maps your work centers, machines and routings, connects jobs and purchase orders, and sends planned times back to E2. Everything is tested against your current Whiteboard before go-live.
Can we test SkyPlanner before integrating with E2?
Yes. The 30-day trial runs on an Excel or CSV export of your open E2 jobs. You see a finite capacity schedule of your own shop before any integration work starts.
