Integrations / ERP / E2 Shop System
Does E2 Shop System Have Finite Capacity Scheduling? The Whiteboard and Planning Board Explained
Yes. E2 Shop System offers finite or infinite scheduling, by machine or for the entire shop. The planner works with a Whiteboard, a drag-and-drop Planning Board and a What-If engine. The job order on each machine stays with the planner, and materials show up as highlights rather than as constraints. Shops that want every machine, operator, tool and material scheduled finitely, and the sequence optimized for them, run SkyPlanner APS beside E2.
This article covers E2 Shop System (E2 SHOP) and E2 MFG, the E2 Manufacturing System, both from Shoptech, now part of ECI Software Solutions. ECI rebuilt the job shop edition as JobBOSS², which it calls “JobBOSS², formerly E2 Shop” (ECI). ECI lists E2 MFG “for existing customers” (ECI). If your shop has moved to JobBOSS², read Does JobBOSS² have finite capacity scheduling? instead. ECI no longer publishes the E2 scheduling pages, so the quotes below come from Shoptech’s archived E2 pages.
How E2 schedules, step by step
1. Work centers, employees and shifts
E2 plans against work centers, machines and employees. The Whiteboard lets you “see every process by machine, by employee, or by any time period,” and the E2 Manufacturing System lets you “create a wide range of schedules and distinguish them by shift, department, job, and more.” (Shoptech E2 scheduling page, archived; E2 scheduling module, archived)
2. Jobs and routings
Work arrives from Estimating and Order Entry as jobs. Each job carries its routing steps, quantities and due date. E2 MFG adds multi-level bills of materials and handles “discrete orders, sales orders, forecasted, stock, EDI and planned orders.”
3. Finite or infinite loading
Shoptech put the choice plainly: “Finite or Infinite scheduling? By machine or entire shop?” Load is built from the jobs in the shop and the hours each machine has available.
4. The Whiteboard
“The Whiteboard is the epicenter of the Scheduling Module.” It sorts data “by day, workstation, job number, timeline, and more,” and Shoptech says “Whiteboard Scheduling lets you see bottlenecks before they arise.” The Whiteboard can “highlight and prioritize jobs that are late or scheduled to be late, or those that are still missing key materials.”
5. The Planning Board
“The Planning Board replaces a scheduling board, with color-coded cards to display a job’s progress in real-time.” Sequencing is a planner action: “Job order can be easily changed by dragging and dropping cards in the Planning Board, then changes are immediately posted to the shop floor.” In E2 MFG you “use drag-and-drop technology to quickly move jobs to different work centers, shifts, employees, and more.”
6. What-If and hot jobs
“What-If scenarios let you handle problems, like machine breakdowns, or let you ascertain delivery dates before you commit to your customers.” The What-If engine “can also work backwards from a proposed due date. It will tell you exactly when you need to start the job.” Rush work is flagged: “It’s simple to flag high priority jobs.”
7. Data Collection
Progress comes from the floor. E2 Data Collection “harvests information from your employees, work centers, and even your materials and products in real time,” tracks jobs “via information collected through scannable barcode,” and uses “the integrated time-clock function to track employee time.” (E2 Data Collection, archived)
8. Where ECI’s scheduling is heading
ECI’s newer scheduling add-on is ECI APS. Its page lists JobBOSS² and Macola as the products it works with, and E2 is not on that list (ECI APS).
What stays with the planner
Shoptech’s own descriptions show a scheduler built for visibility, with the decisions left to the person at the board:
- The job order. The Planning Board lets you change job order “by dragging and dropping cards.” The sequence on each machine is a planner decision.
- Disruptions. When a machine breaks or people are out, you “plug in machine downtime, missed employee shifts, and other unexpected challenges to adjust and rework the schedule.” The rework is manual.
- Materials. Jobs “still missing key materials” are highlighted. The planner then decides which job waits and which job moves up.
- Delivery dates. What-If shows “exactly when you need to start the job” for a proposed due date. The planner runs the scenario and commits the date.
- Changeovers. Because the planner sets the job order, setup time follows that order. Grouping similar jobs to save setups is a planner’s skill.
- The road ahead. ECI APS works with JobBOSS² and Macola, not with E2.
When E2 scheduling is enough
The native module does the job when:
- One experienced planner owns the Whiteboard and likes to sequence by hand.
- The shop has a handful of machines and few overloads.
- Setups are short or do not depend on the job before.
- Operators and fixtures rarely decide which job can run.
- Material arrives on time, so a highlight is enough.
If that fits, keep work center hours and routing times accurate, use Data Collection on every step, and run What-If before you quote a date.
When you need a finite capacity scheduler
You have outgrown the board when several of these are true:
- The planner spends hours each week dragging cards after rush jobs and breakdowns.
- Changeover time depends on which part, material or fixture ran before.
- Operators, shifts and absences limit output as much as machines do.
- Fixtures, gauges or tooling move between machines.
- Late bar stock or outside services decide which job can start.
- You are staying on E2 and want modern scheduling without migrating the ERP.
What to look for
- Every resource finite at once: machines, people, tools and material.
- Automatic sequencing by priority, due date and customer, across the whole shop.
- A setting time matrix with sequence-dependent, directional changeover times.
- Multi-operator jobs and tools as finite shared resources.
- Material-aware scheduling that checks stock and incoming purchase orders.
- Automatic rescheduling when progress or orders change, with locks for work already on the floor.
- A clean E2 data path. Ask every vendor how jobs leave your E2 installation, how planned dates get back to each job step, and who supports it after go-live.
The options fall into four groups:
- E2 scheduling on the Whiteboard and Planning Board, run by a planner.
- A move to JobBOSS², ECI’s successor, with its own scheduling and the ECI APS add-on.
- Shop-floor flow tools that rank what should run next from ERP data.
- Cloud APS connected to E2, where SkyPlanner sits, scheduling every resource automatically beside E2 and putting the plan in operators’ hands.
For background on the method, see our guide to job shop scheduling.
Where SkyPlanner fits
SkyPlanner APS takes over the work that stays with the planner. Every workstation, person, tool and material is finite, with real clock times. Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds, sequenced by job priority, completion date, customer priority, Fast Track and Dynamic Priorities.
The setting time matrix holds the changeover time between each pair of parts in both directions, and the engine picks the order with the least setup. A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts. A fixture in use on one machine is never booked on another, and work moves to an alternative machine or person when the first choice is busy.
Material-driven scheduling simulates future inventory from stock and incoming purchase orders, so a job is planned when its material is there. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes, and the Running Time Lock freezes the next hours of work so the floor is not disrupted. Operators log work on phone or tablet with Mobile Confirmations, Production Timer and Quick Log Mode.
Choose SkyPlanner over E2 scheduling when:
- You want the sequence optimized, not dragged. Arcturus sequences every machine at once, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
- Setups depend on the job before. The directional setting time matrix plans the order with the least total setup.
- People, fixtures and material are real constraints. They sit in one finite schedule with the machines, and a job starts when its material is there.
- You are staying on E2. SkyPlanner adds finite scheduling to the E2 you run today, without an ERP migration, after you test it on your own jobs.
Start with an Excel or CSV export of open E2 jobs in the 30-day free trial (up to 20 workstations, no credit card). After that, pricing is from 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, billed monthly. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan.
SkyPlanner integrates with E2 Shop System in both directions, configured for your E2 installation by the SkyPlanner team during onboarding. Your partner or developers can work on the documented REST API. See the SkyPlanner for E2 Shop System page, the E2 Shop System integration guide, SkyPlanner features or all ERP integrations.
Manufacturers running SkyPlanner
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.
99.2%delivery reliability
“SkyPlanner has brought visibility to identifying bottlenecks and clarified production management.”
Toni Tuori, Production Manager
Piristeel · Roof safety and rainwater systems
Delivery reliability reached 99.2% this year, and scheduling saves up to four hours of working time per day.
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.
FAQ
Does E2 Shop System have a scheduling module?
Yes. E2 includes the Whiteboard, a drag-and-drop Planning Board and a What-If engine, with finite or infinite scheduling by machine or for the entire shop.
Is E2 scheduling finite or infinite?
Either. Shoptech offered “Finite or Infinite scheduling” by machine or for the whole shop. The order of jobs on each machine remains a planner decision on the Planning Board.
What is the difference between the Whiteboard and the Planning Board?
The Whiteboard is “the epicenter of the Scheduling Module”: it shows load by machine, employee and time period and highlights late jobs and jobs missing materials. The Planning Board shows jobs as color-coded cards that you drag to change the job order.
Does E2 handle machine breakdowns automatically?
E2 handles them through What-If: you plug in machine downtime and missed shifts and rework the schedule. SkyPlanner’s Autopilot replans automatically when production changes, within your locks and priorities.
Is E2 Shop System still supported, or should we move to JobBOSS²?
ECI lists E2 MFG “for existing customers,” and its ECI APS scheduling add-on works with JobBOSS², “formerly E2 Shop,” not with E2. Shops that stay on E2 add SkyPlanner for finite scheduling without migrating. Shops that move get the same SkyPlanner plan through SkyPlanner for JobBOSS².
Can I test SkyPlanner before integrating it with E2?
Yes. Import open jobs, routings and work centers from E2 as Excel or CSV during the 30-day trial and compare the schedule with your Whiteboard. See pricing, start the trial or talk to sales.
