Integrations / ERP / Fulcrum
Does Fulcrum Have Finite Capacity Scheduling? Fulcrum Autoschedule Explained
Yes, at the equipment level. Fulcrum’s Autoschedule places every job operation onto a specific machine, inside department shifts that cap how many machines can run at once. It sequences by work in process, job priority level and production due date. People are modeled as that machine count, not as individual operators, and setup is a fixed or per-unit time per operation. Shops that need operators, sequence-dependent setups and shared tools in the same plan run SkyPlanner APS beside Fulcrum.
Autoschedule is part of the Fulcrum platform, not a separate module. Fulcrum does not publish a price list. Its FAQ says “Pricing is based on company size, scope, and implementation requirements.” It adds: “Fulcrum doesn’t follow a traditional per-user licensing model.”
How Fulcrum schedules production, step by step
1. Equipment
Capacity starts under Business Setup > System Data > Shop Setup. “Equipment within Fulcrum is defined as your machinery and workstations.” Each piece of equipment has three settings that matter to the schedule:
- Equipment Status. When marked “Out of Service,” the schedule “will reorganize jobs based on what equipment remains in an operational status.”
- Can Run Unattended. For machines that a person sets up and that then finish the operation unattended, or that run outside shift hours.
- Unlimited Capacity. For equipment that “can run simultaneous jobs”, such as a paint booth or an oven.
Every other machine runs one operation at a time. (source)
2. Departments and shifts
“Departments are best thought of in terms of personnel constraints.” Each department has one or more shifts with start and end times, working days, the equipment that can run in the shift and “how many pieces of equipment can be running at the same time.” A shift can also be marked unlimited capacity, and the API exposes a maximum number of new jobs per shift. (source)
3. Work centers and operations
“A Fulcrum Work Center is defined as a group of interchangeable equipment with similar capabilities.” Fulcrum is explicit that “you will be scheduling to equipment. The Work Center tells the schedule what equipment can be used for a specific operation.”
Operations carry standard setup, labor and machine times. In the API, setup time is either fixed or perUnit. Options include buffer time, splitting an operation across two machines, and simultaneous equipment scheduling, where an operation takes other machines offline while it runs. A routing can pin a specific machine. (source)
4. Priority and the two algorithms
“The schedule prioritizes jobs first based on the following: Work In Process, Job Priority Level, Production Due Date.” “High priority jobs will always be scheduled before moderate to low priority.” Late jobs of lower priority are then slotted in where they fit, in order of lateness.
Fulcrum offers two modes:
- Greedy. “When you schedule a job, the schedule will look at the current state of the schedule.” It then places that job’s operations to finish as early as possible.
- Just in Time. Finishes “as close to the due date as possible”, and falls back to Greedy when the due date cannot be met.
A job can also carry an earliest start date, and “the job won’t be scheduled before that date”. (source)
5. Material
Purchase orders tied to a job set its dates through their Expected Receive dates. Without an open PO, the schedule falls back to the item’s estimated lead time, then the vendor’s default lead time. For stock that is short, Fulcrum states: “If materials are not in stock, the schedule assumes that you are IMMEDIATELY ordering the material when you hit “Schedule” on the job”.
6. The schedule screen and Job Tracking
“Each column is a separate piece of equipment.” Operations stack top to bottom by priority and due date, with a backlog and next available date under each machine. Operators clock in through Job Tracking, which “is a reflection of the schedule.” A freeze window lets planners make manual changes near term “but everything further out can still be auto-scheduled.” (source)
What stays with the planner
- Operators are a count. The Max Equipment figure per shift “is usually determined by how many people you have working in a certain area at that time.” When someone calls out sick, a manager can “decrement the Max Equipment by 1”. Who runs the job, and a job that needs two people, stay in the planner’s head.
- Setups are fixed per operation. Setup is a fixed or per-unit time on each routing operation. The time from one job to the next on the same machine is not a documented input.
- Tools are calibration records. Fulcrum’s Tools are “measurement instrument or gage” records in its calibration system. Shared fixtures and dies are not scheduling resources.
- Material is assumed on order. Short stock is planned as if it was ordered the moment the job was scheduled.
- Priority level beats due date. High-priority jobs always go first, and late jobs fill in after them.
- Replanning runs daily. “The schedule automatically will pull in scheduled jobs once a day.” For same-day changes, “you will need to select the Reschedule button in the top right of the schedule.”
- Overlap is basic. Continuous flow lets operations overlap, but “those with fixed run times (not per-unit) will not be allowed to overlap.” Fulcrum calls it “a simple version of continuous flow”. (source)
In practice: a supervisor juggling who runs which machine, setups grouped by memory, and a whiteboard next to the screen.
When Fulcrum’s own scheduling is enough
Fulcrum’s Autoschedule does the job when:
- Machines are the bottleneck and people move freely between them, so one department and a machine count describe labor well.
- Setups take about the same time whatever ran before.
- Fixtures and tooling are dedicated to their machines.
- Material is in stock or PO Expected Receive dates are kept current.
- A daily re-run plus the Reschedule button keeps up with your changes.
If that is your shop, keep routing times, shifts and downtimes accurate, use priorities instead of drag and drop, as Fulcrum’s own help advises, and stay inside Fulcrum.
When you need a finite capacity scheduler
You have outgrown the native scheduler when several of these are true:
- Specific operators or setup techs decide what can run, and some jobs need two or three people at once.
- Changeover time depends on the material, color, fixture or tool family that ran before.
- Fixtures, dies or tools are shared between machines.
- Late material, breakdowns and rush jobs force replanning several times a day.
- You run 20 or more machines and the supervisor spends hours a day deciding who runs what.
What to look for
- Operators as finite resources, with their own shifts and absences, and jobs that need several people.
- A setting time matrix: sequence-dependent, asymmetric changeover times, used to minimize total setup.
- Tools as finite shared resources.
- Material-aware scheduling on every change, covering stock and incoming purchase orders.
- Whole-plan optimization in seconds, plus automatic rescheduling when production changes.
- A concrete write-back to Fulcrum. Fulcrum’s API keeps scheduled dates read-only and accepts custom fields on each job operation, plus timers and quantities. Ask every vendor exactly which calls their schedule uses.
The options fall into three groups:
- Fulcrum’s own Autoschedule plans equipment inside Fulcrum.
- Enterprise APS suites and file-based schedulers connect through custom interfaces or CSV exports, often with dates rekeyed by hand.
- Cloud APS with shop-floor execution, where SkyPlanner sits, schedules every resource automatically beside Fulcrum and puts the plan in operators’ hands.
Where SkyPlanner fits
SkyPlanner APS covers each point above. The Arcturus engine optimizes the whole plan in seconds, by job priority, completion date, customer priority, Fast Track and Dynamic Priorities. A rush job gets its slot, and Bulldozer pushes downstream jobs to make room.
Every machine, operator, tool and material is a finite resource with real clock times. Each operator has shifts, leave and absences, and a job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts. A tool in use on one machine cannot be scheduled on another at the same time. When a machine or person is unavailable, the engine uses the alternatives you define.
The setting time matrix holds the changeover between each pair of products in both directions, for example blue to red 30 minutes and red to blue 60. The engine picks the order with the least setup. Material-driven scheduling simulates future inventory from stock and incoming purchase orders, so work is planned only when material is there.
Fulcrum’s model maps directly. Work centers become workstation groups, equipment becomes workstations, Unlimited Capacity ovens become batch jobs, and department shifts become shifts. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes, and Running Time Lock keeps started jobs in place. Operators see their queue and log work with Mobile Confirmations, Production Timer and Quick Log Mode.
Choose SkyPlanner when operators, setups and shared tools decide what runs next, as much as machines do.
Choose SkyPlanner when you replan several times a day and want the schedule to follow on its own.
Choose SkyPlanner when you want a working schedule of your own shop within weeks, with time and quantities posted back to Fulcrum.
Start with a CSV export 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 Fulcrum in both directions through the Fulcrum Public API. Jobs, routing operations, work centers, equipment and shifts flow in. Planned start, finish and workstation go back to each job operation, with operator time and completed quantities. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration during onboarding, or your Fulcrum consultant or developers build it on SkyPlanner’s documented REST API (API reference).
Read the overview on the SkyPlanner for Fulcrum page, go to the Fulcrum integration guide, see all features, or compare other systems in the ERP integrations hub.
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FAQ
Does Fulcrum have a production scheduling tool?
Yes. Fulcrum’s Autoschedule places job operations onto equipment automatically, in Greedy or Just-in-Time mode, within department shifts. Planners steer it with job priority, due dates and an earliest start date, and can make manual changes inside a freeze window.
Does Fulcrum schedule individual operators?
No. Fulcrum models people as the number of machines that can run at once in a shift, and a manager lowers that number when someone is out. SkyPlanner APS schedules each operator with shifts and absences, including jobs that need several people.
Does Fulcrum handle sequence-dependent setup times?
Fulcrum stores setup as a fixed or per-unit time on each routing operation. SkyPlanner uses a setting time matrix with changeover times between product pairs (blue to red 30 minutes, red to blue 60) and sequences jobs to minimize them.
How often does Fulcrum reschedule?
Fulcrum’s help says the schedule pulls in scheduled jobs once a day, and planners press Reschedule to see same-day changes. SkyPlanner’s Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
Can I test SkyPlanner with my Fulcrum data?
Yes. Export items, routings and open jobs from Fulcrum to CSV, import them during the 30-day trial and compare the schedule with your current one. See pricing, start the trial or talk to sales.
