Integrations / ERP / Infor LN
Does Infor LN Have Finite Capacity Scheduling? Enterprise Planning, Job Shop Scheduler, Scheduler+ and SkyPlanner APS
Infor LN has finite capacity scheduling in parts, and which parts depends on your release. Master planning is infinite by default. From LN 10.8, the Job Shop Scheduler schedules bottleneck machines finitely a few weeks ahead. The LN 2026 releases add Planner+ and the Scheduler+ add-on module.
Plants that want every machine, operator and tool scheduled finitely, on any LN release, run SkyPlanner APS beside LN.
How Infor LN plans capacity, step by step
1. Capacity master data
Capacity lives on Work Centers (tirou0101m000) and Machines (tirou0102m000). Tasks (tirou0103m000) describe the work, for example sawing, drilling or painting. Each Routing Operation (tirou1102m000) links a task to a work center and, optionally, a machine.
Working hours come from Calendars per enterprise unit. The Working Time Schedule (tcppl1100m000) distributes hours by labor type.
2. Enterprise Planning: infinite or workload control
Each plan unit runs one of two master planning engines.
Infinite planning is the default. In Infor’s words: “In infinite master planning, LN generates a supply plan without taking into account any capacity or material constraints.” Infor compares it to “the traditional MRP II planning paradigm.”
Workload control “considers the constrained availability of capacity and materials.” It aims to “control the workload level for all work centers that are considered a constraint.” Where needed, it moves planned production “to earlier or later periods.”
Workload-based order transfer can also stop transferring production orders to a resource once it reaches the norm set in Work Centers – Planning.
3. Lead times in order planning
Planned orders get their lead time from detailed routing data, a fixed Order Lead Time, or a mix. The Operations Horizon field in Items – Planning (cprpd1100m000) decides which applies.
4. Resource Master Plan
The Resource Master Plan (cprmp3501m000) shows available, required and free capacity per plan period for a work center. Negative free capacity means overload. The planner sees the problem; the screen does not solve it.
5. Job Shop Planning Board
The Job Shop Planning Board (tisfc8372m000) is where “a shop floor planner can use the Job Shop Planning Board … to manually change the schedule of operations.” Infor’s examples are a machine breakdown and a late purchased part. LN 10.8 added filters by work center, material availability by pegging with color coding, and capacity utilization in context.
6. Job Shop Scheduler (LN 10.8 and later)
This is LN’s first automatic finite scheduler for the shop floor. Infor says it “can optimize your planned production order schedule by generating production schedules considering material availability and machine capacity constraints.” It:
- “Schedules work on bottleneck machines against finite capacity”
- “Schedules work only after materials are available”
- “covers the very near future, up to a few weeks”
You run it from Job Shop Schedule Runs (tisch1100m000) with a scheduler time fence and horizon. The Schedule Viewer (tisch8350m000) shows the workload of critical machine groups on a Gantt chart.
7. Planner+ and Scheduler+ (LN 2026 releases)
In the 2026.x doc sets, the Planner Type parameter offers Infor Planner, which means “Planner+ is enabled in Infor LN.” The Planning Engine (plaps0110m000) has Finite or Infinite settings for material and capacity, constraint generation methods and backward or forward scope. Planner+ is “designed for long-term planning of 12 months or more.”
Scheduler+ (Scheduler Plus, “also known as Scheduler+ or the Synchronized Scheduling Engine”) is Infor’s add-on finite scheduling module, which “may require a commercial component.” It considers machines, employees, tools, sequence-dependent changeovers with a full changeover matrix, material and shift patterns. It extracts LN calendars, machines, routings and production orders, then writes back “the approved scheduled dates and resource assignments.”
When Scheduler+ is active, LN adds a Scheduled production order status. Orders with operations must be scheduled before release.
What stays with the planner
- Infinite by default. Master planning ignores capacity and material unless the plan unit runs workload control (source).
- Periods, not operations. Workload control works per period with fixed lead times, and “sequence dependent setup times are not taken into account” (source).
- Overloads are shown, not fixed. The Resource Master Plan flags negative free capacity per period (source).
- The planning board is manual. Infor describes no automatic scheduling on the Job Shop Planning Board (source).
- The Job Shop Scheduler is narrow. Bottleneck machines only, no employees or tools, a horizon of a few weeks, and two sequencing rules: earliest due date, or shortest setup time on the changeover-critical machine group (source).
- Scheduler+ is a separate module. Infor calls it an add-on that “may require a commercial component,” documented from the LN 2026 releases (source).
- Scheduler+ changes the order flow. It adds a Scheduled status, and production orders with operations must be scheduled before release (source).
- Scheduler+ is a run-and-accept cycle. Infor’s daily workflow loads data from LN, runs the engine, and leaves the result for the planner to “analyze, modify, and accept” (source).
In practice, many LN plants plan infinitely, schedule one or two machine groups, and keep the real sequence in Excel.
When Infor LN’s native scheduling is enough
- You have one or two bottleneck machine groups, and the Job Shop Scheduler’s due-date and shortest-setup rules on them are good enough.
- A planner is happy to rebalance the rest on the Job Shop Planning Board.
- You run an LN 2026 release, license the Scheduler+ add-on, adopt the Scheduled status, and have a planner to run, review and accept each schedule.
When you need a finite capacity scheduler
You have outgrown the native options when several of these are true:
- You run LN 10.x on-premises without Scheduler+.
- More machines than your critical machine groups limit output.
- Changeover time depends on which product ran before.
- Shared tools, operator counts and material arrival decide what can run next.
- The plan changes several times a week and the planning board cannot keep up.
- Planners already work from Excel exports of LN production orders.
What to look for
- Every resource finite at once, not only critical machine groups.
- A setting time matrix with sequence-dependent, asymmetric changeovers.
- Tools as finite shared resources and jobs that need several operators.
- Material-aware scheduling on stock and incoming purchase orders.
- Automatic rescheduling when production progresses or orders change.
- Operator queues on mobile, so the floor works from the schedule.
- A clear write-back to LN production order operations, with LN keeping orders, BOMs, routings and postings.
- No change to the LN order flow unless you want one.
The options fall into three groups:
- Infor’s own planning and scheduling (Enterprise Planning, the Job Shop Scheduler, Planner+ and Scheduler+) runs inside LN. Its scope depends on your release and licensing.
- Enterprise APS suites are connected to LN through a separate implementation project and run by a dedicated planning team.
- Cloud APS with shop-floor execution, where SkyPlanner sits, schedules every resource automatically beside LN. It keeps replanning as production changes and puts the schedule in operators’ hands.
Where SkyPlanner fits
SkyPlanner APS fills each gap above on every LN release. Every workstation, person and tool is finite. The Arcturus AI engine builds the operation-level schedule in seconds from your priorities and due dates.
The setting time matrix holds changeover times between each pair of products, in both directions, and the engine picks the order with the least setup. A tool in use on one machine is never booked on another. A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts. When a machine or person is unavailable, work moves to the alternatives you define.
Material-driven scheduling checks stock and incoming purchase orders, so a job is planned after its material arrives. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes, within your locks and priorities. Operators see their queue and log work with Mobile Confirmations, Production Timer and Quick Log Mode.
Choose SkyPlanner over Scheduler+ when you want a finite schedule on the LN release you run today, live within weeks after onboarding starts, without licensing an add-on module or moving to a 2026 release.
Choose SkyPlanner over Scheduler+ when the plan changes every day. Scheduler+ produces a schedule for the planner to analyze, modify and accept. Autopilot replans automatically on every meaningful change and sends the new dates to LN.
Choose SkyPlanner over Scheduler+ when operators should run the floor from the schedule with Mobile Confirmations, and you want to keep your LN release flow without a Scheduled status step.
Start with an Excel or CSV export in the 30-day free trial, up to 20 workstations and no credit card. After that, pricing is from 199 € per month with 5 workstations included. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan.
SkyPlanner integrates with Infor LN in both directions, and the SkyPlanner team configures it during onboarding. See the SkyPlanner for Infor LN page, the Infor LN integration guide, or other ERPs.
SkyPlanner reviews from manufacturers
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.
1,000swork orders scheduled automatically
“Production is under control in a different way, and our understanding of capacity is on a completely different level.”
Hannu Ryynänen, CEO
Mamec · Industrial mixers, pumps and high-tech contract manufacturing
Thousands of work orders are scheduled automatically, with a real-time view of production for the whole organization.
100%delivery reliability since 2021
“SkyPlanner gives us visibility into capacity and makes planning predictable.”
Dan Berglund, COO/CFO
Opes Corporation · Chemical and food manufacturing
Delivery reliability has been 100% for the entire time SkyPlanner has been in use, since 2021.
FAQ
Is Infor LN capacity planning infinite?
By default, yes. Infinite planning is the default master planning method and ignores capacity and material. Workload control is the constrained alternative, set per plan unit, and it works in plan periods.
What does the Infor LN Job Shop Scheduler do?
From LN 10.8, it schedules planned production orders on bottleneck machines against finite capacity, only after material is available. It covers up to a few weeks ahead and you run it from Job Shop Schedule Runs. The Schedule Viewer shows critical machine groups on a Gantt chart.
What is the difference between Infor LN Planner+ and Scheduler+?
Planner+ is the planning engine for long-term planning of 12 months or more. Scheduler+ is an add-on finite scheduler for machines, employees, tools, changeovers and materials. Both are documented in the LN 2026 doc sets.
Can Infor LN work with an external scheduler?
Yes. LN’s planning parameters include an External Planner setting, so “The organization can integrate an external planning solution with Infor LN.” SkyPlanner APS runs beside LN and writes planned operation dates back.
Does SkyPlanner need Scheduler+ or LN cloud?
No. SkyPlanner schedules from LN production orders on LN 10.x on-premises and on LN in the cloud. Only the interface differs: ION BODs or file exports on-premises, LN REST services through the ION API Gateway in the cloud.
Can I test SkyPlanner on my LN data before integrating?
Yes. Export open production orders, routing operations and work centers from LN to Excel and import them during the 30-day trial. See pricing or talk to sales.
