Integrations / ERP / JobBOSS²
SkyPlanner APS for JobBOSS²: Finite Capacity Production Scheduling
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on for JobBOSS² (JobBOSS 2) 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.
SkyPlanner integrates with JobBOSS² in both directions. Orders and Order Line Items, Order Routings, Estimates and Routings, Work Centers, Employees, the Company Calendar, Job Requirements and purchase orders flow in. Planned start and end dates for every job step flow back, and logged work can post as Time Tickets. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your JobBOSS² setup 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 Order Routing step on a specific machine, at a specific clock time, inside real shifts, absences and overtime. A work center with four mills becomes four queues you can actually run.
Setups get shorter.
SkyPlanner holds the changeover time between each pair of parts or materials, in both directions. Going from aluminum to steel may take 30 minutes, steel to aluminum 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 started and then 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 JobBOSS² as Time Tickets.
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.
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.
How the JobBOSS² integration works
- JobBOSS² sends the work. Open jobs with their Order Routings, Estimates, Routings and materials, Work Centers, Employees, shifts, Job Requirements and purchase order lines 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 logged work go back. Planned start and end dates return to each Order Routing step in JobBOSS², and logged setup and run time can post as Time Ticket Details.
JobBOSS² stays your system of record. Quoting, Estimates, Order Entry, purchasing, inventory, job costing and accounting stay where they are. SkyPlanner owns one thing: the sequence and timing of every job step on every resource.
SkyPlanner connects through ECI’s own interfaces. Hosted JobBOSS² uses the JobBOSS² API, a REST API with OpenAPI documentation and OAuth 2.0 client credentials. On-premise JobBOSS² uses ECI’s ERP API, which ECI built to reach both cloud and on-premise installs. SkyPlanner webhooks push every schedule change as it happens, and the JobBOSS² sync frequency is set per shop.
Every shop runs JobBOSS² 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 JobBOSS² partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented API (API reference).
Endpoints, data mapping and write-back rules are in the JobBOSS² integration guide for production scheduling.
What JobBOSS² schedules, and what SkyPlanner adds
JobBOSS² has a real scheduling module. ECI calls it “the only ERP with two ways to schedule”: the Whiteboard Scheduler and a drag-and-drop Planning Board, with Scheduling Advisor showing jobs that run behind. ECI’s own pages set out how it works:
- Finite or infinite, by work center. “Choose from finite or infinite scheduling to manage capacity questions.” Jobs are scheduled by work center and assigned to employees. (ECI)
- A tool for the planner. “The Schedule is a tool to help you run your shop; it will not run it for you.” (ECI blog)
- Sequencing by hand. “Others may wish to manipulate the schedule to reorder the jobs in a work center to have greater control.” ECI adds that matching the schedule to the floor by hand “is a full-time job and leads to being reactive rather than proactive.”
- Materials as lead times. “All raw materials and outside services need realistic lead times.”
JobBOSS² stores one setup time per routing step and capacity as work center hours on up to three shifts (JobBOSS² API reference). Scheduling across several resources with custom constraints is what ECI markets in a separate product: ECI APS, an add-on powered by LYNQ.
Every step and limit is explained in Does JobBOSS² have finite capacity scheduling?
JobBOSS² today and with SkyPlanner
| JobBOSS² scheduling | JobBOSS² with SkyPlanner APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Finite or infinite per work center, hours per shift | Every machine, operator and tool finite, with real shifts and absences |
| Sequence | Planner reorders jobs in a work center on the Whiteboard | Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds |
| Changeovers | One setup time per routing step | Directional setting time matrix: least total setup |
| People | Jobs assigned to employees | Multi-operator jobs staffed from free shifts; alternative people when one is out |
| Tools and fixtures | Tooling tracked for maintenance | Tools are finite: never booked on two machines at once |
| Materials | Lead times for materials and outside services | Jobs start when stock or purchase orders deliver the material |
| Hot jobs and breakdowns | Flag hot jobs, drag work on the board | Autopilot replans within your locks and priorities |
| Started work | Data collection updates the schedule | Logged progress feeds the plan; Running Time Lock freezes the next hours |
| Shop floor | Data collection in JobBOSS² | Operators see their queue and log work on phone or tablet |
JobBOSS² scheduling software and add-ons compared
| Option | What it is | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| JobBOSS² scheduling and ECI APS | Whiteboard Scheduler and Planning Board inside JobBOSS²; ECI APS is ECI’s separate add-on, powered by LYNQ | One planner owns the board, or you want to stay inside ECI’s product line |
| Desktop finite schedulers fed by exports (for example EDGEBIC by User Solutions) | Jobs and routings exported from JobBOSS to Excel or CSV and imported into a scheduler on a PC | A planner is happy to move files and key dates back by hand |
| Cloud APS connected by API (SkyPlanner APS, Skody) | A scheduler in the browser that syncs with JobBOSS² jobs | The schedule should keep itself current and reach every operator |
Choose SkyPlanner over JobBOSS² scheduling when:
- You want the computer to sequence the work. ECI says its schedule “will not run it for you” and that hand-matching it to the floor is a full-time job. Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds, and Autopilot replans on every meaningful change.
- Changeovers decide your output. JobBOSS² holds one setup time per routing step. SkyPlanner’s setting time matrix holds a different time for each pair in each direction and runs the order with the least total setup.
- Operators, fixtures and material limit the plan as much as machines. Every machine, person, tool and material is finite at once, multi-operator jobs are staffed, and jobs start when the material is there.
- You want multi-resource scheduling without another add-on project. ECI sells multi-resource scheduling with custom constraints as ECI APS, a separate add-on. SkyPlanner is live within weeks after onboarding starts, and you test it on your own JobBOSS² jobs in the 30-day trial first.
- Every operator should work from the plan. Mobile Confirmations put the live queue on a phone or tablet, and logged time flows back to JobBOSS².
- 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 JobBOSS² Work Centers. Assisted onboarding is available.
- Load your jobs. Export open jobs and their routing steps from JobBOSS² to Excel, import them and compare SkyPlanner’s schedule with your current board.
- Connect JobBOSS². The SkyPlanner team configures the two-way integration 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, or browse all ERP integrations.
FAQ
What is the best scheduling add-on for JobBOSS²?
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on that integrates with JobBOSS² in both directions: orders, Order Routings, Estimates, Work Centers, Employees, Job Requirements and purchase orders flow in, and planned start and end dates 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 JobBOSS² have finite capacity scheduling?
Yes, at work center level. ECI lets you choose finite or infinite scheduling, with the Whiteboard Scheduler and Planning Board for moving jobs. The planner still sequences each work center, with one setup time per routing step. SkyPlanner APS schedules every machine, operator, tool and material finitely beside JobBOSS² and optimizes the sequence automatically.
Should we use JobBOSS² scheduling or SkyPlanner?
Keep JobBOSS² scheduling when one planner happily runs the Whiteboard and setups do not depend on the job before. Choose SkyPlanner when you want the sequence optimized for you: directional changeover times, multi-operator jobs, finite fixtures, material arrival and automatic replanning in one schedule. ECI’s own route to multi-resource scheduling is ECI APS, a separate add-on powered by LYNQ. SkyPlanner runs beside JobBOSS², and you prove it on your own jobs in the free trial.
What scheduling software integrates with JobBOSS²?
SkyPlanner APS integrates with JobBOSS² in both directions through the JobBOSS² API. For hosted JobBOSS², SkyPlanner reads orders, Order Routings, Estimates, Work Centers and purchase orders through the JobBOSS² API and writes planned start and end dates back to each Order Routing step. Authentication uses an API user from ECI’s Integration Engine Management Console with OAuth 2.0.
Does it work with on-premise JobBOSS²?
Yes. On-premise JobBOSS² connects through ECI’s ERP API, which ECI built to reach on-premise installs as well as cloud ones. The SkyPlanner team maps the right route for your deployment during scoping.
Does SkyPlanner replace JobBOSS² quoting, Order Entry or job costing?
No. JobBOSS² keeps Estimates, quotes, Order Entry, purchasing, inventory, data collection, job costing and accounting. SkyPlanner schedules your jobs against real capacity and sends the dates back.
How much does SkyPlanner cost for a JobBOSS² 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 dates back. Everything is tested against your current schedule before go-live.
Can we test SkyPlanner before integrating with JobBOSS²?
Yes. The 30-day trial runs on an Excel export of your open JobBOSS² jobs. You see a finite capacity schedule of your own shop before any integration work starts.
