Integrations / ERP / KARAT
SkyPlanner APS for KARAT: Finite Capacity Production Scheduling
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on for KARAT that schedules every machine, operator, tool and material. You see which operation runs where and when, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes. It works with IS KARAT from KARAT Software, on-premise or as SaaS.
SkyPlanner integrates with KARAT in both directions: production orders, BOMs and routings, machines, workplaces, human resources, stock and purchase orders flow in, and planned dates and logged work flow back. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your KARAT 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 production
A real sequence on every machine.
SkyPlanner places every operation of every production order on a specific machine at a specific time. Real shifts, absences and overtime set the capacity, so the plan is one your shop can actually run.
Changeovers cost less.
SkyPlanner holds the switch time between each pair of products, in both directions. A light-to-dark color run may need a short flush, while dark-to-light needs a full clean. The engine runs jobs in the order that loses the least time.
People and tools are finite too.
A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts. A die or mold in use on one machine is never booked on another. When a machine is busy, work moves to an alternative machine or person.
Late material stops breaking the plan.
SkyPlanner checks stock on hand and incoming purchase orders for every material. A production order waiting for a supplier delivery is planned after that delivery date, not started and then stopped on the floor.
Rush jobs and breakdowns replanned automatically.
When a machine stops or a rush order lands, Autopilot reschedules. Your locks and priorities stay in control.
Operators see their queue.
Each operator sees the next jobs on a phone or tablet and logs work as it happens. The office sees progress live, and you choose whether actual times post back to KARAT.
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.
6 monthsof free capacity visible to sales
“SkyPlanner creates the foundation and reliability for all production planning.”
Anu Järvinen, Production Manager
Fredman Operations · Food-safe packaging papers
Sales sees free capacity six months ahead, and schedule-change requests that took an hour or more are answered in seconds.
How the KARAT integration works
- KARAT sends the work. Production orders (výrobní příkazy) and production jobs (výrobní zakázky) with their operations, BOMs (kusovníky), routings (technologické postupy), machines, workplaces, human resources, stock and issued purchase orders flow into SkyPlanner.
- SkyPlanner builds the schedule and keeps it current. The Arcturus engine plans every operation in seconds and replans as production changes.
- Dates and logged work go back. Planned start and finish dates return to the production data in KARAT, and logged work can post as operation reports through KARAT terminal reporting (terminálové odvádění).
KARAT stays your system of record. Item cards, BOMs, routings, MRP, purchasing, warehouses, costing and finance stay where they are. SkyPlanner owns one thing: the sequence and timing of every operation on every resource.
KARAT connects to external systems through agreed data interfaces and electronic data exchange in XML (KARAT Software), and its terminal reporting module exports to and imports from an external system by an agreed interface. SkyPlanner uses these routes for both directions. SkyPlanner webhooks push every schedule change as it happens, and the KARAT sync frequency is set per plant.
Every plant runs KARAT 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. KARAT Software, your KARAT partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented API (API reference).
Data flows, mapping and write-back rules are in the KARAT integration guide for production scheduling.
What KARAT schedules, and what SkyPlanner adds
KARAT has its own planning. APS KARAT is an optional component of IS KARAT that combines forward and backward planning and works in a Gantt diagram (APS KARAT). KARAT Software describes how it works:
- Limited or unlimited capacity. APS KARAT plans into limited and unlimited resource capacities, with simulation steps such as resource swaps and moved reservations in the Gantt.
- Several methods. Capacity planning (forward, backward, combined), planning by lead time, weighted planning for human resources such as technologists and designers, bottleneck planning and everyday operative planning.
- Plans on exported data. Advanced planning works with data exported from real production data. Planners build plan variants in a separate module and save the best plan back, while the system keeps working by the original plan (KARAT on APS and SCM).
- Results land on closing. Machine capacities and material issue and receipt requests update after the partial plans or the master plan are closed.
The Gantt also lets the planner change the plan by hand. SkyPlanner adds a live schedule that stays finite on every machine, person and tool, plans changeovers by sequence, checks incoming material and replans by itself when production changes.
Every step and limit is explained in Does KARAT have finite capacity scheduling?
KARAT today and with SkyPlanner
| APS KARAT | KARAT with SkyPlanner APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Limited or unlimited per resource | Every machine, person and tool finite, with real shifts |
| Data | Plans on data exported from production, saved back on closing | Runs on current orders and logged progress |
| Plans | Planner-built variants, best one saved back | One live plan that Autopilot keeps current |
| Schedule | Reservations of resources in the Gantt | Detailed sequence for every operation in seconds |
| People | Weighted planning for human resources | Named operators with shifts, multi-operator jobs staffed |
| Materials | Purchased inputs and undelivered purchase orders in planning | Jobs start when stock or incoming purchase orders arrive, replanned on every change |
| Changes | Planner simulates, swaps resources or moves reservations | Autopilot replans the whole plant within your priorities |
| Planner view | Gantt by project, by resource or in bottleneck mode | Interactive Gantt: move jobs, the plan stays consistent |
| Shop floor | Terminal reporting in KARAT | Operators see their queue and log work on phone or tablet |
Choose SkyPlanner over APS KARAT when:
- The plan must stay live. APS KARAT plans on exported data while production runs by the original plan. SkyPlanner plans on current orders and logged progress, and Autopilot replans automatically on every meaningful change.
- Capacity must stay finite. SkyPlanner keeps every resource finite and shows the real finish date, so you act on it with priorities, overtime or an alternative machine.
- Changeovers decide your output. The setting time matrix holds directional changeover times and runs color, flavor or material sequences with the least total setup.
- Operators, tools and incoming material all limit the plan. Every machine, person, tool and material is finite, multi-operator jobs are staffed, alternative workstations are used, and jobs start when stock or purchase orders deliver the material.
- Every operator should work from the plan. Mobile Confirmations put the live queue on a phone or tablet, and users are unlimited: the price depends on workstations, not seats.
- You want a live schedule in weeks. SkyPlanner is cloud software beside KARAT. You test it on your own production orders in the 30-day trial, and implementation is normally completed within weeks after onboarding starts.
How to get started
- Start the free trial. 30 days, up to 20 workstations, all Basic features, no credit card.
- Model your production. Create machines, people and shifts in SkyPlanner, or import your KARAT machines and workplaces. Assisted onboarding is available.
- Load your orders. Export open production orders and their operations from KARAT to Excel, import them and compare SkyPlanner’s schedule with your current plan.
- Connect KARAT. 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, or browse all ERP integrations.
FAQ
What is the best scheduling add-on for KARAT?
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on that integrates with KARAT in both directions: production orders, BOMs, routings, machines, workplaces, stock and purchase orders flow in, and planned dates and logged work flow back. Every machine, operator, tool and material is finite, and a directional setting time matrix sequences jobs for the least setup. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes. Pricing is from 199 € per month, and the free trial runs for 30 days.
Does KARAT have finite capacity scheduling?
Partly. APS KARAT, an optional component of IS KARAT, plans into limited or unlimited capacity in a Gantt diagram. Planners build plan variants on exported production data and save the best one back. SkyPlanner APS keeps every machine, person, tool and material finite on live data beside KARAT and replans automatically.
What scheduling software integrates with KARAT?
SkyPlanner APS integrates with KARAT in both directions. It reads production orders, routings, resources, stock and purchase orders through an agreed KARAT data interface, and writes planned dates and logged work back the same way and through KARAT terminal reporting.
Does SkyPlanner replace KARAT production modules?
No, it works on top of them. KARAT keeps item cards, BOMs, routings, MRP, purchasing, warehouses, costing and finance. SkyPlanner schedules your production orders against real capacity and sends the dates back.
Should we use APS KARAT or SkyPlanner?
SkyPlanner, when the plan changes often and must run on live data. APS KARAT plans on data exported from production, and planners build and compare variants before saving one back. SkyPlanner replans automatically on every change, plans changeovers, tools, crews and material, and gives every operator their queue on a phone with unlimited users. You prove it on your own KARAT orders in the free trial.
Is SkyPlanner available in Czech?
Yes. Each user can switch the SkyPlanner interface to Czech, so planners and operators work in their own language.
How much does SkyPlanner cost for a KARAT plant?
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.
Can we test SkyPlanner before integrating with KARAT?
Yes. The 30-day trial runs on an Excel export of your open KARAT production orders. You see a finite capacity schedule of your own production before any integration work starts.
