Integrations / ERP / proALPHA ERP
Does proALPHA Have Finite Capacity Scheduling? Proalpha APS and Feinplanung vs SkyPlanner APS
Yes. Proalpha ships its own APS inside Proalpha Production, with automated multi-resource optimization and manual fine-tuning in Feinplanung. It works when process models, resource calendars and shop-floor feedback are clean and a trained planner runs it. Plants without that setup often plan in Excel next to the ERP. SkyPlanner APS is the cloud finite capacity scheduler that runs on their Proalpha work orders, with every constraint in one engine, a public price from 199 € per month and a first schedule within the 30-day trial.
How Proalpha plans production, step by step
Proalpha’s production chain has six parts.
1. Parts and product process models
Items are parts (Teil). Where most ERPs keep a bill of materials and a routing, Proalpha plans on product process models. In its own words, Proalpha “completely dispenses with bills of materials and routings for production planning.” (Proalpha) The German page says it works “anstelle von klassischen Stücklisten und Arbeitsplänen konsequent mit Produkt-Prozess-Modellen.” (Proalpha)
A process model holds the process, its activities (Aktivitäten), the resources and the calendars. The basic production course lists master data as “Stücklisten, Prozess, Aktivitäten.” (Proalpha Academy)
2. Resources, resource groups and calendars
Activities run on resources (Ressourcen), grouped in resource groups and alternative resource groups (Alternativressourcengruppen). Each resource has a calendar with time blocks. Each block carries an intensity and an overload intensity, so a calendar says how hard a resource works, not only when. (Proalpha API Portal)
The advanced course teaches the “Bedeutung der Intensität in Ressourcen/Kalendern und Aktivitäten” as its own topic. (Proalpha Academy)
3. Work orders and scheduling
Demand becomes work orders (Fertigungsaufträge). The order flow runs through “Terminierung, Visualisierung, Bearbeitungsmöglichkeiten, Rückmeldungen”: scheduling, visualization, editing and confirmations. (Proalpha Academy) On the work order, operations carry a target setup time and a target process time.
4. Proalpha APS: multi-resource planning
“APS (Advanced Planning and Scheduling) is the core of Proalpha Production.” It “allows optimized resource planning according to managerial targets such as delivery reliability and cycle times.” (Proalpha) The same page lists:
- “Proalpha issues warnings in case of bottlenecks or overloads, prioritizes work orders, and suggests alternate resources.”
- Resource synchronization: “It is possible to assign any number of resources to an operation, synchronize the availability of these resources.”
- Material, tools, people and time in one view.
- Automatic order planning: in a Proalpha customer reference, orders are “automatisch geplant und eingetaktet”, planned and sequenced automatically. (Proalpha)
5. Feinplanung and simulation
Feinplanung is where planners adjust the optimized plan. “Finite planning allows manual changes to the sequence in which orders are processed on short notice.” The advanced course covers fixing activities, reserving parts and splitting activities. (Proalpha Academy)
A simulation runs “eine fiktive Komplettoptimierung unter geänderten Parametern”, a full trial optimization with changed parameters. (Proalpha blog)
6. Shop floor feedback with PDC
Plant data collection (PDC, BDE) data is “immediately transferred to the ERP system” and “enables precise advanced planning and scheduling (APS).” (Proalpha)
What stays with the planner
Proalpha’s own people describe the conditions. In a 2019 interview, Dr. Markus Berg of Proalpha says complex shops should consider “die Planung gegen begrenzte Kapazitäten oder sogar Multiressourcenplanung.” (IT&Production) Finite planning is a step a plant takes, not the default of every installation.
- Feedback must be live. Berg calls paper confirmations typed in at the weekend “für eine APS-Planung zu ungenau”, too imprecise for APS. Without PDC terminals, the plan goes stale.
- APS is tuned by Proalpha consultants. It optimizes once resources, synchronization and targets are configured in your Proalpha project. At KWM, “Production planning was optimized remotely together with Proalpha consultants” (Proalpha).
- Master data carries the weight. Process models, alternative resource groups and calendar intensities must be right before APS plans well. Proalpha teaches them in a dedicated course.
- No public price. Proalpha’s price page answers “Das kommt darauf an” and names users, module scope and customization as cost drivers. (Proalpha)
Where those conditions are missing, the result is a shadow plan. One DACH plant that came to SkyPlanner through a partner planned its production in Excel and OneNote, without using the planning features of its Proalpha ERP.
When Proalpha’s own planning is enough
Proalpha APS does the job when:
- APS is licensed, configured and used daily by a trained planner.
- Process models, alternative resource groups and calendars are clean.
- PDC terminals feed confirmations in real time.
- Planners want everything inside the Proalpha client.
If that describes your plant, keep APS running and keep the PDC feedback live.
When you need a finite capacity scheduler
You need a dedicated scheduler when several of these are true:
- The real plan lives in Excel next to Proalpha.
- APS is not licensed, not configured, or nobody has time to run it.
- Changeover time depends on which product ran before.
- Molds, dies or fixtures are shared between machines.
- Material arrival from purchase orders decides which job can start.
- Rush orders and breakdowns force a replan several times a week.
- Operators need their own queue on a phone or tablet.
- You want a finite schedule within weeks, at a monthly price.
What to look for
Ask every vendor, Proalpha included, about each point:
- Every resource finite at once, each with shifts and absences.
- A setting time matrix: sequence-dependent, asymmetric changeover times between products, used to minimize total setup.
- Tools as finite shared resources, so one fixture is never on two machines at once.
- Multi-operator jobs staffed with people who have free shifts.
- Material-aware scheduling against stock and incoming purchase orders.
- Automatic rescheduling when production changes, without a planner starting a run.
- Operator queues on phone or tablet, with confirmations back to the work order.
- A trial on your own work orders before any license or project decision.
- A clear write-back to Proalpha. Planned dates belong on the work order operations. Agree which system owns them.
Where SkyPlanner fits
SkyPlanner APS covers every point on that list. Every workstation, person and tool is finite. The Arcturus AI engine builds an operation-level schedule in seconds, sequenced by your priorities and due dates.
The setting time matrix holds changeover times between product pairs in both directions, for example blue to red 30 minutes and red to blue 60. The engine picks the order with the least setup. Tools are finite shared resources, a job can need several operators at once, and the engine uses alternative machines or personnel when the primary resource is unavailable.
Material-driven scheduling simulates future inventory from stock and open purchase orders. Ordered material counts as available on its delivery date, so work is planned only when material is there.
Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes, within your locks and priorities. Planners edit jobs on an interactive Gantt timeline. Operators see their queue and log work with Mobile Confirmations, Production Timer and Quick Log Mode.
Choose SkyPlanner over Proalpha APS when you are moving off spreadsheets and want results within weeks, not after a planning project:
- Your plan lives in Excel next to Proalpha, and you want a finite schedule of your own work orders within the trial.
- Changeovers depend on sequence, or shared tools and multi-operator jobs decide what can run next.
- The plan changes daily. Autopilot replans on every change, and operators work from the live queue on a phone or tablet.
- You want the integration configured and supported by the SkyPlanner team, at a public monthly price.
Start with a CSV or Excel export of your open work orders 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. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan.
SkyPlanner integrates with Proalpha in both directions. Work orders, operations, resources and stock flow in. Planned dates, resources and confirmations go back through Proalpha’s REST APIs: setWorkOrderOperationDates, changeWorkOrderOperationResource and operationDataEntry. The SkyPlanner team configures it during onboarding, or your Proalpha partner builds it on the documented REST API (API reference).
Read the overview on the SkyPlanner for proALPHA page, the technical details in the proALPHA integration guide, or other systems in the ERP integrations hub.
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.
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.
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
Does proALPHA have a scheduling tool?
Yes. Proalpha APS sits inside Proalpha Production. It optimizes multi-resource plans against targets such as delivery reliability and cycle times, synchronizes the resources an operation needs, warns about bottlenecks and suggests alternate resources. Planners fine-tune the sequence in Feinplanung.
What is the difference between Proalpha APS and Feinplanung?
APS plans resources against managerial targets such as delivery reliability and cycle times. Feinplanung is the detailed level, where planners change the order sequence, fix activities and split them. Both work on product process models.
Does Proalpha use routings?
Not for production planning. Proalpha plans on product process models with processes, activities, resources and calendars. On the work order, the REST APIs expose operations and BOM lines.
Can SkyPlanner run next to Proalpha without Proalpha APS?
Yes. SkyPlanner schedules Proalpha work orders directly and writes planned dates and resources back to the operations. It also checks stock and open purchase orders before it plans a job.
Can I test SkyPlanner before integrating it with Proalpha?
Yes. Export open work orders, operations and resources from Proalpha to CSV or Excel and import them during the 30-day trial. No credit card is needed. See pricing, start the trial or talk to sales.
