Integrations / ERP / QAD Adaptive ERP
SkyPlanner APS for QAD Adaptive ERP: Finite Capacity Production Scheduling
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on for QAD Adaptive ERP (formerly QAD Enterprise Applications and MFG/PRO) that schedules every machine, operator, tool and material. You see which work order operation runs where and when, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
SkyPlanner integrates with QAD Adaptive ERP in both directions: work orders with their operations, items, product structures, routings, work centers, inventory and purchase orders flow in. Scheduled release and due dates go back to Work Order Maintenance through QAD QXtend, and logged work posts as labor feedback and work order receipts. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your QAD 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 finite sequence on every machine.
QAD’s Capacity Requirements Planning shows the load on each work center. SkyPlanner places every work order operation on a specific machine or person at a specific time, against real shifts, absences and overtime.
Dates stop moving under you.
SkyPlanner keeps the sequence, and the work order release and due dates in QAD follow it. Planners stop re-entering operation dates after every CRP run.
Changeovers cost less.
SkyPlanner holds the changeover 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 press is never booked on another. When a machine is busy, work moves to an alternative machine or person.
Material decides the start.
SkyPlanner checks inventory and incoming purchase orders for every item. A work order waiting for a supplier delivery is planned after that delivery date, not started and then stopped on the floor.
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 labor feedback flows back to QAD.
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.
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.
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.
How the QAD Adaptive ERP integration works
- QAD sends the work. Work orders and their operations, items, product structures, routings, work centers, shop calendars, inventory and purchase orders flow into SkyPlanner.
- SkyPlanner builds the schedule and keeps it current. The Arcturus engine optimizes the whole plan in seconds and replans as production changes.
- Dates and logged work go back. Scheduled release and due dates return to each work order through a QXtend Inbound QDoc on Work Order Maintenance (16.1). Operator confirmations post as Labor Feedback by Work Order (16.20.1) and Work Order Receipt (16.11).
QAD stays your system of record. Items, product structures, MRP, purchasing, inventory, costing and finance stay where they are. SkyPlanner owns one thing: the sequence and timing of every operation on every resource.
SkyPlanner reads QAD through QAD QXtend Outbound business objects (Item, Product Structure, Routing, Work Center, Inventory Transaction) and the QAD business document REST query APIs. It writes back through QAD QXtend Inbound, QAD’s SOAP and XML interface to the same programs a planner uses. SkyPlanner webhooks push every schedule change as it happens.
Every plant runs QAD 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 QAD partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented API (API reference).
QDocs, data mapping and write-back rules are in the QAD Adaptive ERP integration guide for production scheduling.
What QAD Adaptive ERP schedules, and what SkyPlanner adds
QAD plans materials well, and it runs repetitive lines with the Line Schedule Workbench. For discrete work orders, capacity comes from Capacity Requirements Planning. QAD’s Manufacturing User Guide sets its rules:
- CRP schedules backward from the due date. It “takes the due date of an order or repetitive schedule and schedules each of its operations from the last operation in the order routing or process backward to the first one.”
- Overloads go to the planner. “If a work center or machine is over- or under-loaded, you can modify either its capacity or the timing or amount of the load.”
- Load lands on one day. “The system assigns the entire load for an operation to its scheduled start date.”
- CRP reruns move dates. “When you run CRP, all open operations for selected work orders are rescheduled.”
Finite loading in core QAD sits in Advanced Repetitive, where the Line Schedule Workbench schedules production lines. The Master and Production Scheduling Workbenches are “.NET UI-only scheduling tools” that need an active Maintenance license (QAD guide). QAD’s sequenced scheduler is a separate product, QAD Advanced Scheduling, introduced in 2024 (QAD).
Every step and limit is explained in Does QAD Adaptive ERP have finite capacity scheduling?
QAD Adaptive ERP today and with SkyPlanner
| QAD CRP and work orders | QAD Adaptive ERP with SkyPlanner APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | CRP back-schedules and reports load against capacity | Every machine, person and tool finite, with real shifts |
| Overloads | Planner changes capacity or load timing | Engine resequences within your priorities |
| Load | Whole operation load on its start date | Each operation placed in real clock time |
| Changes | Each CRP run reschedules open operations | Autopilot replans; Running Time Lock freezes the next hours |
| Changeovers | One setup time per routing operation; changeover on repetitive lines | Setting time matrix on every workstation: least total setup |
| People and tools | Work center capacity from machines or personnel | Named operators with shifts, multi-operator jobs, tools as finite shared resources |
| Materials | MRP planned orders, separate from machine time | Jobs start when inventory or incoming purchase orders arrive |
| Planner view | Input/Output Inquiry and CRP reports; workbenches in the .NET UI | Interactive Gantt in the browser: move jobs, the plan stays consistent |
| Shop floor | Labor feedback entered in QAD | Operators see their queue and log work on phone or tablet |
QAD Adaptive ERP scheduling software and add-ons compared
| Option | What it is | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| QAD Advanced Scheduling (with QAD DSCP Production Planning and QAD Redzone) | QAD’s separate planning and scheduling products for its ERP | You plan line by line and want to stay inside QAD’s product line |
| On-premise APS with a QAD linkage (for example Asprova, PlanetTogether) | Desktop or server schedulers fed from QAD through a linkage or integration project | A planning team runs a separate scheduling model |
| Planning and agent platforms (for example b2wise, Zentio) | Planning tools that list QAD among the ERPs they connect to | You want inventory or planning analytics on top of QAD |
| Cloud APS connected to QAD (SkyPlanner APS) | A finite scheduler in the browser that syncs with QAD work orders in both directions | The schedule should keep itself current and reach every operator |
Choose SkyPlanner over QAD Advanced Scheduling and the scheduling workbenches when:
- You run discrete work orders on machines and people. QAD describes Advanced Scheduling as “a minute-by-minute, line-by-line optimized production schedule for each plant” (QAD blog). SkyPlanner sequences every work order operation on every machine, operator and tool.
- You want a schedule, not a planning suite. QAD presents Advanced Scheduling together with DSCP Production Planning and Redzone. SkyPlanner is one product beside QAD, tested on your own work orders in the 30-day trial and live within weeks after onboarding starts.
- Dates must stop moving after every CRP run. QAD warns that manually adjusted operation dates “will probably be changed” when CRP runs. SkyPlanner writes the work order release and due dates that match its schedule, so CRP and the plan agree.
- Changeovers decide your output. The setting time matrix holds directional changeover times on every workstation and runs color, flavor or material sequences with the least total setup.
- Planners and operators work in the browser. The QAD workbenches run only in the .NET UI. SkyPlanner runs in the browser, users are unlimited, and Mobile Confirmations put the live queue on a phone or tablet.
- You want one monthly 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 production. Create machines, people and shifts in SkyPlanner, or import your QAD work centers. Assisted onboarding is available.
- Load your work orders. Export open work orders and their routings from QAD to Excel, import them and compare SkyPlanner’s schedule with your current plan.
- Connect QAD Adaptive ERP. The SkyPlanner team configures the two-way integration over QXtend 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, read the APS guide, or browse all ERP integrations.
FAQ
What is the best scheduling add-on for QAD Adaptive ERP?
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on that integrates with QAD Adaptive ERP in both directions: work orders, items, product structures, routings, work centers, inventory and purchase orders flow in, and scheduled work order dates and labor feedback 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 QAD Adaptive ERP have finite capacity scheduling?
For repetitive lines, yes: the Line Schedule Workbench in Advanced Repetitive loads lines finitely. For discrete work orders, CRP schedules backward from due dates and leaves overloads to the planner. QAD’s sequenced scheduler is the separate QAD Advanced Scheduling product. SkyPlanner APS schedules every machine, person, tool and material finitely beside QAD.
What scheduling software integrates with QAD Adaptive ERP?
SkyPlanner APS integrates with QAD Adaptive ERP in both directions. It reads items, product structures, routings, work centers, work orders and inventory through QXtend Outbound and the QAD business document REST APIs. Scheduled release and due dates go back to Work Order Maintenance through a QXtend Inbound QDoc, and confirmations post as Labor Feedback by Work Order and Work Order Receipt.
Should we use QAD Advanced Scheduling or SkyPlanner?
SkyPlanner, when you want a finite schedule for every machine and person running in weeks. QAD describes Advanced Scheduling as a line-by-line schedule for each plant and presents it with DSCP Production Planning and Redzone. SkyPlanner sequences discrete work orders, plans changeovers, tools, crews and material, replans automatically, and gives every operator their queue on a phone with unlimited users.
Does SkyPlanner work with MFG/PRO and QAD Enterprise Edition?
Yes. QAD Adaptive ERP is the current name for QAD’s ERP, which includes the former QAD Enterprise Applications Enterprise Edition and QAD Cloud ERP. The same work order, routing and work center programs and the QXtend interface carry the integration.
How much does SkyPlanner cost for a QAD 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.
How long does implementation take?
Implementation is normally completed within weeks after onboarding starts. The team maps your work centers, routings and items, connects work orders and purchase orders, and sends scheduled dates back. Everything is tested against your current plan before go-live.
Can we test SkyPlanner before integrating with QAD?
Yes. The 30-day trial runs on an Excel export of your open QAD work orders. You see a finite capacity schedule of your own production before any integration work starts.
