Integrations / ERP / Sage 100
SkyPlanner APS for Sage 100: Finite Capacity Production Scheduling
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on for Sage 100 that schedules every machine, operator, tool and material. It works with Sage 100 in the US and Canada with Production Management, and with Sage 100 in Germany and Austria with Sage 100 Produktion. You see which operation runs on which machine, at what time, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
SkyPlanner integrates with Sage 100 in both directions. Work tickets or Fertigungsaufträge, items, stock and purchase orders flow in. Planned dates per step and logged labor flow back. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your Sage 100 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
Every resource finite, in one schedule.
Every machine, person and tool gets a finite schedule with real shifts, absences and overtime. Each step gets a start time, an end time and a workstation. A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts.
Work centers stop overbooking.
Sage 100 books hours against a work center or Arbeitsplatz. SkyPlanner places each step only where the machine and the people are free, and the Arcturus engine optimizes the whole plan in seconds.
Fewer changeovers.
SkyPlanner knows how long it takes to switch a machine from one product to the next, in both directions. Blue to red can take 30 minutes and red to blue 60. The schedule runs jobs in the order that loses the least time to setups.
Material checked before work starts.
SkyPlanner reads stock and open purchase orders from Sage 100. A job waiting for a supplier delivery is planned after that delivery date.
Rush orders and breakdowns replanned automatically.
When a machine stops or a rush order lands, Autopilot reschedules automatically. Running Time Lock keeps started jobs in place, and your 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 the logged time goes back to Sage 100.
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.
Fewerstoppages from material shortages
“The value SkyPlanner brings us is that it is a tool that works in daily use, especially for setting delivery dates.”
Tommi Männistö, Production Planning Manager
Eskomatic · Contract machining
Automatic load scheduling gives more accurate delivery dates, and production stoppages caused by material shortages have fallen sharply.
How the Sage 100 integration works
- Sage 100 sends the work. Open work tickets (US) or Fertigungsaufträge (Germany and Austria) flow into SkyPlanner with their steps or Arbeitsgänge, work centers, items, stock and purchase orders.
- SkyPlanner builds the schedule and keeps it current. The Arcturus engine plans every step on a real machine and real people, in seconds, and replans as production changes.
- Dates and logged work go back. Planned dates return to each work ticket step or Arbeitsgang. Operator timelogs return as labor entries or Rückmeldungen, so costing in Sage 100 sees actual hours.
Sage 100 stays your system of record. Items, bills of materials, purchasing, stock and costing stay where they are. SkyPlanner owns the sequence and timing of every operation on every resource.
The two products connect differently:
- Sage 100 (US and Canada). SkyPlanner reads data in bulk over ODBC and writes through the Sage 100 Business Object Interface (BOI), the interface Sage provides for third-party access to Sage 100 programs. Planned dates on work ticket steps, labor entries and completions go back. Visual Integrator jobs carry file imports and exports.
- Sage 100 (Germany and Austria). Sage 100 runs on Microsoft SQL Server and is extended through its business objects, as Sage partner solutions do. Arbeitsgang dates and Rückmeldungen go back, over the route the SkyPlanner team sets with your Sage partner during onboarding scoping.
Every plant runs Sage 100 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 Sage partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented REST API (API reference). During the trial you start with a CSV or Excel export, before any integration work.
Objects, data mapping and write-back rules for both products are in the Sage 100 integration guide for production scheduling.
What Sage 100 schedules, and what SkyPlanner adds
Sage 100 in the US and Canada schedules work tickets in its Production Management module. Sage’s own help describes the method:
- Each work ticket is scheduled on its own. “The “infinite” loading technique is used to allow each work ticket to be scheduled independently.” (Sage 100 help)
- Capacity is hours per day per work center. “Each work center has a capacity, expressed in hours, that it can perform on a given day.” (source)
- A work center is one unit. Work centers consist “of one or more persons or machines, and they are considered a single unit for capacity planning.” (source)
- Overloads are relieved by hand. “Individual work orders can be rescheduled or the queue time can be increased to relieve overcommitted work centers.” (source)
Sage 100 in Germany and Austria plans in Sage 100 Produktion. It offers forward and backward scheduling, simulation and an “Anzeige von Engpass-Positionen (Material und Kapazität)”, a display of material and capacity bottlenecks. Detailed planning happens on the graphical Plantafel, which Sage lists as an optional add-on package (“Grafische Ressourcenplanung (Zusatzpaket)”). On the Plantafel the planner moves tasks by drag and drop, and Sage 100 re-dates the orders and the material demand. (Sage help, Sage 100 Produktion)
In both products the planner decides which work moves. SkyPlanner adds the step that remains: every operation placed on a free machine with free people and tools, in the order with the least setup, and replanned automatically.
Every feature and limit is explained in Does Sage 100 have finite capacity scheduling?
Sage 100 today and with SkyPlanner
| Sage 100 Production Management or Sage 100 Produktion | Sage 100 with SkyPlanner APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity view | Hours per work center per day (US), load and bottleneck display (DE) | Every operation on a timeline, to the minute |
| Overloads | Planner reschedules work tickets or drags tasks on the Plantafel | Engine places work only where capacity exists |
| Resources | Work centers of persons or machines, Arbeitsplätze | Machines, named people and tools, all finite |
| Changeovers | Setup and run times per step | Setting time matrix: least total setup |
| Materials | Material demand and purchase planning | Jobs start when stock or incoming deliveries are there |
| Changes | Reschedule or re-plan, then check load again | Autopilot replans the whole plant within your priorities |
| Planner view | Capacity inquiry (US), Plantafel add-on (DE) | Interactive Gantt: move a job, the plan stays consistent |
| Shop floor | Labor entry or Betriebsdatenerfassung | Operators see their queue and log work on phone or tablet |
| Getting started | Module and add-on licenses through your Sage partner | 30-day trial on your own export, then from 199 € per month |
What moves between Sage 100 and SkyPlanner
| Sage 100 (US) | Sage 100 (Germany, Austria) | SkyPlanner | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work ticket | Fertigungsauftrag | Order | Sage 100 → SkyPlanner |
| Work ticket steps, activity codes | Arbeitsgänge from the Arbeitsplan | Jobs with setup and run times | Sage 100 → SkyPlanner |
| Work center | Arbeitsplatz, Ressource | Workstation, workstation group, personnel | Sage 100 → SkyPlanner |
| Item, Bill of Materials | Artikel, Stückliste (Ressourcenliste) | Products, materials, subproducts | Sage 100 → SkyPlanner |
| Inventory quantities | Lagerbestand | Stock balances | Sage 100 → SkyPlanner |
| Purchase orders | Bestellungen | Purchase orders with delivery dates | Sage 100 → SkyPlanner |
| Sales order dates | Kundenaufträge, Liefertermine | Due dates and customer priority | Sage 100 → SkyPlanner |
| Planned start and end per step | Arbeitsgang-Termine | Scheduled start, end, workstation | SkyPlanner → Sage 100 |
| Labor entries, completions | Rückmeldungen (Zeiten, Mengen) | Timelogs and confirmations | SkyPlanner → Sage 100 |
Sage 100, Sage 200 and Sage X3
Sage sells several ERPs with similar names. US Sage 100 serves manufacturers and distributors in the US and Canada (Sage). UK and Irish manufacturers on Sage 200 Professional find their page at SkyPlanner for Sage 200. Multi-site and larger manufacturers on Sage X3 find theirs at SkyPlanner for Sage X3. The German Sage 100 is the successor of Sage Office Line, and this page covers it too.
SkyPlanner compared with other Sage 100 scheduling options
| Option | Examples | Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Planning inside Sage 100 | Production Management scheduling (US), Plantafel add-on (DE) | Hours per work center or a manual board; the planner resolves overloads |
| On-premises Leitstand and APS add-ons | 4APS, proMExS, PCT Produktionsleitstand (DE); Scanco Operations Management (US) | Installed planning boards and MES suites, set up by the vendor in a project |
| Cloud APS with shop-floor execution | SkyPlanner APS | Every resource finite, automatic replanning, operator app, monthly price |
Choose SkyPlanner over the Sage 100 Plantafel when:
- You want the engine to sequence, not a board to drag. Sage describes the Plantafel as a drag and drop board. Arcturus places every Arbeitsgang on free capacity by itself, in seconds.
- Changeovers decide your output. The setting time matrix holds directional changeover times, and the schedule runs jobs in the order with the least setup.
- People and tools limit the plan. Tools are finite shared resources, a job can need several operators at once, and alternative workstations are used when the primary one is busy.
- The plan changes several times a week. Autopilot replans automatically, Running Time Lock keeps started work in place, and new dates go back to Sage 100.
Choose SkyPlanner when you run US Sage 100:
- You level work centers by hand today. Sage’s infinite loading leaves overloads to the planner. SkyPlanner never books a machine twice.
- A work center hides several machines and people. SkyPlanner schedules each machine and each operator on its own timeline, with real shifts and absences.
- You want a schedule in weeks, not a module project. Test on your own work tickets 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 them. Assisted onboarding is available.
- Load your orders. Export open work tickets or Fertigungsaufträge with their steps to Excel, import them and compare SkyPlanner’s schedule with your current plan.
- Connect Sage 100. 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.
FAQ
What is the best scheduling add-on for Sage 100?
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on that integrates with Sage 100 in both directions. Work tickets or Fertigungsaufträge, items, stock and purchase orders flow in, and planned step dates and logged labor 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 Sage 100 have finite capacity scheduling?
US Sage 100 Production Management schedules with infinite loading, in Sage’s own words, and the planner relieves overloaded work centers. German Sage 100 Produktion shows load and bottlenecks, and its optional Plantafel lets the planner drag tasks. SkyPlanner APS adds a finite capacity schedule for every operation, machine, person and tool.
What scheduling software integrates with Sage 100?
SkyPlanner APS integrates with Sage 100 in both directions. On US Sage 100 it reads work tickets, work centers, items and purchase orders, and writes planned step dates and labor entries back through the Business Object Interface. On German Sage 100 it reads Fertigungsaufträge, Arbeitsgänge and Arbeitsplätze and sends Arbeitsgang dates and Rückmeldungen back over the route the SkyPlanner team sets with your Sage partner during onboarding, and SkyPlanner webhooks push schedule changes as they happen.
Should we use the Sage 100 Plantafel or SkyPlanner?
Use the Plantafel if you want to plan by hand on a board inside Sage 100. Choose SkyPlanner when you want the engine to place every Arbeitsgang on free machines, people and tools, sequence for the least setup and replan automatically. SkyPlanner sends the dates back to Sage 100 Produktion.
Which Sage 100 does this page cover?
Both. Sage 100 in the US and Canada is the former MAS 90 and MAS 200, with Production Management. Sage 100 in Germany and Austria is the successor of Sage Office Line, with Sage 100 Produktion. SkyPlanner works with both, and the integration uses each product’s own interfaces.
Do we need to install anything in Sage 100?
SkyPlanner runs in the cloud beside Sage 100. The integration uses the interfaces Sage 100 already has: the Business Object Interface on US Sage 100, and the SQL Server database plus the write route agreed with your Sage partner on German Sage 100. The SkyPlanner team sets it up with you during onboarding.
How much does SkyPlanner cost for a Sage 100 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 Sage 100?
Yes. The 30-day trial runs on an Excel export of your open work tickets or Fertigungsaufträge. You see a finite capacity schedule of your own production before any integration work starts. Implementation is normally completed within weeks after onboarding starts.
Sources
- Sage 100 Production Management, Enhanced Scheduling
- Sage 100 work center capacity
- Sage 100 Work Center Maintenance
- Sage 100 infinite loading
- Sage 100 Produktion (Germany): https://onlinehilfe.sage.de/onlinehilfe/ol/80/abf/leistungsumfang_produktion_doku.htm and https://www.sage.com/de-de/produkte/sage-100/produktion/
- Sage 100 (US) product page
