Integrations / ERP / Visma Nova
Does Visma Nova Have Finite Capacity Scheduling? Nova Tuotanto vs SkyPlanner APS
No. Visma Nova’s production module proposes start and finish dates backward from the delivery date, one work stage at a time, and shows the resulting load by machine group. The planner then fixes overloads by editing dates and resources in the work queue. Nova does not build a schedule that keeps every machine, person and tool within capacity. Small manufacturers on Nova that need one run SkyPlanner APS beside it, as Piristeel and Opes Corporation do.
How Visma Nova schedules production, step by step
Production runs in the Tuotanto program, which needs the WTU licence (source). The shop-floor app Työpiste needs WTP on top (source).
1. Product structure and work stages
Each product (nimike) has a product structure (tuoterakenne) and work stages (työvaiheet) in inventory accounting. A work stage names its machine group, its capacity per piece or per hour, and its setup time (source). By default, only the first structure level is processed (source).
2. Resources and capacity
Resources are machines, people, spaces, devices and subcontractors in resource groups. Each has a weekly capacity in hours, and Nova divides it evenly by the number of working days per week (source).
3. Order book to work queue
Sales orders wait in the order book (Tilauskanta). The planner moves them to the work queue (Työjono), where start and finish dates, priority and resources are set or edited. Jobs can be merged before they move on to production (source).
4. Date proposals
By default, Nova counts backward from the delivery date one work stage at a time (our translation, source). An optional forward mode finds the first free time of the first stage’s resource from known load (source).
5. Material
Moving a job to the queue reserves the finished product for the completion week and the components for the start week. Production proposals suggest make quantities from stock, incoming and outgoing items and alert limits (source).
6. Load view
Kuormitus calculates load by machine group from the work stages. The planner views it graphically by day, week or month, or as reports (source).
7. Shop floor and posting
Työpiste shows each machine’s jobs in a set order. Operators start, pause and finish stages and log good and defective quantities. Stage stamps (vaihekuittaus) record start and finish per person, and the production run (Tuotantoajo) posts finished goods to stock (source).
What stays with the planner
- Overloads. The load view shows them. Fixing them means editing start and finish dates and resources job by job.
- The whole route. Backward proposals go stage by stage from the delivery date, and forward mode checks only the first stage’s resource.
- Machine choice. Load is calculated per machine group. Which machine in the group runs the job is set by hand.
- Shifts. Capacity is weekly hours spread evenly over the working days, so a short Friday or a holiday week needs manual care.
- Changes after release. When a sales order’s quantity or date changes, the job’s start and finish times stay as they were (source).
- Setup order. Setup time is a value on the work stage. Grouping similar jobs to save setups is done by eye.
- People and tools. Operators and fixtures are not checked against the same job at the same hour.
When Visma Nova’s own scheduling is enough
Nova Tuotanto does the job when:
- Products have one or two work stages.
- Each machine group is one machine, or the machines in it are truly interchangeable.
- Changeovers are short or the same whatever ran before.
- Orders rarely change after release.
- The planner has time to clear overloads in the work queue each week.
When you need a finite capacity scheduler
You have outgrown it when several of these are true:
- The load view shows red weeks and you spend hours moving jobs.
- Several machines in a group run the same stage at different speeds.
- Operators, shifts and shared tools limit the plan as much as machines.
- Changeover time depends on which product ran before.
- Material arrival, not stock on hand, decides which job can start.
- Rush orders force a replan several times a week.
What to look for
- All resources finite at clock time, including people, tools and multi-operator jobs, with shifts, holidays and absences on the calendar.
- Alternative workstations that the engine picks between on every run.
- A setting time matrix of sequence-dependent changeover times, used to order jobs for the least setup.
- Material-aware scheduling from stock and incoming purchase orders.
- Automatic rescheduling when production changes, inside your locks.
- A concrete Nova connection. Ask each vendor which Nova interface it uses, what flows each way and whether it has live Nova customers.
The options fall into three groups:
- Nova’s own Tuotanto covers date proposals and load views inside Nova.
- APS suites such as Delfoi Planner connect through an implementation project and need a dedicated planning team.
- Cloud APS with shop-floor execution, where SkyPlanner sits, schedules every resource automatically beside Nova and puts the queue in operators’ hands.
The general method is in the finite capacity scheduling guide and the job shop scheduling guide.
Where SkyPlanner fits
SkyPlanner APS covers each point above. The Arcturus engine schedules every machine, operator, tool and material at real clock times and optimizes the whole plan in seconds inside your limits: capacity, shifts, materials, setup times, tools and dependencies. A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts.
When the first machine is busy, the engine moves the stage to another workstation you allowed. The setting time matrix holds the changeover time between product properties in each direction, so blue to red can take 30 minutes and red to blue 60, and the engine orders jobs for the least setup. Material-driven scheduling projects stock from Nova balances and purchase orders, so a stage starts when its material is there.
Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes. Running Time Lock keeps the jobs already running in place. Operators confirm work with Mobile Confirmations on a phone or tablet.
Choose SkyPlanner over Nova Tuotanto when the planner clears overloads by hand every week.
Choose SkyPlanner over Nova Tuotanto when setups, people or material decide what can run next.
Choose SkyPlanner over Nova Tuotanto when orders change after release and the plan must follow.
SkyPlanner integrates with Visma Nova in both directions. Products, structures, work stages, sales orders, purchase orders and stock flow in, and finished production, batches, stock events and stage stamps go back to Nova in real time. Piristeel and Opes Corporation run SkyPlanner with Visma Nova. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration during onboarding and supports it after go-live. Your Visma partner or your developers can build on the documented REST API (API reference).
Start with an export from Nova 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, billed monthly. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan.
See the SkyPlanner for Visma Nova page, the Visma Nova integration guide, or other systems in the ERP integrations hub.
SkyPlanner reviews from manufacturers
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.
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.
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.
FAQ
Does Visma Nova have a production scheduling tool?
Nova has a production module, Tuotanto, with a work queue, date proposals, a load view by machine group and the Työpiste shop-floor app. It proposes dates backward from the delivery date and leaves overloads to the planner. It is not a finite capacity scheduler.
Can Visma Nova schedule forward from today?
Yes, with an optional setting. Forward mode finds the first free time for the first work stage’s resource. The later stages are not checked against capacity the same way.
Does Visma Nova move jobs when an order changes?
No. When a sales order’s quantity or date changes, the job’s start and finish times stay as they were. SkyPlanner’s Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
Should we use Visma Nova Tuotanto or SkyPlanner?
Use Tuotanto alone if your products have few stages and date proposals are enough. Use SkyPlanner when you need a finite schedule at clock time, machine-level load, real shifts, least-setup sequencing or automatic replanning, with production posted back to Nova.
Can I test SkyPlanner before integrating it with Visma Nova?
Yes. Export products, work stages and open orders from Nova, import them during the 30-day trial and compare the schedule with your current work queue. See pricing, start the trial or talk to sales.
