One tool for every plant
Multi-site production scheduling software
SkyPlanner APS gives every plant the same finite-capacity scheduler. Local planners schedule their own workstations, management sees all plants in one view, and each plant connects its own ERP through the open REST API. Roll it out one plant at a time.
- A workstation group per plant
- Local planners
- ERP integration per plant
- 29 languages
Why multi-plant scheduling is hard
Every plant plans in its own way
Groups that grew through acquisitions often have a different scheduling method in every plant: a spreadsheet in one, an ERP planning board in the next, a whiteboard in the third.
No common picture
Management cannot compare load or delivery performance across plants when each plant plans in its own format.
Planners are local
The people who know the machines and the shifts work in each plant. A common tool has to let them plan their own work.
Different ERPs in different plants
Acquired plants rarely share one ERP, and replacing them all before scheduling can improve would take years.
Work moves between plants
Some orders start in one plant and finish in another, and the transfer time decides the delivery date.
Big-bang rollouts stall
Going live in every plant at once is risky. Most groups want to prove the tool in one plant first.
Languages differ
Planners and operators in each country need the schedule in their own language.
SkyPlanner is the same scheduling tool in every plant. Each plant keeps its own planners, workstations and ERP, and all of them schedule the same way.
Multi-plant scheduling
Multi-plant scheduling with local planners
Each plant is a workstation group in SkyPlanner. Local planners schedule their own workstations with their own shift calendars, while the scheduling rules and the Arcturus AI engine stay the same everywhere.
A workstation group per plant
Workstation groups separate the resources of each factory, and a view can be filtered or shared for one factory location.
Roles and permissions
Role-based access gives head users, planners, operators and read-only viewers their own rights. Operators see jobs only at the workstations they are eligible for.
Each plant in its own language
The user interface comes in 29 languages, so planners and operators in every country work in their own language.
Rollout
Roll out plant by plant
Start with one plant, prove the schedule, then add the next. Pricing is per workstation and workstations can be added at any time, so the cost follows the rollout.
Pilot in one plant
Set up the workstations, shifts and products of the first plant, import its orders from Excel or CSV files or connect its ERP, and run the pilot with the plant’s own planners. An assisted onboarding package covers import guidance, configuration and training.
- Free trial with up to 20 workstations
- Guided onboarding packages
Add the next plant
Each new plant becomes its own workstation group with its own shift calendars and planners, using the same scheduling rules and the same way of working as the first.
- Workstations added at any time
- The same way of scheduling in every plant
Work that moves between plants
When an order starts in one plant and continues in another, the transfer is planned as teardown time on the last step or as a transport job with a fixed time on a transport workstation. SkyPlanner can also suggest which plant’s workstations work should be routed through.
One view across plants
One view across plants
Management and central planning see the load of every plant in the same schedule, and can filter the view to one plant or share it with that plant’s team.
- See every plant’s workstations in one Gantt timeline.
- Filter or share the view for one factory location.
- Schedule a quote as a simulated order and see the earliest realistic delivery date before you promise it.
Configuration
Configured to each plant
Plants in a group rarely work the same way. SkyPlanner adapts to each plant’s process, lets you choose how plants share the software and brings subcontractors into the same chain.
Different plants, different processes
SkyPlanner has more than 1,000 configurable settings in its scheduling logic, user interface and data structure, so plants with very different processes, or plants in different industries, can use the same software. A machining plant, an assembly plant and a process plant each get their own workstations, routings and rules. Requirements that cannot be configured can be added as customization services.
- More than 1,000 configurable settings
- Customization when a setting is not enough
One SkyPlanner or one per plant
All plants can share one SkyPlanner, or each plant can run its own SkyPlanner. Separate SkyPlanners communicate with each other and can share routings, so work can still move from one plant to the next.
- Plants in one SkyPlanner as workstation groups
- Separate SkyPlanners that share routings
Subcontractors in the same chain
Subcontractors are part of the routing as their own workstations, so outsourced steps are scheduled and you can see when work is sent out and when it comes back. A subcontractor that uses SkyPlanner itself can be connected to the same chain with its own SkyPlanner.
Integrates with any ERP or MES
ERP integration per plant
SkyPlanner connects to all ERP and MES systems through its open REST API, including in-house systems. Each plant’s ERP sends its own orders and products, and planned times and material need dates flow back to the same ERP. It also runs standalone, so you can start scheduling before an integration is in place.
From your ERP
ERP · MES · CSV · Manual
- Sales & production orders
- Products & routings
- Materials & stock
- Customers & due dates
SkyPlanner APS
Schedules production
- Plants
- Workstations
- Shifts
- Routings
- Transfers
- Schedule
Back to your ERP
ERP · Reports · Management
- Planned start & end times
- Material need dates
- Progress & quantities
- Delivery dates
- SAP S/4HANA
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Oracle NetSuite
- Infor
- Epicor
- IFS Cloud
- Sage X3
- Odoo
Why SkyPlanner
Why manufacturing groups schedule every plant with SkyPlanner
SkyPlanner APS is AI production scheduling software that gives every plant of a manufacturing group the same finite-capacity scheduler, without replacing the ERP of any plant. It is detailed plant scheduling, and it works next to your S&OP and supply chain planning tools.
Configured to each plant
More than 1,000 configurable settings let plants with very different processes, even in different industries, use the same software.
Local control
Each plant’s planners schedule their own workstations, with role-based access for every user.
Each plant on its own ERP
Every ERP that provides an API connects through the same open REST API.
Routing across plants
SkyPlanner can suggest which plant’s workstations work should be routed through, with transfer times planned.
29 languages
Planners and operators in every country work in their own language.
Pay per workstation
From 199 € / month with 5 workstations included and 20 € per month for each additional workstation, added as plants go live.
Security and data
SkyPlanner runs in the cloud on AWS. If your data needs to stay in a specific country, a dedicated server there is available by agreement. Data is backed up daily and backups are kept for 30 days. Users can sign in with Google or Microsoft accounts and two-factor authentication. A data processing agreement is available, and customer data is never used to train AI models.
Pricing
From 199 € / month
5 workstations included. Each additional workstation is 20 € per month. There is a free trial, and guided onboarding packages are available if you want help setting up plants, workstation groups and shift calendars.
Every industry
Production scheduling software by industry
SkyPlanner is configured to the process of each factory, so manufacturers in every industry schedule with the same software.
- Food manufacturing
- Beverage
- Chemical manufacturing
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing
- Cosmetics and personal care
- Metal fabrication
- Machine shops
- Foundries and metal forming
- Surface treatment
- Machinery manufacturing
- Automotive parts
- Aerospace and defense
- Electronics manufacturing
- Electrical equipment
- Medical devices
- Contract manufacturing
- Plastics manufacturing
- Packaging and printing
- Furniture manufacturing
- Building products
- Textile, apparel and footwear
Questions manufacturing groups ask
Frequently asked questions
What is multi-site production scheduling software?
Multi-site production scheduling software gives every plant of a manufacturing group the same scheduling tool. Each plant schedules its own workstations to finite capacity, and the group sees all plants in one place. SkyPlanner APS does this with a workstation group per plant, local planners, role-based access and an open REST API for each plant’s ERP.
Can each plant keep its own planners?
Yes. Local planners schedule the workstations of their own plant, with their own shift calendars. Role-based access gives head users, planners, operators and read-only viewers their own rights, and operators see jobs only at the workstations they are eligible for.
Can plants with different ERP systems use SkyPlanner?
Yes. SkyPlanner integrates with any ERP that provides an API through its open REST API, so each plant can connect its own ERP. A plant without an integration can start with CSV and Excel imports.
Can plants with very different processes use the same SkyPlanner?
Yes. SkyPlanner has more than 1,000 configurable settings in its scheduling logic, user interface and data structure. Each plant gets its own workstations, routings and scheduling rules, so a machining plant, an assembly plant and a process plant, even in different industries, can use the same software. Requirements that cannot be configured can be added as customization services.
Do all plants have to be in one SkyPlanner?
No. All plants can share one SkyPlanner with a workstation group per plant, or each plant can run its own SkyPlanner. Separate SkyPlanners communicate with each other and can share routings.
Can subcontractors be part of the schedule?
Yes. Subcontractors are set up as their own workstations in the routing, so subcontracted steps are scheduled with the rest of the process and you can track when work is sent and returned. A subcontractor with its own SkyPlanner can be connected to the same supply chain.
How do we roll out SkyPlanner across plants?
Plant by plant. Run a pilot in one plant with its own planners and data, then add each next plant as a new workstation group. Pricing is per workstation and workstations can be added at any time, so the cost grows with the rollout.
Can SkyPlanner plan work that moves between plants?
Yes. Transfer time between plants is planned as teardown time on the last step in the first plant, or as a transport job with a fixed time on a transport workstation. The next step in the second plant starts when the parts have arrived.
Can SkyPlanner suggest which plant should run an order?
Yes. When workstations in several plants can run the same work, SkyPlanner can identify which plant’s workstations the work is most efficiently routed through.
Is multi-site production scheduling the same as multi-site capacity planning?
No. Multi-site capacity planning and S&OP balance demand and capacity across the network over weeks and months in supply chain planning tools. Multi-site production scheduling decides what each workstation in each plant runs next. SkyPlanner does production scheduling and works next to those tools.
How is a multi-site setup priced?
SkyPlanner costs 199 € per month with 5 workstations included and 20 € per month for each additional workstation, across all plants. Special requirements such as a dedicated server, custom features or tailored service levels are priced case by case. See pricing or SkyPlanner for large manufacturers.
Start with one plant
Book a demo with the workstation list of your first plant and a week of its orders. We will show them scheduled and walk through how the next plants join.
