APS & MES: What does each offer?

We live in a time where the manufacturing market is becoming increasingly competitive and dynamic, leading company to seek solutions that allow them to better control their production, increase their productive efficiency, and reduce losses. This need gives rise to the desire to find technologies that help us produce faster, cheaper, more efficiently, and more effectively.

When starting the search for specialized tools to assist in the management, planning, scheduling, and control of their production, many company end up wondering which type of solution is best suited to meet their needs and truly solve their problems. As the research begins, different options emerge, and often we are unable to translate into practice the role of each tool and how they can help us.

Within this context, two types of tools stand out as capable of helping company improve their monitoring of the production process and seek to gain a competitive advantage through production planning and control (PPC): MES software and APS software.

Manufacturing Execution Systems ( MES ) software are tools focused on the execution and control of production. The main objective of MES software is to enable the efficient execution of production orders and to monitor equipment and production data. Some of the benefits that can be expected from MES software are: reduction of scrap and rework, reduction of maintenance costs, improved machine efficiency, reduction of material losses, and improved quality of production information.

Among the main functionalities of a MES we can list:

• Automation of production data collection;
• Online production management;
• Equipment performance analysis ( OEE - Overall Equipment Effectiveness );
• Automation of materials and inventory control;
• Assistance in quality control;
• Capture actual cost data;
• Online maintenance control.

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software is a widely used tool in production planning and scheduling . Its focus is on sequencing and planning with finite capacity, meaning it takes into account various constraints on the factory floor such as resources, labor, production calendars, tooling, and others. Among the benefits that APS software can provide are: reduced lead time, reduced inventory, reduced setup times, better resource utilization, and improved on-time delivery.

The APS, in turn, has its main functionalities listed below:

• Production planning, generating the mesproduction plan;
• Inventory policy planning;
• Generating production orders;
• Sequencing production orders with finite capacity;
• Simulation of different sequencing scenarios;
• Materials management.

In general, we can say that MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is used at the operational level, being responsible for monitoring ongoing work and ensuring its execution, mesalso generating a complete diagnosis of the historical state of production—an important input for the company 's tactical decisions. On the other hand, APS (Application Scheme Processing) works at the operational and tactical levels, drawing up plans with a short- and medium-term vision to meet the industry's objectives and a long-term vision to assist in strategic decisions related to production capacity and resource allocation. Both systems work in conjunction with the company 's ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), maintaining constant communication and providing decision-makers with the necessary information to be more assertive.

The following image aims to illustrate, in a time-sensitive manner, the scope of each solution:

MES and APS: Distinct scopes that complement each other.

It's worth noting that, despite having very different scopes, the distinction between MES and APS isn't always clear-cut. Each software has its own peculiarities and range of functions; however, you may find some overlap in the functionalities offered. Some MES software is capable of providing functions that are generally within the scope of APS, and vice versa.

But the question remains: which one do I need? Well, we regret to inform you that there is no ready answer to that question. The list of features of each tool may be quite attractive, but the answer will depend on the needs and short- and long-term objectives of your company . Often the answer is both, because far from being competing systems, they are actually complementary systems. And it is the combination of both that will give us complete control of production, that is, planning, scheduling and control.