With what kind of restrictions can APS handle?

A real productive system is subject to numerous restrictions that directly impact production and sequencing. When we talk about Advanced Planning and Scheduling ( APS) systems , especially in those focused on thin sequencing, the consideration of these restrictions is critical to generating viable and efficient plans.

Opcenter APS , Siemens sequencing software, allows the construction of models that treat a wide range of restrictions, such as:

• Material restrictions

• Script restrictions and valid resources

• Secondary restrictions

• Advanced Resource Restrictions

• Dependency restrictions between father and daughter operations

• Restrictions on movement, waiting or transportation

Next, we detail the main categories:

Material restrictions

Production planning needs to contemplate the actual availability of materials. Otherwise, planned orders without proper visibility of stocks are at risk of imminent rupture.

Opcenter APS considers different sources of materials:

• Stocks available in the current period;

• Purchase orders - already linked to suppliers;

• Purchase requests - not yet linked (internal documents).

In addition, it is possible:

• Define priority deposits;

• Link inventory to specific work centers;

• Restrict consumption based on material, supplier or lot quality.

Practical example:
In the textile industry, it's common to require that all production orders for the same mes use the mes yarn batch to ensure uniformity in the tone of the pieces. Mes if the SKU and color are the same, small variations in dyeing can compromise the quality of the final product.

Opcenter APS allows different levels of risk in planning:

• More conservative: sequencing only with materials in stock.

• Moderate: Include purchase orders with safety margins.

• Simulated: Ignore absences to analyze the full productive potential of the plant.

This flexibility supports simulations, internal benchmarking and strategic decisions.

Script restrictions and valid resources

The production process describes the steps a material goes through until it becomes a finished or semi-finished product. Ideally, each Part Number (SKU) has its process registered in the ERP, which is the mes (System of Record).

At Opcenter APS:

• Roadmaps may be imported from the ERP or, in specific cases, registered directly.

• Work centers are attributed according to the script, restricting where each operation can occur.

Complementarily, the APS allows:

• Restrict work centers based on product attributes (color, material type, etc.);

• Customize scripts agile for feasibility simulations and analysis, without affecting the ERP.

This capacity is essential for industries that need to simulate production and programming scenarios quickly, adapting itineraries and resource allocation dynamically.

Secondary restrictions

Real production systems are subject to numerous other restrictions beyond the capacity of so -called primary resources (machines, work centers, production lines). Among these additional restrictions, we can mention:

• Specific labor;

• Available electricity;

• Tools, molds, arrays;

• Shared auxiliary resources.

These are called secondary restrictions on Opcenter APS. That is, any other element that impacts the capacity of the productive system. Thus, the models created from APS, in projects implemented by Neo Digital Industries, include the possibility of configuring these restrictions, giving the high accuracy and realism.

Practical Example:
Imagine a hypothetical F factory, with 3 machines available 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, totaling 120 hours per week of capacity.

Product A demand is 100 hours and can be processed on any machine. However, the product A requires the use of the X matrix - and the factory has only 2 X matrices, which restricts the capacity available to 80 hours.

In other words, mesif there is sufficient nominal machine capacity, the head office bottleneck prevents full demand from being met.

With Opcenter APS, it is possible to model these restrictions and generate plans and sequences actually adherent to the factory reality.

Other Advanced Restrictions

Opcenter APS sequencing module also treats more complex restrictions, such as:

• Production orders synchronism (dependent operations);

• Controlled parallelism between work centers;

• Movements between productive areas , considering:

• Transportation times,

• Compulsory waiting times,

• Logistic capacity restrictions.

• Minimum or maximum lot restrictions;

• Calendar restrictions and custom shifts.

These features allow the APS factory model to accurately reflect the active productive environment, supporting quick, intelligent and feasible decisions.

Conclusion

Opcenter APS not only considers basic restrictions of materials and itineraries, but also integrates advanced features that allow:

• Model secondary and auxiliary restrictions,

• Simulate different levels of risk,

• Optimize sequencing based on the specific reality of each operation.

Want to understand how these restrictions can be modeled to your business?
Talk to our Neo Digital Industries experts: https://www.neodigitalindustries.com/contato