6 Strong Reasons to Plan Your Production with SoftLi Planner
Planning is the holy grail of production management. At SoftLi, we see it as the culmination of long-term data work – the final piece in the digital transformation puzzle. That’s why we believe that without a MES system, there’s no point in using a planner. You can create the most detailed plan, but if your production isn’t aligned with it in real time, the planner remains blind to what's really happening in production. Here's why that matters.
Factories feel the pain. We see the cause.
Many manufacturing companies, especially their management, still mistakenly believe that a plan should come before production. As a result, they implement planners before MES. However, that's just wrong.
When using a production planner from an ERP system, at the end of the shift, you’ll only find out that the plan wasn’t met – nothing more. As a result, you have no data to rely on when adjusting the plan for the following day.
Either you configure it the same way and hope the reasons for the previous delay won’t happen again, or you go with the traditional trial-and-error method.
As a result, you reduce production batches without understanding why you missed the target last time.
In our view, it’s important to understand your production process first – and only then make plans. Not the other way around.
Planning is just the final piece of the puzzle. A system for effective planning only delivers meaningful results when:
You start from the bottom and work your way up
You have access to all the data;
You know exactly how your production process works.
And that‘s the metaphorical foundation of why you should plan your production with SoftLi.
Many people initially don't want a MES – they ask for a planner instead. They want better scheduling, thinking that’s where the biggest losses are. But we always explain – backed by data – that the first step is implementing a MES. Once MES is up and running, adding the Planner unlocks next-level efficiency. Suddenly, what used to take a week takes only three days.
What else can our Planner do?
1 Real-time rescheduling during shifts
The SoftLi Planner allows you to automatically reschedule your production plan with just one click – based on how well (or poorly) the plan is currently being fulfilled. Unlike planning modules in ERP systems, it works with real-time production data, so you can respond to what’s actually happening on the production line.
You see everything as it happens – and our Planner can adapt accordingly. For example, if a process engineer / technologist changes the cycle time for a product (because machines are performing faster than expected, or slower and falling behind), the Planner takes this into account. It then proposes a new plan to optimize batch scheduling under the current conditions.
2 Batching production orders to minimize changeovers and maximize production capacity
If you don't have real data, you're just making assumptions. We take into account the entire production train – where it stops, where it slows down, and where it needs to switch tracks.
3 Aggregation of production requirements
With SoftLi Planner, production planning requests are aggregated in such a way that what once was 1000 individual requests is now reduced to 300. This results in fewer or even no setup times, cutting down on unnecessary delays and inefficiencies.
4 Total Clarity
With clear graphical indicators, Planner ensures a user-friendly experience even for a first-time user. You can clearly see how each request is scheduled and whether everything is covered or if there's still work to be done. The scheduled tasks are immediately hidden, and only those that need to be planned will be displayed. Clean slate, clear work.
5 Adjusting production schedules according to the current workforce or material supply
Yes, we’ve already mentioned the real-time production replanning feature based on live data. However, it’s such a useful function that it deserves a separate point.
Our Planner can even adjust production plans based on how many people are currently on shift. For example, if a machine typically requires two operators but only one shows up. You simply enter this into the Planner, and the entire process timeline will adjust accordingly. You’ll immediately see how the required time for completing a batch changes.
It works the same way with material. If there’s a delay in material delivery, you can input the current stock levels into the Planner, which will then evaluate that, instead of 10 batches, you can only produce 9 – and it will adjust the plans accordingly.
6 Possibility of AI involvement
We offer the Planner module in two versions.
Basic level – this is the one we have discussed so far.
Advanced level – this will include the so-called smart features / intelligent functionality.
The second option includes AI elements that elevate the basic system into an advanced production scheduling (APS) tool.
This means you won’t need to spend time or money analyzing production data and then programming at even higher costs.
All the work is managed by Planner, which tracks:
how key users plan production,
how they make decisions,
how they behave,
and how their plans are later put into action.
It will learn from this, continually improve its processes, and over time, it will be able to plan production more efficiently than the person who taught it.
Both the basic and advanced modules are ready-to-use products, allowing for faster, more affordable, and more efficient implementation than custom-made solutions.
However, we also offer custom solutions, so if you wish, we can create a special planner tailored to your specific needs.
What should you take away from this?
Collecting data is absolutely crucial. When you have data from both production (MES) and planning (the basic Planner model), it's easy to transition to APS, making your entire planning process much more efficient.
AI, trained on your data, can propose ways to arrange production tasks for optimal results, cutting your planning time by 1-2 days. And those extra days can be put to better use. The important thing is that you won’t waste them.
For those already collecting data, AI will provide a further edge over the competition.
Start today. Try the Planner module without commitment and see firsthand why MES SoftLi, with its add-on modules, leads the market. Then decide.
