By Manufacturing Business Technology Staff -- Manufacturing Business Technology, 2/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Supply chain planning-can be done using software product suites that attack planning and logistics problems at different operational levels and granularities of detail. Models may be for anything from a single product line or production plant to a complex "chain" that includes multiple demand sources, suppliers, production plants, and distribution means. Advanced planning and scheduling (APS) technology uses in-memory processing and special algorithms to model a wider range of constraints than is possible using master production schedule and materials requirements planning, which it is widely held APS will eventually replace. In addition to independent vendors of supply chain planning, enterprise resources planning (ERP) vendors have acquired APS technology or are partnering with APS vendors.
