DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION | PRODUCTION PLANNING

Production Planning Software

A Product Planning tool is designed to help small, medium and large manufacturing businesses automate their production management and minimize waste and associated costs

What is production planning software?

A production planning system is a tool or collection of tools designed to streamline operations, scheduling, and actions on the production floor. If you are manufacturing or fabricating, keeping abreast of all the moving parts, from shift management to shipping products can be difficult to manage effectively, and impact your bottom line.

Who uses production planning software?

Production planning systems are multi-capable tools used by operations managers, production managers, schedulers, packaging specialists, fulfillment operators, QA teams, and shop floor fabricators. Because these systems collate data from so many different spaces on the fabrication floor, it is used by multiple users all under one roof.

What are the benefits of production planning?

Increase Efficiency

Find where waste is being produced effortlessly, get real insights into time management, identify your bottlenecks in manufacturing/production, and get actionable insights.

Digitization and Automation

Gain access to real-time data such as labor, scrap, downtime, and maintenance with digital processes that scale across your entire supply chain.

Reduce Waste Costs

Detect inconsistencies on the shop floor to quickly limit the number of bad parts and materials wasted.

Production planning software resources

Interested in learning more about Prodsmart? Want to get up and running as fast as possible with your free trial?

Check out these resources to get started.

Get Started with Prodsmart series

Prodsmart with Fusion 360

Want to learn how to use Prodsmart alongside Fusion 360? Check out this handy video

Digitizing and automating manufacturing processes with Prodsmart

Curious how adopting Prodsmart can help your business compete better and maximize profits? This video is for you

MES vs. ERP

MES and Production Planning are frequently interchangeable terms. Look at what an MES is versus an ERP system, the benefits of each, and how Autodesk Prodsmart can help

Check it out here

Why Visuals Matter in Inventory Management

Explore the importance of strong visuals for inventory management and how MES provide teams with the necessary data to succeed.

Check it out here

 

3 Maintenance Scheduling Hacks

Learn how to optimize maintenance scheduling to ensure your business’ work gets completed correctly and on time.

Check it out here

 

Production planning software FAQs

What are the advantages of production planning?

While certainly not an exhaustive list, some key benefits are 

Digitization and automation of paper-based processes – Gain access to real-time data such as labor, scrap, downtime, and maintenance with digital processes that scale across your entire supply chain.

Integration with other systems – Seamlessly integrate your various systems to access more accurate data and improve decision-making.

Reduction of raw materials and waste – Detect inconsistencies on the shop floor to quickly limit the number of bad parts and materials wasted.

Elimination of production bottlenecks – Reduce delays and higher production costs by identifying blockers before hitting production.

Reduction of costs – Get better insight into the time required to manufacture to free up production lines and reduce inventory.

What is an MRP?

MRP, or Material Requirement Planning is an essential part of fabrication and manufacturing. An MRP system enables you to track raw materials in your facility for manufacturing/fabrication, as well as product ready for shipping. It also helps you track minimum stock levels in your facility to make ordering easier as well as plan activities, delivery schedules, and purchases.

All of the above features are folded into Prodsmart, eliminating the need for an additional tool.

What is an ERP?

An ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning is a tracking tool designed to consolidate cash, raw materials, production capacity, and all their statuses, into a single location. These tools are massive, covering every aspect of what is required to run any business. As a result, while they are extremely capable tools, they’re very expensive, take a long time to get operational, and require frequent maintenance to adjust and update as your business evolves.

Prodsmart has taken what matters from ERP, specifically for fabrication and/or manufacturing and inserted it into the software to make management more effective, without bogging down users of the tool with excessive input and data points.

Do I need to use Fusion 360 to use Prodsmart?

No, Prodsmart is a standalone product to manage your production, fabrication, manufacturing, scheduling, and so much more.

Where can I learn more about Prodsmart?

You can learn more about Prodsmart right here, and sign up for a free trial also!

See more FAQ

Request a free trial now.

Prodsmart is easy to implement, so you can start seeing immediate results and improvements in your processes. From tracking production schedules, monitoring shop floor activities, and managing inventory, Prodsmart streamlines every aspect of your business.

Start using Prodsmart on your next production run, with a free trial!