SyteLine Machine Scheduling Parameters Configuration
SyteLine's Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) engine schedules production operations against finite machine capacity using configurable parameters that control scheduling behavior, constraint handling, and optimization objectives. Incorrect scheduling parameters produce unrealistic plans that the shop floor ignores, defeating the purpose of the planning system. This guide covers the critical APS parameters that determine schedule quality.
APS Scheduling Parameters and Planning Modes
APS scheduling parameters are configured in the APS Parameters form (Menu Path: Planning > APS > APS Parameters) and stored in the APSParms table. The primary scheduling mode setting controls whether APS schedules forward (from today) or backward (from due date). Forward scheduling starts operations as soon as resources are available and calculates the completion date, which may differ from the customer due date. Backward scheduling starts from the due date and works backward to determine when operations must start, which preserves due dates but may schedule into the past if lead time is insufficient. Configure the planning horizon in days to control how far forward APS looks—setting this too short misses future demand, while setting it too long increases planning runtime. The scheduling granularity parameter controls the time bucket resolution: minute-level for precision (but slower), hour-level for most manufacturing, or day-level for high-level planning. Enable the Material Constraint flag to make APS consider material availability when scheduling operations, not just machine capacity.
- Configure scheduling mode (forward/backward) in Planning > APS > APS Parameters (APSParms table)
- Forward scheduling calculates completion dates; backward scheduling preserves customer due dates
- Set planning horizon in days to balance demand visibility against planning engine runtime
- Enable Material Constraint flag to make APS consider material availability alongside machine capacity
Finite Capacity Scheduling and Constraint Management
Finite capacity scheduling respects physical limitations: a machine cannot run two jobs simultaneously (unless it has multiple resources). Configure finite capacity at the work center level using the Capacity Type field: Finite (respects limits), Infinite (ignores limits), or Bottleneck (finite with priority optimization). Bottleneck work centers receive special treatment from APS: jobs are sequenced to minimize setup times and maximize throughput on these critical resources, while non-bottleneck operations are scheduled around the bottleneck sequence. Identify bottleneck work centers by running the Capacity Utilization report and flagging centers consistently above 85% utilization. Configure the Scheduling Priority field on production orders to control the sequence when multiple jobs compete for the same resource—priority 1 schedules first. The Constraint Buffer parameter adds a configurable time buffer before and after each operation to absorb variability, expressed as a percentage of operation duration. Set this to 10-15% for stable operations and 20-30% for high-variability processes.
- Set work center Capacity Type: Finite (respect limits), Infinite (ignore), or Bottleneck (optimize)
- Bottleneck work centers receive APS priority: minimized setups and optimized job sequencing
- Use the Capacity Utilization report to identify bottleneck candidates above 85% utilization
- Configure Constraint Buffer at 10-30% of operation duration to absorb shop floor variability
Schedule Optimization and Performance Tuning
APS performance degrades as the number of scheduled operations increases. For environments with 10,000+ operations in the planning horizon, tune the APS engine by adjusting the Maximum Iterations parameter (controls optimization depth—more iterations find better schedules but take longer), the Scheduling Batch Size (number of orders processed per scheduling pass), and the Parallel Scheduling flag (enables multi-threaded scheduling on multi-core servers). Monitor APS runtime through the Planning Log accessible in Planning > APS > APS Log. If scheduling runs exceed acceptable windows, consider partitioning the schedule by plant or product family using scheduling groups. Each scheduling group runs independently, reducing the combinatorial complexity. After each APS run, review the Scheduling Exceptions report for operations that could not be scheduled within constraints—these represent delivery risks that require management attention. Common exceptions include past-due start dates (lead time exceeds available time), capacity overloads (demand exceeds capacity even with finite scheduling), and material shortages (required materials not available by operation start).
- Tune Maximum Iterations for optimization depth and Scheduling Batch Size for processing efficiency
- Enable Parallel Scheduling flag on multi-core servers for environments with 10K+ operations
- Partition large schedules using scheduling groups by plant or product family to reduce runtime
- Review Scheduling Exceptions report for past-due dates, capacity overloads, and material shortages
Struggling with SyteLine scheduling accuracy? Our APS specialists configure scheduling parameters that produce achievable plans—let us optimize yours.
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