High-Precision Advanced Planning & Scheduling Engineering

The Fireant Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) system is a high-performance, algorithmic engine designed to transform static production plans into dynamic, constraint-aware execution models. It serves as the central nervous system of the digital factory, synchronizing materials, machines, labor, and tooling in a single, unified timeline.

Unlike traditional ERP scheduling which often relies on infinite capacity assumptions, Fireant APS is engineered for Finite Capacity Scheduling. It accounts for the real-world friction of the shop floor, ensuring that every minute of machine uptime is optimized for maximum throughput and on-time delivery.

Core Architecture Objectives

  • Finite Capacity Balancing
    Simultaneously manage machine constraints, labor availability, and tool life to create schedules that are actually achievable.
  • Synchronized Material Flow
    Link the schedule directly to real-time inventory and incoming POs, ensuring production never starts without the "Golden Kit" of materials.
  • Dynamic Re-Optimization (What-If)
    Empower planners to simulate "What-If" scenarios, such as machine breakdowns or urgent "hot" orders, and see the impact across the entire facility in seconds.
  • Bottleneck Neutralization
    Automatically identify and elevate the "Theory of Constraints" (ToC) within your workflow to prevent upstream idle time and downstream starvation.

The User Ecosystem

  • Production Planners
    Automated drag-and-drop scheduling with real-time conflict resolution.
  • Factory Managers
    High-level visibility into "Order-to-Cash" cycles and OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) projections.
  • Sales & Customer Service
    Accurate "Capable-to-Promise" (CTP) dates based on live capacity, not guesswork.
  • Shop Floor Supervisors
    Clear, prioritized digital dispatch lists that update instantly as priorities shift.
  • Procurement Teams
    Precise "Just-in-Time" material triggers based on the actual scheduled start times.

Why Fireant Outperforms "Manual" Scheduling

Manufacturers frequently struggle with spreadsheet-based scheduling or rigid ERP modules due to:

  • The "Excel Trap"
    Spreadsheets are static. They cannot handle the multi-dimensional complexity of 20+ machines, 100+ staff, and thousands of part dependencies simultaneously.
  • Information Lag
    By the time a manual schedule is printed and distributed, a machine has broken down or a shipment is delayed, making the plan obsolete before it starts.
  • Infinite Capacity Fallacy
    Standard MRP systems often assume you have infinite machines and people, leading to "over-scheduling" that causes massive shop floor backlogs.
  • Tribal Knowledge Dependency
    Planning logic often lives in the head of a single veteran employee. If they leave, the "logic" of the factory disappears with them.

Our Engineering Approach

At Fireant, we don’t just provide a calendar; we build Decision Support Intelligence. Our APS architecture is centered on the reality of high-mix, variable-volume manufacturing where change is the only constant.

Design Principles

  • Algorithmic Agility
    Fireant APS uses multi-heuristic solvers. Whether you prioritize "Minimum Changeover Time," "Earliest Due Date," or "Maximum Machine Utilization," the system recalculates the optimal path instantly.
  • "Digital Twin" Accuracy
    We model your factory with granular precision—down to the specific setup times for different material grades and the required cooling periods between processes.
  • Live Shop-Floor Feedback Loop
    Integration isn't a luxury; it’s a requirement. Fireant APS pulls live data from the MES. If a machine runs 10% slower than planned, the schedule adjusts itself to protect the delivery date.
  • Visual Intelligence (VI)
    We prioritize high Information Density. Our interactive VI charts use color-coding to highlight late orders, material shortages, and maintenance windows, allowing planners to "see" the problem before it happens.

 

The Fireant Impact:

  • 15% – 30% Increase in Total Throughput without adding new machiner

  • Zero “Panic Meetings”: Replace morning fire-fighting sessions with data-driven status dashboards.

  • Reduction in WIP (Work-in-Progress): Lower inventory holding costs by synchronizing material arrival with production start.

The Transformation: Bridging the Gap in Planning

Industry Pain PointThe Fireant SolutionStrategic Business Impact
Unrealistic Lead TimesFinite Capacity Logic: Schedules based on actual available hours and machine constraints.Reliable Commitments: Drastically improve On-Time Delivery (OTD) performance.
High Setup/Changeover CostsSequence Optimization: Automatically groups orders by color, material, or tool to minimize downtime.Cost Efficiency: Reduces non-productive machine time by up to 25%.
Material Shortage DelaysBOM-Schedule Linkage: Validates material availability for every operation before it is released.Lean Operations: Eliminates "stalled" orders on the shop floor due to missing parts.
Lack of "What-If" AbilitySimulation Sandbox: Test the impact of a new rush order without affecting the "Live" plan.Risk Management: Data-backed decision making for capital expenditure and overtime.
Disconnected SilosUnified Data Mesh: Syncs Sales, Production, and Procurement into one "Master Schedule."Organizational Alignment: Everyone works toward the same priority, every shift.

The “Fireant Difference” in Practice

Most off-the-shelf systems solve these problems by forcing you to change your company’s culture to fit their software. Fireant does the opposite. We look at your specific manufacturing constraints (whether it’s high-mix/low-volume production or strict regulatory oversight), and configure the APS modules to automate the exact points where your team currently feels the most “friction.”

System Architecture & Technical Foundation

The Fireant APS is built as a high-concurrency microservices platform. It is designed to process thousands of constraints and variables in milliseconds, providing a “Real-Time” planning experience.

Structural Layering

  • Constraint Logic Engine
    The "Brain" of the system. It handles complex dependencies, such as "Process B cannot start until 2 hours after Process A finishes" or "Machine 5 requires a Grade-A Operator."
  • Event-Driven Integration Layer
    A high-speed API gateway that listens for "Status Updates" from the MES or "New Orders" from the ERP, triggering automatic re-scheduling logic.
  • Predictive Analytics Layer
    Uses historical performance data to "auto-correct" standard lead times, ensuring the schedule becomes more accurate the more you use it.
  • Multi-Tenant Cloud/Hybrid Core
    Secure, scalable infrastructure that allows planners to manage multiple factory sites from a single centralized cockpit.

The Connected Factory

  • ERP / MRP Integration
    Automatically pulls Sales Orders, Work Orders, and Bill of Materials (BOM). The APS then feeds back finalized "Committed Finish Dates," closing the loop between sales promises and factory reality.
  • MES & Real-Time Shop Floor
    Directly consumes "Job Started" and "Job Finished" events. If a machine stops or a cycle time slows down, the APS detects the deviation and prompts the planner to re-optimize.
  • Maintenance Management (CMMS)
    Synchronizes with machine maintenance schedules. The APS treats "Preventative Maintenance" as a hard constraint, ensuring production isn't scheduled on a machine that is due for service.
  • Quality Systems (QMS)
    Real-time linkage to "Rework" or "Scrap" triggers. If a batch fails quality inspection, the APS immediately schedules a replacement run to protect the customer’s delivery date.

Industrial-Grade Security

  • Granular RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
    Define access not just by "Who," but by "Function." Allow supervisors to view the schedule, while restricting the ability to "Commit" or "Change" the Master Schedule to authorized planners only.
  • AES-256 Encryption
    All production data—including proprietary cycle times, labor rates, and customer order volumes—is encrypted at rest and during transit between the cloud and your local facility.
  • Forensic Audit Trails
    An immutable digital ledger captures every manual drag-and-drop, every "What-If" simulation, and every schedule release, providing 100% accountability for planning decisions.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
    Mandatory biometric or hardware-key verification for high-impact actions, such as shifting the priority of "Tier-1" customer orders or altering facility-wide shift patterns.

The Fireant "Rapid-Deploy" Implementation Framework

We follow a 6-Phase Methodology to move your factory from “Reactive” to “Predictive.”

Phase 1: Industrial Discovery & Constraint Mapping

We don’t just look at your spreadsheets; we look at your machine cycles and labor shifts.

  • The Goal: Reverse-engineer your “Tribal Knowledge,” uncovering the hidden rules, setup times, and maintenance buffers that currently live only in your senior planners’ heads.

  • The Output: A Digital Twin Schema of your factory floor, defining every machine’s finite capacity and every operator’s skill matrix.

Phase 2: Agile Resource Configuration

Leveraging the Fireant Logic Engine, we build your virtual factory environment.

  • The Goal: Configure (not customize) the sequencing rules—such as “Group by Color” or “Prioritize High-Margin Orders”—within a protected “Sandbox” environment.

  • The Output: A functional prototype of your Dynamic Gantt Chart, pre-loaded with your actual production constraints.

Phase 3: The “Digital Bridge” (Live Data Integration)

This is where Fireant’s technical DNA synchronizes your office with your shop floor.

  • The Goal: Establish bi-directional data flow. We connect the APS to your ERP (for Sales Orders & BOMs) and your MES (for real-time machine status).

  • The Output: A synchronized ecosystem where a machine breakdown on the floor automatically triggers a “re-optimization” alert in the planning office.

Phase 4: Algorithmic Tuning & Simulation

We move from “Static Planning” to “Predictive Scheduling.”

  • The Goal: Stress-test the engine using historical “What-If” scenarios to ensure the software’s suggested sequences match or outperform manual human logic.

  • The Output: A calibrated Constraint Model that accurately predicts finish dates within a 95% confidence interval.

Phase 5: Planner Empowerment & “Parallel Run”

We focus on High-Touch Training for your Power Users to master the “Decision Cockpit.”

  • The Goal: Run the Fireant APS alongside your existing manual system to validate accuracy and build user confidence in the automated suggestions.

  • The Output: A trained, “Schedule-Ready” team capable of handling complex order disruptions in minutes rather than hours.

Phase 6: Post-Launch Optimization & Throughput Sprints

An APS is an evolving intelligence that grows with your business.

  • The Goal: Continuous monitoring of “Plan vs. Actual” performance to further shave seconds off changeover times and reduce idle buffers.

  • The Output: Quarterly Performance Audits and logic updates to ensure the system scales as you add new machinery or shifts.

The Fireant Timeline Advantage

MilestoneTraditional APS/ERPFireant APS
First Achievable PlanMonth 4+Week 3-4
Live MES SyncMonth 9+Month 2-3
Full ROI Realization12–18 Months4–6 Months

 

Investment & Scalability Roadmap

Implementation costs are structured based on your current digital maturity and the depth of integration required. At Fireant, we prioritize a “Value-First” approach, ensuring you don’t pay for features that don’t serve your immediate production goals.

Budget Tier Comparison (Estimated in MYR)

Range Starting from RM100K – RM400K depending on scale and complexity.

Key Investment Drivers

  • Optimization Complexity
    The number of variables and "rules" the engine must solve for—ranging from simple priority-based sequencing to complex multi-constraint optimization (e.g., labor skills, tooling limits, and energy costs).
  • Integration Density
    The depth of the "Digital Thread" connecting the APS to your ERP for demand signals and your MES/IoT sensors for live machine feedback. Real-time, bi-directional sync requires more robust architecture than daily batch updates.
  • Constraint Fidelity
    The granularity of your "Digital Twin." This includes the volume of unique machine profiles, setup-matrix complexities (e.g., wash-down times between different chemical batches), and shift pattern variations.
  • SLA & Mission-Criticality
    The level of support required to ensure your schedule never goes dark. This ranges from standard business hour support to 24/7 "Zero-Downtime" response tiers for high-volume, continuous manufacturing environments.