S-Plan APS Frequently Asked Questions
What is the smallest unit of time visible to the system?
One minute
Can the software allow the user to define crewing schedules by workcenter?
YES, workcenters can be constrained by operator skills. S-Plan will start a task only if operators are available with the required skills. Once a task has started the operators with the required skills are booked and unavailable until the task finishes.
Does the system handle arbitrary crewing patterns?
YES, each workcenter and each operator can be assigned an arbitrary list of working hours, accurate to one minute.
Can a shop calendar be defined for a warehouse?
YES, this is used extensively for dispatch operations also.
Does the software allow the user to define a maintenance calendar by workcenter?
YES, each workcenter has its own calendar which tells S-Plan exactly when the workcenter is available for normal or overtime work or is down for planned maintenance.
Can the software handle combinations of crewing types within each workcenter?
YES, S-Plan distinguishes between setup skills and runtime skills.
Can the system show when floor space (possibly shared among many workcenters) is exceeded?
YES
Can the system group and un-group similar demand to minimize costs and meet due dates?
YES, grouping can take place either manually (for whatever reason), or through scheduling rules which are bases on user-defined physical and logical properties
Can the software handle overlapping operations?
YES, S-Plan can start another operation before the preceding one has finished.
Can the software identify and differentiate the following requirements: "making forecast", stock forecast, stock, and "making" (make to order)?
YES, as long as the information is available.
Is the software capable of sequencing orders to a workcenter by multiple criteria: due date, grade, color, width, etc.?
YES, each workcenter can have up to ten different criteria which can be assigned for sequencing.
Can the software take material requirements into account?
YES
Can the software address machine constraints where certain orders can only be used on certain machines?
YES, S-Plan checks before scheduling an order on a workcenter that the product properties are compatible with the workcenter limits.
Can the software group similar machines in a workcenter for planning purposes?
YES, with S-Plan one can set up parallel workcenters, i.e. similar workcenters with individual processing speeds and constraints are grouped together.
Can the software recognize alternate routings?
YES
Can all routings be treated equally (there is no primary routing)?
YES
Can the software select a routing by cost?
YES, but normally route selection is not dynamic.
Can each routing have an associated BOM?
YES
Can the software handle unit of measure conversions?
YES, through user-defined units and formulae.
Can the software use formulae to define processing rates?
YES, and it leads to a dramatic reduction to the size of database that needs to be built and maintained.
Can the user define his own rules?
YES, based on user-defined physical and logical properties.
Can the user plug-in advanced optimization for certain very important workcenters?
YES, but it depends on what is required. For instance, for a printing press or other color-sequencing issues, the system provides hooks to slot-in externally defined sequencing algorithms (e.g. TSP solvers). A more complicated example would be the use of Greycon's DeckleBench combinatorial optimization algorithm for minimizing trim on paper machines.
Can the system handle winter/summer time changes?
YES
Is the system Year 2000 compliant?
YES
Does the system handle demand allocation rules (i.e. turning enquiries down if they fail to meet certain criteria)?
YES, through the optional Campaign Manager module. Allocation rules can be defined on any property, including customer, market segment, country, etc.
Can the terminology used by the system be changed?
YES, Greycon provide a translator through which all text in the system can be customized per site.
Is the system multi-lingual?
YES, languages can be switched at run-time. Additional language can be defined by the end-user, provided there is a Windows font for that language. Date and numeric formats are defined from the Windows Regional Settings panel.
Can the software supply data on the cost of producing a schedule?
YES. S-Plan can provide the total cost of a schedule.
Are user defined color codes available in the graphical user interface?
YES
Can the software print schedules by workcenter?
YES
Can the software print a list of material requirements for a given schedule?
YES
Can the software provide statistics as a proportion of run time to non-productive downtime?
YES, if the question is about future schedules; these would be user-defined reports through Crystal Reports. NO, if the question is about historical performance
Can the system break out the costs according to run time, productive downtime, non-productive downtime?
YES, if the question is about future schedules; these would be user-defined reports through Crystal Reports. NO, if the question is about historical performance.
Can the software indicate which orders will not have material available in time to meet the order due date?
YES, this is also shown graphically on the Gantt chart
Can the software identify bottlenecks in the process?
YES
When a workcenter is overloaded, can the software tell the user how much of it is forecast and how much is actual?
YES
Can the system export data?
YES, through Crystal Reports in a variety of formats including MS-Word, MS-Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE and HTML.
Can the user have the ability to freeze the schedule within a specified time frame for a specific workcenter?
YES, S-Plan allows you to define in minutes the minimum period at the top of any schedule that S-Plan will ignore when re-sequencing works orders following a data update, or a change in the workcenter's scheduling rules.
Does the software support manual overrides to the software's schedule?
YES, the scheduler has the ability to drag and drop orders, or operations on the Gantt chart manually and to fix them in time
Will the software allow the user to freeze the schedule on an order by order basis?
YES, there are two cases: relative freezing where the relative sequence is fixed absolute freezing where one or more tasks are "frozen" in time
Does the software show the upstream and downstream impact of unplanned downtime?
YES
Can the software make any text tied to orders visible to the schedule?
YES, there are order-specific notes and task-specific notes. Both are visible.
Does the system have a password-controlled access mechanism?
YES, unlimited users and up to 10 different security levels can be defined. Each operation and field is then assigned a series of levels which determine whether the operation can be performed by the user and whether the field is visible and/or modifiable
Does the system allow modification to certain workcenters to be done by certain users only?
YES, each workcenter is assigned an owner and a group owner and only suitable authorized users can modify them.
Does the system allow modification to certain orders to be done by certain users only?
YES, each order is assigned an owner and a group owner and only suitable authorized users can modify them
What operating systems can you use?
Windows 2000 or NT 4
What is a reasonable hardware configuration?
Depends on the user and the size of the underlying scheduling problem, but typically Pentium II 400 MHz, 128 Mb memory, 19" screen and a fast graphics adaptor.
What databases can you use?
Any as long as ODBC drivers are available. Greycon have worked with Oracle, SQLServer, Sybase, Rdb, dBASE, AS/400 and others
What is the largest system installed?
200 workcenters, 7000 orders, 21000 operations, response time under one minute on a P166 with 48 Mb of memory
Do you correct a specific software problem that may only affect one customer?
YES, but there is only one version of the software. Any modifications to the code are done in a generic way.
How often do you release new versions of the software?
Major releases (new operating systems, major new functionality) about every two to three years, minor releases (bug fixes, minor enhancements) every two months approximately
How is the new functionality communicated to the customers?
Increasingly, Greycon handles the update procedure through communications software.
How do you handle support?
Greycon require a suitable communications link (typically 28.8 modem or ISDN link) to run Symantec's PC Anywhere remote control software.
What third-party add-on applications enhance the functionality of the base software?
A relational database, Crystal Reports for report creation and modification, and PC Anywhere for remote diagnostics and support.
Is there an active user group?
YES
Who maintains the database, including scheduling rules, constraints, etc
The customer
What education programs do you offer?
Tailored to project requirements, plus regular courses at Greycon
Do you provide on-site education?
YES
