Automate Production Scheduling in Business Central

Introduction and Session Overview

Hey, good morning or afternoon everyone. This is Mark here, and today I’m going to show you how you can dramatically simplify your manufacturing processes, specifically around scheduling, but also in a number of different ways to make your lives that much easier.

We’re going to start with a quick overview of who we are and what we do, then move into a demo of the software, and finally cover pricing and questions. If you have questions during the session, feel free to enter them in the GoToWebinar panel and I’ll try to answer them as we go or at the end.

About Insight Works

Insight Works has been around for about 10 years, focusing primarily on manufacturing and warehousing. We work with a wide range of companies, including large automotive OEMs, and we specialize in manufacturing-specific applications within Business Central.

While many solutions focus on inventory, we place a strong emphasis on manufacturing processes, especially scheduling and production efficiency.

Overview of Applications

We offer a variety of applications for Business Central, including several free tools that are highly useful.

• Enhanced Planning Worksheet
• Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet
• Graphical Scheduler
• Doc Extender
• OrderShip Express
• WMS Express

The Enhanced Planning tools replace the standard planning worksheet with a more user-friendly and effective option. The Graphical Scheduler provides a visual, drag-and-drop interface for managing production orders.

WMS Express enables mobile data capture for receiving, picking, inventory counts, and movements, even without barcodes. OrderShip Express allows you to generate shipping labels directly within Business Central.

Manufacturing Workflow Overview

Our manufacturing process starts with planning, moves into scheduling, then execution, and finally shipping.

For scheduling, there are two main options:

• Graphical Scheduler (manual drag-and-drop)
• MX APS (automated scheduling)

The Graphical Scheduler is ideal for lower volumes, while MX APS automates scheduling using constraints like capacity, labor, materials, tooling, and floor space.

Execution tools like Shop Floor Insight track labor and production activity, feeding real-time data back into scheduling. Maintenance Manager and Quality Inspector integrate maintenance and quality processes directly into the schedule.

Graphical Scheduler Overview

The Graphical Scheduler provides a visual Gantt-style interface where you can see production orders and drag and drop them to reschedule.

It uses Business Central logic for rescheduling and respects capacity limits but does not account for workload stacking. This means multiple jobs can still overlap unrealistically on the same machine.

It’s highly configurable, allowing you to customize views, colors, and displayed data, including production orders, maintenance, and warehouse activities.

MX APS: Automated Scheduling

MX APS is an automated, finite-capacity scheduling engine. It eliminates the need for manual drag-and-drop scheduling by generating executable production schedules.

It considers:

• Machine capacity
• Labor availability
• Material availability
• Tooling and equipment
• Floor space

It uses forward scheduling, starting from a defined time and moving forward to determine completion dates. It can also simulate backward scheduling using just-in-time rules.

The goal is to capture planning knowledge into the system so anyone can generate a reliable schedule with a single click.

Scheduling Demo and Results

When generating a schedule, the system evaluates all production orders and produces results showing on-time, early, and late orders.

It creates scenarios that can be rerun multiple times with different configurations, such as additional shifts or changed priorities, until an optimal schedule is achieved.

Once finalized, the schedule can be committed, updating production orders in Business Central.

Advanced Scheduling Capabilities

Machine Selection and Alternates

The system evaluates multiple machines and selects the best option based on runtime, setup time, and overall schedule efficiency. It can also evaluate alternate machines and even subcontracting options.

Constraints

Constraints ensure realistic scheduling. These include:

• Labor constraints (including shift changes and skill sets)
• Material availability
• Tooling and equipment
• Maintenance downtime

Sequencing Rules

Scheduling rules determine order priority. These typically include:

• Priority
• Due date
• Custom attributes (e.g., material type, color)

These rules help minimize setup time and optimize workflow, such as grouping similar materials or colors together.

Batching and Lot Splitting

Large production orders can be split into smaller batches and scheduled across multiple machines to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks.

Handling Real-Time Changes

The system adapts to real-time shop floor events such as:

• Completed or unfinished work
• Machine breakdowns
• Labor changes

Schedules can be regenerated automatically or manually to reflect current conditions.

Setup Requirements

Most setup requirements are standard Business Central configurations, including:

• Work centers and machine centers
• Routings
• Run times and setup times

Additional MX-specific configurations are optional and enhance scheduling precision.

Pricing Overview

The Graphical Scheduler is completely free.

MX APS is licensed based on the number of production orders scheduled at one time. Common tiers include:

• 75 orders
• 200 orders
• 500 orders

For larger datasets, an upgraded Azure tier may be required for better performance.

Closing Remarks

That’s a high-level overview of how the system works. Once configured, scheduling becomes a simple, automated process that removes the need for manual adjustments.

If you have further questions, visit the website, use the chat feature, or contact your partner for more information or a demo.

Thanks everyone for attending. Hope this was useful, and we’ll talk again soon.