The link between the use of advanced planning and scheduling (APS) modules and factory context

Through a study of four embedded action research cases within a global OEM, it is investigated how the frequency of use and contribution of an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) module are affected by factory context. The performance contribution of the APS module is found to be high at factories characterized by low planning maturity, but lower for factories with medium planning maturity. For low planning maturity, the APS module is used for improving the configuration of the manufacturing system, whereas high planning maturity is required to capture performance benefits from optimization and scenario planning. Further, it is found that planning complexity at the factory increases both the frequency of use and the contribution of using APS modules. On the basis of the findings, three propositions are formulated on the link between factory context and the use of APS module.