This example highlights across the key technology of a world-wide bottleneck: a production process may have an infinite variety of 'feasible' and arranged, but must be from one to identify a 'best' plan, if not optimal, at least plan than the person's hand better, this is a set of available production scheduling software, an enterprise, or to use it up.
A 'viable' program has been very difficult to find 'optimal' plan is more difficult. Not only to deal with the complex constraints, but also from almost infinite variety of possible options to meet the constraints to find optimal scheduling program. How can I find this optimization plan? This is the ERP system, face the real bottleneck is a worldwide technical problems. The key is the algorithm is based on mathematical models, especially the high-level graph theory, discrete mathematics and linear algebra in vector matrix technique. In this regard, foreign countries have already made a lot of years of effort, the results of their research has formed a number of 'APS advanced production scheduling' products, and developed dozens of kinds of advanced production scheduling algorithms commonly used such as: Heuristic Graph Search method, tabu search method, neural network optimization, genetic algorithms, advantages and disadvantages of these algorithms can be used on different occasions. At present new and different algorithms are still being vigorously developed.
In one word to describe the main function of APS: You can automatically given to satisfy a variety of constraints, manual scheduling can not be found, optimized scheduling program. In fact, the key is 'feasible' and 'optimize' these two concepts. This is simple function that is of great significance, mainly reflected in it can bring to traditional ERP the following key changes:
1) For businesses, without increasing production resources, by maximizing the capacity of the current resources to achieve the goal of improving the productivity of enterprises.
2) APS scheduling gives the accurate results of the use of materials and outputs the time, variety and quantity of information, this information can be used a lot of related businesses or factory, workshop to bring together to form a 'SCM supply chain' system, minimize the amount of each firm's inventory.
3) APS can be used as the basis for production decisions, and its scheduling calculations not only can be used as production plans, but also through constant what if's 'pro forma' approach to provide enterprises with the production basis for decision making.
4) According to automatically generate operational plans, quality control can also be automatically generated, cost, inventory, purchasing, equipment maintenance, marketing, transportation and other programs. Driven enterprise management modules focus on the different production runs to improve the workings of these modules greatly enhances the operating efficiency of these modules to improve enterprise-wide management level.
However, APS system development is difficult and takes integration of cutting-edge mathematical theory and the most advanced management theory, very few professionals, the investment bear fruit very slow, very expensive in foreign countries. Even the world's great ERP companies are rarely put into force an independent research and development, are the procurement of external plug-in directly into the corresponding function. Domestic research in this area in addition to individual companies, universities and colleges basically stay in the laboratory.
A step further, if you have solved the optimal scheduling problem, then the APS for any technical bottleneck it?
APS first and largest technical bottleneck is its computing time. Because the production process, there is often some unexpected incidents, the equivalent of the temporary change in the scheduling of the initial conditions, the need to dynamically deal with APS. APS system, in accordance with the conditions of the old plan also affirmed in accordance with new conditions and devising new schemes. However, its computing time is not able to catch up with the changes in time, which is a key. If the APS program under the new conditions, the rearrangement time is 10 minutes, it probably can handle only a temporary change in more than 30 minutes, but can not handle 30 minutes following temporary changes. Dynamic processing requirements of the computing time lead to the continuous optimization algorithms, and the development of parallel computing technology, which is outside the main technical APS system development.
APS's second technical bottleneck is how to continuously upgrade sub-optimal solution of the optimization. If you can not get the optimal solution, then the need to find one as close as possible the optimal second-best solution. Different software algorithms APS is different from optimization of sub-optimal solution are also different, directly reflects the level of its core technology. So, take a different APS software to deal with the same problem, compared their answers to the optimization of the extent and computing time, it is easy Gaoxia than out. Keep close to the optimal, it will be APS software has always been the same class pursuit.
The combination of ERP and APS the inevitable direction for future development. With the current simple BOM-MRP operations and financial functions, compared Invoicing, APS occupied the core ERP functionality, there are very deep technical content, but also the future of SCM system is based on functionality. This core technology, ERP has a company must compete in the market represents an enormous advantage. Foreign companies are already present as early as Saber-rattling over the next few years, the United States, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, developed a combination of software, the core functionality of the ERP software, APS is likely to offer low prices to enter the domestic market, when domestic ERP software companies will be difficult to fight back.
As production scheduling technology, the existence of bottlenecks, the Indian ERP software industry has been lagging far behind, in addition to only one professional development outside the company APS system, the vast majority of enterprises still remain in the low-level of the BOM perfect and right into the sales deposit low-level redundant development of the finance module. As has been unable to adequate technical reserves to attack the bottlenecks and therefore do not attach importance to basic technical reserves, work, or even turn a blind eye to the current situation; because they do not attach importance to basic technical reserves, so more can not solve the bottleneck problem. The current vicious circle is still continuing. Han Kang to Taiwan from the UF Technology buying large price setbacks, as well as the introduction of Digital India took the lead in co-production of the embarrassment of the module, domestic ERP companies can be seen on this state of helplessness.
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