Hi experts,
I have some questions related to PP and APO.
As you people know, PP as a tool has limitations regarding finite capacity planning which I believe is addressed by APO PP-DS. Of course, we can do capacity leveling in PP but PP cannot simultaneously optimize both material and capacity requirements.
Can I say that infinite planning software like PP becomes less effective as we move from a flow shop to a job shop production environment? I tend to assume that way as the need for finite capacity planning and detailed scheduling is more in a job shop given the complex routings of multiple products in that environment.
Could you tell me whether companies find it cumbersome without finite capacity planning especially when they deal with hundreds of orders and thousands of materials? To how much extent companies see PP as an effective planning tool? Do many of them spend money on third party software for doing finite capacity planning and detailed scheduling?
Do manufacturing companies with PP installation see enough value to invest in APO? (I am aware that apart from finite capacity planning, APO has other advantages like live cache access, user friendly interface and the capacity to handle suppliers and production plants on a huge geographical scale)
Is it true that there won’t be any newer versions of PP as SAP has decided to focus more on APO?
Thank you very much for your time.