Apex production planning
Production planning on lanes you can see move.
A production plan starts from the bill of materials: how many you can build from the stock on hand. Each work order then runs down a production lane, one step at a time, with the people and equipment assigned to each step. When a machine goes out for service, its step backs up and you see the bottleneck where it is.
The lanes
Each lane runs your steps, in your order.
Every company starts with four steps: Kitting, Assembly, Quality check and Packing. Add a step, remove one or reorder them, and give each step on each lane its headcount and, where you use it, its equipment.
- Headcount
- Labor is a headcount per step and lane. No timesheets, no names.
- Equipment
- Optional and named: the actual press or welder, with a recurring service schedule and an end date.
- Downtime
- Equipment out for service holds the step it is assigned to, and the lane shows why.
- 01Kitting2 peopleNo equipment
- 02Assembly3 peoplePress 2
- 03Quality check1 personNo equipment
- 04Packing1 personNo equipment
- Add a stepAdd, remove or reorder
Service every 90 days, one day each, until Jun 30, 2027. Next window Nov 18: Assembly on this lane holds for the day.
From BOM to stock
A work order, from the bill of materials to the shelf.
- 01
Maximum builds
The item's BOM shows how many you can build from what is on hand, and which part limits it.
- 02
Production plan
A plan is created from the BOM for the quantity you choose, and becomes one or more work orders.
- 03
On a lane
Each work order is placed on a lane and moves through its steps in sequence.
- 04
Received
Finished goods are received to stock, or allocated straight to the sale when the item is made to order.
Long runs and quick ones
One model for a ten-day skid and a gift crate packed by lunch.
Long cycle times
A made item carries its cycle time in days, so a long run shows when it will finish from the day it starts.
Quick assembly
Gift baskets and bundles built from stock use the same BOM and work order, with scrap at 0%. They are simply faster runs.
Make to stock or to order
A made item is built to stock or to order. Made to order, the finished goods go to the sale that asked for them.
Shared with purchasing
Production is one feature on one foundation: Cortex shows the same lanes and work orders, on the same data, beside purchasing.
The parts
What a production lane is made of.
- Steps
- Kitting, Assembly, Quality check and Packing by default. Add, remove and reorder them, and the lane runs them in sequence.
- Headcount
- The number of people on each step of each lane.
- Equipment
- Named machines, optional, each with a recurring service schedule that has an end date.
- Downtime
- A service window takes its equipment out, and the step it is assigned to slows or stops.
- Cycle and lead time
- Made items carry a cycle time for the run. Bought items carry a lead time, measured from receipts.
Why lanes
The whiteboard, and the lanes that replace it.
| A whiteboard and a spreadsheet | Apex production lanes | |
|---|---|---|
| Where a job is | Whoever last updated the board | The step its work order is on, now |
| The bottleneck | Found when an order is late | The step with work waiting, marked as it builds up |
| Equipment service | A note on the machine | A recurring schedule that holds its step |
| Parts | Checked by walking the shelf | Maximum builds from the BOM and the stock on hand |
| Finished goods | Counted in later | Received to stock or allocated to the sale |
FAQ
Production planning, run end to end.
How do work orders move through a production lane?
A work order is created from a production plan and placed on a lane. It moves through the lane's steps in sequence, Kitting, Assembly, Quality check and Packing by default, and the lanes view shows each work order on the step it is on, with what is in work and what is waiting.
Can we change the steps?
Yes. Every company starts with Kitting, Assembly, Quality check and Packing. You can add steps, remove them and reorder them, and the lane runs them in the order you set.
How are people and equipment assigned?
People are a headcount per step and lane. Equipment is optional: named machines, such as a press or a welder, are assigned to the step they serve, each with a recurring service schedule that has an end date.
What happens when equipment is out for service?
Its service window takes it out, and the step it is assigned to slows or stops. Work orders reaching that step wait there, and the lanes view marks the step as the bottleneck until the equipment is back.
How do we see a bottleneck?
The lanes view shows each work order on its step. A step where work is building up is marked as the bottleneck, with how many work orders are waiting and why, such as equipment out for service.
Does the same work for quick assembly, such as gift baskets?
Yes. A gift basket or a bundle built from items already in stock uses the same bill of materials and work order as a long manufacturing run, with scrap at 0%. You choose how many to make and the people or equipment it takes; the run is simply faster.
How does finished production reach stock?
When a work order clears its last step, the finished goods are received to stock. For an item made to order, they are allocated straight to the sale that asked for them instead.
Related in Apex
- Inventory forecastingSell-out date, reorder-by date and reorder quantity for every item.View
- Product configuratorOption groups and plain-sentence rules, with defaults on the quote.View
- Sales ordersCustomer POs to sales orders, in the customer's own units, drop-ship included.View
- ManufacturingConfigured products, BOM builds, production lanes and index-linked surcharges.View
- Food and beverageCustomer price lists, rebates by store and region, and gift-basket assembly.View
See production planning work on your own orders.
Thirty minutes on one workflow, with your own quotes, orders or invoices. You leave with a view of where Apex fits, and an honest answer if the sequencing is wrong and you should fix something else first.
Your pricing, approval and billing rules are your advantage, and they stay yours. Apex is configured to the way you sell, make and bill. You are not handing over a playbook or fitting into a template.