SAP Advanced Planner and Optimizer SAP APO

Product

Developers:	SAP SE
Technology:	SCM

Content

Supply Chain Cockpit (Command center logistics chains)
Demand Planning (Demand planning)
Supply Network Planning
Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling
Global Available-to-Promise
See Also

SAP APO (Advanced Planner and Optimizer) - the central component of the SAP SCOPE project - Supply Chain Optimization, Planning and Execution.

Advanced Planner and Optimizer has a full range of professional tools for planning of logistics chains in real time and decision supports. Such means as Command center logistics chains (Supply Chain Cockpit), Demand Planning, Planning and deployment of networks of logistics chains (Supply Network Planning & Deployment), Production Planning, Exact scheduling (Detailed Scheduling) and the Global control system of availability (Global Available-to-Promise) enter into tools. SAP APO is the finished solution allowing to achieve accurate synchronous interaction of all participants of logistics chains, beginning from suppliers, representatives on sales and production planning specialists, and finishing buyers, clients and consumers.

Supply Chain Cockpit (Command center logistics chains)

Possibility of the processing of huge information volumes relating to business and decision making within uniform graphic model of a logistics chain. Fast movement on models of network of supply and also receiving a detailed information about any its point or a component, is performed by means of tools easy in use (formation of the personnel, change of scale, data output on separate positions, different methods of submission of the map, etc.).

As a part of the module also the newest means of Alert Monitor (The monitor of warnings) intended for permanent observation of the events entering logistics chains and advance issue of warnings of possible problems. It is important that messages about problems, warnings and also managed by a work flow of the e-mail message become more active automatically. A number of triggers of events and conditions of emergence of warnings manages this process.

Demand Planning (Demand planning)

A set of high-performance means for the advanced planning and forecasting allowing to reach the necessary speed of reaction to the spasmodic shifts in demand and to provide a possibility of obtaining forecasts of high degree of reliability. When using Demand Planning the company gets advantage at the expense of the bigger accuracy of strategic planning and asset management. The Demand Planning component allows planning specialists to integrate the forecasts received on the basis of information on sales, clients or partners and "historical" data (for example, customer orders, data on deliveries, information of electronic point-of-sale terminals). Calculation of the predicted values is executed automatically on the basis of modern mathematico-statistical techniques. In addition, the special tools allowing to consider influence on demand of the most different factors are provided to planning specialists: causal, advertizing, product lifecycles, and even damage which new products can cause to sale already existing on commodity market. All this allows to create more authentic sales plans.

Supply Network Planning

This component (Planning of networks of logistics chains) serves for planning of procurement processes, production, distribution and transportations within uniform global model. When planning using this component there is creation of model of all logistic network to the subsequent application to it the advanced optimization methods based on the set restrictions and also accomplishment over model of experiments like "that if". The purpose of planning synchronization of all actions and scheduling of movement of goods along a logistics chain is considered, In the final plan the best solutions are specified in such areas as sales, production and distribution that allows to increase profitability of the company, to reduce a response time by changes of a situation and to reduce the total costs connected with logistics chains. The Deployment component (Deployment) is intended for support of dynamic decision making on the questions connected with terms and methods of sending goods to clients in distribution centers and into accounts of the stocks managed by suppliers. At the optimizing planning the set restrictions (for example, the extreme volume of transportations) and business rules can be considered (for example, aspiration to the maximum expense reduction, a priority of any category of orders, following of a certain strategy of stock replenishment). Besides, Deployment allows to use most effectively available transport due to optimal planning of transportations.

Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling

The "Production Planning / Exact Scheduling" component provides to planning specialists a set of the advanced tools and methods providing creation and optimization of schedules of production.

In its structure, as simple functions in use for work with graphic planning tables, and powerful tools for optimization on the basis of the set restrictions. Thus, specialists have a broad set of opportunities for planning in the order (drawing up plans with participation of one or several manufacturing enterprises, simultaneous verification of presence of capacities and material, function for setting of different experiments, dynamic sheets of a marking of requirements, etc.

Global Available-to-Promise

Global control system of availability - it is intended for implementation of parallel multilevel control over material availability and presence of production capacities that allows to bring the offer into accord with demand. Thanks to integration of all SAP components of ARO (Command center Demand planning, Planning and deployment of networks of logistics chains, Production planning and Exact scheduling) and also to interaction with not the SAP systems possible real-time presentation of a picture of all global logistics chain becomes logistics chains.

Working in real time, Global Available-to-Promise allows to receive data on existence of required goods in distribution centers, to address the production plan of any of the plants existing at the moment and even to model scheduling of the order in the production plan, defining thus date of the fastest delivery. If any material is unavailable or is not planned to production, the advanced system of verification of presence of stocks relying on certain rules supports order fulfillment, offering the alternative locations of a stock, products or components.