PPS — Production Planning and Control
PPS (Production Planning und -steuerung) is the German term covering the integrated discipline of production planning and shop-floor control. PPS spans the scheduling, resource allocation and execution-monitoring functions that connect demand planning to physical production. The term has classical and modern interpretations: classically the standalone PPS systems of the 1980s; modern PPS is the integrated production capability within ERP supplemented by APS and MES.
PPS components
- Material requirements planning (MRP) — determine component and material requirements from production plan
- Capacity planning — verify machine and labour capacity meets production demands
- Detailed scheduling — sequence orders on specific resources with setup times and constraints
- Shop-floor control — release orders to production, track progress, manage exceptions
- Production-data collection — actual quantities, times, scrap, machine state
- Cost calculation — planned versus actual cost per production order
- Quality data integration — inspection results tied to production batches
- Performance reporting — OEE, throughput, on-time delivery metrics
Evolution from standalone PPS to integrated ERP
Classical PPS systems (1980s-1990s) operated standalone or loosely integrated with separate accounting systems. MRP II integrated PPS with financial and broader business functions. ERP absorbed PPS into the unified integrated suite alongside sales, purchasing, HR. APS plus MES: modern manufacturing splits the PPS function across layers — ERP for planning and master data, APS for finite-capacity scheduling, MES for shop-floor execution. The classical term PPS persists in DACH manufacturing parlance even though the underlying implementation has evolved. Mid-market ERPs (abas, proALPHA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP S/4HANA) include comprehensive PPS capability; specialist tools (APS, MES) supplement for complex needs.
PPS-strong ERP vendors
SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing: comprehensive PPS within S/4HANA, with specialist extensions for industries. Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O: production-control capabilities with planning optimisation. abas ERP: DACH-built manufacturing focus with native variant-configuration and detailed scheduling. proALPHA: integrated APS within the ERP for finite-capacity scheduling. Infor LN: industrial-equipment manufacturing strength. IFS Cloud: project-business and engineer-to-order. Mid-market specialists: godesys, AMS.ERP, APplus, PSI Penta. Specialist APS: SAP IBP, Siemens Opcenter APS, FlexSim, Asprova, Demand Solutions. Specialist MES: Siemens Opcenter, Rockwell FactoryTalk, MPDV HYDRA, Werum PAS-X. For DACH mid-market discrete-manufacturing, abas, proALPHA and SAP S/4HANA are the dominant PPS-capable choices.
Practical considerations
Three patterns. (1) Match the planning tier to operational reality: simple repetitive production runs well on ERP-native PPS; complex constraint-heavy operations benefit from dedicated APS. Avoid over-investing in scheduling sophistication for operations that do not need it. (2) Connect shop floor to PPS in real time: PPS quality degrades quickly when shop-floor data flows back slowly. Real-time MES integration or direct machine integration enables responsive planning. (3) Maintain master-data discipline: PPS calculations depend on accurate BOMs, routings, setup times, work-centre capacities. Master-data drift compounds into systematically bad plans. Quarterly master-data review is essential for any PPS-bearing operation.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PPS still a distinct concept or just part of ERP?
Mostly absorbed into ERP. The term persists in DACH manufacturing terminology and academic curricula but the underlying technology is ERP-integrated PPS, often supplemented by APS and MES. Standalone PPS systems are rare outside legacy installations.
When does our PPS need APS supplementation?
When shared-resource constraints dominate scheduling: high-utilisation production lines (above 80% utilisation), shared bottleneck resources, complex changeover-time minimisation needs. ERP-native scheduling typically assumes infinite capacity; APS adds the finite-capacity logic that produces executable schedules.
How does Industry 4.0 change PPS?
Real-time data from IoT-connected machines feeds PPS continuously, enabling responsive replanning. AI-driven forecasting and scheduling layer on top of classical PPS algorithms. Digital twins enable scenario simulation before committing to schedule changes. The classical PPS function remains; its inputs and decision-support capabilities improve materially.