Can AI Schedule Better Than a Human Planner?
A seasoned production planner with 30 years of experience has likely built 35,350 schedules over their career. Each one is a result of deep industry knowledge, problem-solving skills, and countless hours of refining schedules to meet production demands.
But what if an AI-driven scheduling system could analyse that many scenarios in the time it takes to have your lunch – or even less?
This isn’t a hypothetical future. It’s happening now. AI is reshaping the way manufacturers approach scheduling, challenging long-held beliefs about human expertise and intuition.
Why Human Intuition Isn’t Enough Anymore
Planners are highly skilled professionals, but even the best have their limitations:
- They can only compare a handful of scheduling options manually – AI, on the other hand, can evaluate thousands of possibilities within minutes, identifying the most efficient sequence.
- They rely on experience and intuition to make scheduling decisions – While this is valuable, it’s inherently subjective. AI leverages hard data, historical trends, and real-time analytics to optimise schedules objectively.
- They may struggle to quickly adapt to disruptions – Unplanned downtime, supply chain delays, or urgent order changes require rapid adjustments. AI-driven scheduling systems dynamically recalculate and adapt in real-time, ensuring minimal disruption.
Why Traditional APS Tools Fall Short
Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) systems have been a game-changer, helping manufacturers move away from spreadsheets and manual scheduling. But they still have fundamental weaknesses:
- They rely on pre-set rules and constraints – Traditional APS solutions follow fixed parameters, which means they lack flexibility when real-world disruptions occur.
- They don’t analyse enough possibilities fast enough – While APS tools automate scheduling, they can’t explore as many variables as AI, leading to schedules that are suboptimal compared to what AI can achieve.
- They still require human intervention – Many APS tools generate a schedule, but a planner still needs to review and refine it manually, consuming valuable time
The Next Evolution in Scheduling
On Friday, we’re unveiling an AI-driven scheduling breakthrough that transforms how manufacturers plan and optimise production. Stay tuned.
