A framework for development of advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in glass container industry

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a new framework for designing and implementing simple but effective advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems in glass container industry by means of spreadsheets. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual framework for APS system design is developed by integrating principles of end-user computing and mixed-integer programming (MIP). This framework comprises the APS implementation and its integration with enterprise resource planning systems. Such a proposal is applied in a real-world glass bottle manufacturer and its performance assessment is carried out by using metrics of the well-known supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model. Findings The case study shows that the framework application can improve the responsiveness of glass container supply chain (SC) as well as reduce significantly SC planning costs. A further assessment of the end-user computing satisfaction highlights the general acceptance of the framework. Practical implications The proposed framework can assist glass industry managers and practitioners to solve their complex production planning problem since custom solutions are not available for this sector. Another important implication is the possible generalization of the framework given that MIP models for production planning are currently available in the literature for different industries. Originality/value On the one hand, the new framework successfully integrates concepts of end-user computing and MIP bridging the gap between theory of aforementioned areas and their practical applications. On the other hand, the paper contributes to the scarce literature on performance evaluation of APS systems and their impact on production system performance. The novel APS gain analysis based on SCOR metrics ensures that the system potential benefits are aligned with the modern concepts of supply chain management.