Production Planning Software That Holds Up on the Floor

    Your ERP says you can deliver. Your shop floor says otherwise.

    The plan assumes infinite capacity, no setup time, and an operator on every machine. Then the first job runs long and the rest of the week is firefighting.

    ERP plans against infinite capacity — every machine free, every operator on shift

    The plan looks clean on screen, then collapses when the first job runs long

    You quote dates the floor can't actually hit — and find out at shipping

    One planner spends the morning rebuilding what the system should never have scheduled

    The plan isn't wrong. The assumptions under it are.
    Skody AI schedules against your real machines, operators, and materials — and reflows when reality moves.

    Running live at Zimmer Design & Manufacturing

    We load a sample of your real jobs in the demo. No slideware, no 90-day rollout.

    Most Production Planning Software Stops at the Plan

    Traditional tools build a plan, sequence jobs, and estimate capacity. But they don't answer the only question that matters:

    "What should run next when things change?"

    Plans break by noon
    Planners rebuild constantly
    Execution drifts from plan

    Planning without adaptation is just guessing.

    Plans Look Clean. Reality Doesn't.

    Same jobs. Same machines. Different system.

    Static Plan (ERP / Excel)

    Static ERP production plan showing manual scheduling
    Manual updates
    Setup conflicts
    Hidden delays
    Continuous optimization

    Real-Time Optimized Schedule

    Skody real-time optimized production schedule
    Auto-optimized sequence
    Late job risk flagged
    Balanced machine load

    Based on real customer data

    Same jobs. Same machines. Different system.

    15% fewer late jobs in <30 days

    ERP → Skody AI → Shop Floor

    1

    ERP plans the work

    2

    Skody AI decides what runs next

    3

    Your team executes one live schedule

    Skody Production Assistant running alongside ERP on dual monitors in a manufacturing shop

    Your ERP shows what should happen.
    Skody AI shows what can happen today.

    Live in Production

    Live in Production — Not a Demo

    This is running on a real shop floor today.

    Zimmer Design & Manufacturing

    ProShop ERP user

    We're now running Skody AI scheduling + live dashboards tied directly into ProShop ERP via API.

    Displayed across 3 large screens on the shop floor and accessible on every workstation — everyone sees the same live picture. No spreadsheets. No manual updates. No guessing.

    • Eliminated need for full-time planner
    • Real-time OTD and job status visibility
    • Tracks who's working on what
    • Improves job costing through accurate time tracking

    "This is how we are building a shop that runs on data, not assumptions."

    Connected via API to ProShop ERP

    Why Production Plans Fail in Real Shops

    These aren't edge cases. They're daily reality.

    Machine downtime
    Rush orders
    Setup dependencies
    Operator availability
    Material delays

    The plan looked perfect at 6 AM.

    By 10 AM, it's already wrong.

    The real problem isn't planning.

    It's turning plans into decisions, continuously.

    What Modern Production Planning Software Should Do

    Not just plan. Continuously decide.

    Build the first-pass schedule from your actual machines, operators, and material readiness

    Reflow when a rush job lands, a spindle goes down, or material slips — without a manual rebuild

    Schedule operators alongside machines so capacity isn't fiction

    Show which jobs slip, by how many days, and the constraint causing it — days before the customer calls

    Let the planner override anything, anywhere, without breaking the rest of the schedule

    ERP creates the plan.

    Skody AI makes it work.

    How Skody AI Transforms Production Planning

    From static plan to continuous execution loop.

    1

    Pull jobs from ERP

    Work orders, due dates, routing, setup matrices, operator skills — all imported via API.

    2

    See a sequenced schedule in minutes

    Across machines, operators, materials, and setups. Your real jobs — not a Gantt template.

    3

    Reflow when reality moves

    Rush job at 10am. Spindle down at 2pm. Material slips a week. The schedule updates — you don't rebuild it.

    4

    See risk days early

    A list of jobs at risk, by how many days, and the constraint causing each one.

    5

    Override anything

    Drag, pin, force a sequence. The planner makes the call; Skody handles the cascade.

    Continuous optimization loop

    ERP
    Skody
    Shop Floor

    Plan → Execute → Adapt → Repeat

    The Cost of Broken Plans

    Typical impact: $300K–$500K per year in lost throughput.

    Not because of bad planning.
    Because no system adapts after the plan breaks.

    ERP creates the plan. Skody AI makes it work.

    Late jobs & missed deliveries

    Broken promises

    Plans break by noon. Customers feel it by end of week.

    Idle machines

    Wasted capacity

    Machines waiting for decisions that should already be made.

    Overtime & expedites

    Margin erosion

    Firefighting costs more than planning ever should.

    Planner overload

    Single point of failure

    One person manually re-sequencing the entire shop, every day.

    Traditional Planning vs. Skody AI

    Most software builds a plan.
    Skody AI runs your factory.

    CapabilityTraditional PlanningSkody AI
    Static plan creation Yes Yes
    Real-time adaptation No Yes
    Constraint optimization Limited Yes
    Continuous scheduling No Yes
    Execution alignment No Yes

    Designed For

    Job shops
    CNC manufacturing
    High-mix / low-volume
    Contract manufacturing

    Explore how this works in

    Results

    15%

    Fewer late jobs

    Hrs → Min

    Scheduling time

    1 yr

    Planning horizon

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Yes. A job won't be sequenced before its material is expected on the floor. Skody AI pulls expected arrival dates from your ERP (or a manual override) and pushes the job out automatically when a PO slips. You won't see work scheduled that physically can't start.

    See your schedule, with your real jobs, in 30 minutes

    Send us a sample of your jobs, machines, and operators before the call. We come in with your shop on the screen — not a generic deck — and walk through what slips, why, and what changes.

    No credit card · 30-minute working session · Your data, your constraints