Siemens Opcenter APS in brief
What Siemens publishes (checked October 10, 2026):
- Product family: Opcenter Planning for long-term strategic and medium-term tactical planning; Opcenter Scheduling for detailed sequencing and scheduling; Opcenter Scheduling SMT for resource allocation, order prioritization, production batches and due-date negotiation.
- Scheduling depth: order-based, multi-constraint schedules; ranking or weighting orders; different run speeds by resource; sequence-dependent changeovers; advanced resource and inter-operation constraints; custom material-usage rules; schedule viewers for sales, supervisors and operators.
- Ecosystem: part of the Opcenter manufacturing operations management portfolio, with collaboration through Teamcenter Share.
- Trial: Siemens lists a "Try now" trial of Opcenter Scheduling Standard.
- Not published on the pages checked: pricing, deployment model and a list of supported ERPs.
- History: User Solutions' public comparison describes Opcenter APS as the former Preactor, acquired by Siemens in 2013. Siemens' current APS pages don't use the Preactor name.
Enterprise APS vs job-shop scheduling: the real decision
| Enterprise APS (e.g. Opcenter APS) | Job-shop scheduling layer (e.g. Skody) | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Long-term planning through detailed scheduling, within a wider manufacturing-operations suite | The shop-floor schedule: which job runs where, when and with whom |
| Who runs it | Planning teams who configure rules, constraints and optimization | A planner or production manager who reviews a recomputed plan |
| Typical buyer | Larger plants, multi-site, often standardizing on one vendor’s stack | High-mix discrete shops keeping their current ERP |
| When the floor changes | Depends on the product and how it’s configured | Whole shop recomputed from current ERP and floor state |
| Pricing | Not published | From $1,500/month (Shop plan); Plant & Enterprise custom |
Neither model is wrong. They answer different problems. If you need a corporate planning standard across plants, a shop-level scheduler won't replace it. If you need the schedule at one high-mix shop to survive Tuesday afternoon, an enterprise program is a lot to take on.
Opcenter APS alternatives compared (October 2026)
| Option | Type | Deployment (per vendor) | ERP connection (per vendor) | Published pricing | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skody AI | Finite scheduling and decision layer | Cloud SaaS; ITAR-ready Gov Cloud; SOC 2 Type II | Live: ProShop, Fulcrum, JobBOSS²; Acumatica and SYSPRO listed | From $1,500/month | High-mix shops keeping their ERP |
| PlanetTogether (CAI) | APS | Client-server; server in the cloud or on-premise | Bi-directional; examples include SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, NetSuite, Infor, Epicor, QAD | Not published | Multi-site manufacturers with planning teams |
| Asprova | APS | Not stated on the homepage checked | Differential data import and export | Not published | Plants with complex sequencing rules; vendor cites 3,300+ sites in 44 countries |
| EDGEBIC (User Solutions) | Installed APS | Windows desktop (.NET 8) | Excel, CSV or database import-export | $25,000 or $35,000, one-time | Single plants that want a perpetual license |
| Scheduling inside your ERP | Native | Same as your ERP | Native | Included | Shops whose morning plan holds through the day |
Vendor capabilities change. Verify critical requirements with each vendor on your own data.
When Siemens Opcenter APS is the better fit
- You're standardizing on Siemens. Opcenter MOM, Teamcenter or other Siemens software across plants, and you want planning in the same stack.
- You need long-term and tactical planning as well as scheduling. Opcenter Planning covers months and years; Skody focuses on the shop-floor schedule.
- Electronics assembly. Opcenter Scheduling SMT, as the name says, targets surface-mount (SMT) lines; Skody is built for high-mix discrete shops such as job shops, CNC, fabrication and assembly.
- You have a planning team that wants to configure detailed rules, constraints and optimization.
- You want to try before talking to sales. Siemens lists a trial of Opcenter Scheduling Standard; Skody has no free trial.
When Skody is the better fit
- Your ERP is ProShop, Fulcrum or JobBOSS² (or Acumatica or SYSPRO), and you want the schedule fed live from it.
- One high-mix shop, or a few, not a corporate planning program.
- The plan goes stale during the shift, and you want the whole shop recomputed instead of rebuilt.
- People are the constraint, so operator skills and shifts need to limit every recompute (Plant & Enterprise plan).
- You want a published starting price and month-to-month terms (Shop plan).
Three Sigma Manufacturing in Kent, Washington is an example: its planning horizon went from one week to one year, and the planner accepts the computed baseline about 99% of days.
Pricing
- Shop plan: starts at $1,500 per month, month-to-month. Includes machine capacity scheduling, finite-capacity scheduling, automatic conflict resolution, due-date-first optimization, ERP integration, delivery-risk and late-job visibility, planner overrides and what-if scenarios, and production dashboards.
- Plant & Enterprise plan: custom pricing based on scope. Adds workforce capacity scheduling, skills and personnel availability constraints, machine and workforce optimization, pallet pool and multi-part scheduling, lights-out production planning, MES and machine telemetry integration, multi-department and multi-site deployment, and advanced integrations.
- Pricing is per shop, not per user. There is no free trial; Shop plans are month-to-month instead.
- Every deployment is hosted in ITAR-ready Gov Cloud. SOC 2 Type II.
See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to Siemens Opcenter APS?
For high-mix shops keeping ProShop, Fulcrum or JobBOSS², Skody AI. For other APS products, PlanetTogether and Asprova. For a one-time license on an installed scheduler, EDGEBIC from User Solutions. If your ERP's own scheduling holds through the day, that may be enough.
Is Opcenter APS the same as Preactor?
User Solutions' public comparison describes Opcenter APS as the former Preactor, acquired by Siemens in 2013. Siemens' current product pages call the family Opcenter Advanced Planning and Scheduling, with Opcenter Planning, Opcenter Scheduling and Opcenter Scheduling SMT.
How much does Siemens Opcenter APS cost?
Siemens does not publish Opcenter APS pricing on its product pages; it offers a contact-sales route and a trial of Opcenter Scheduling Standard. Skody starts at $1,500 per month on the Shop plan (month-to-month); the Plant & Enterprise plan has custom pricing based on scope.
Is Skody an APS?
Skody schedules to finite machine capacity (adding operator skills and workforce on the Plant & Enterprise plan), with what-if scenarios and dashboards, so it covers the scheduling part of APS. It doesn't try to be an enterprise planning suite. It's a scheduling and decision layer on top of the ERP you keep.
Does Skody integrate with Siemens Opcenter or Teamcenter?
No. Skody does not integrate with Siemens Opcenter, and no Teamcenter integration is listed. Skody runs live with ProShop, Fulcrum and JobBOSS², and Acumatica and SYSPRO integrations are also listed on skody.ai.
Can Skody schedule multiple plants?
Yes, on the Plant & Enterprise plan, which includes multi-site deployment where applicable, with custom pricing based on scope. If you need corporate long-range planning across many plants in one vendor stack, an enterprise APS such as Opcenter APS may fit better.
Is there a free trial?
Siemens lists a trial of Opcenter Scheduling Standard. Skody has no free trial; Shop plans are month-to-month, so you can pilot on your real jobs and ERP data and cancel if it doesn't prove itself.
When should I choose Opcenter APS over Skody?
When you’re standardizing on Siemens software across plants, need long-term and tactical planning as well as scheduling, run electronics assembly lines, or have a planning team that wants detailed rule configuration.
Which ERPs does Skody connect to?
Skody runs live ERP-connected scheduling with ProShop, Fulcrum and JobBOSS². Acumatica and SYSPRO integrations are also listed on skody.ai. Skody connects to any ERP; for one we haven't connected yet, setup typically takes about 3 weeks after you sign. Your ERP stays the system of record for orders, routings, inventory and costing.
Sources and verification
Checked October 10, 2026. Statements about other vendors come only from their own public pages listed here; statements about Skody come from skody.ai. Vendor capabilities and prices change, so confirm anything critical directly with each vendor.
- Skody pricing: https://skody.ai/pricing: Shop plan starting at $1,500/month (machine capacity and finite-capacity scheduling, conflict resolution, due-date-first optimization, ERP integration, late-job visibility, what-if scenarios, dashboards); Plant & Enterprise plan at custom pricing based on scope (adds workforce and skills scheduling, pallets, lights-out, MES and telemetry, multi-site); month-to-month Shop plans, no free trial, per-shop pricing; every deployment hosted in ITAR-ready Gov Cloud.
- Skody integrations: https://skody.ai/ (integrations list): ProShop, Fulcrum, JobBOSS², Acumatica and SYSPRO.
- Skody case studies: https://skody.ai/case-studies/yeager-manufacturing, https://skody.ai/case-studies/three-sigma-manufacturing, https://skody.ai/case-studies/zimmer-manufacturing.
- Siemens Opcenter APS: https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/opcenter/advanced-planning-scheduling-aps/: product family, planning horizons, Teamcenter Share, contact sales and "Try now" trial.
- Opcenter Scheduling: https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/opcenter/advanced-planning-scheduling-aps/advanced-scheduling-software/: order-based multi-constraint scheduling, sequence-dependent changeovers, material rules, schedule viewers.
- Opcenter Planning: https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/opcenter/advanced-planning-scheduling-aps/advanced-planning-software/: long- and mid-term planning.
- Opcenter Scheduling Standard trial: https://trials.sw.siemens.com/en-US/trials/opcenter-scheduling-standard.
- RMDB vs Preactor (User Solutions): https://usersolutions.com/compare-products/rmdb-vs-preactor: describes Preactor as acquired by Siemens in 2013 and now part of Opcenter.
- PlanetTogether: https://www.planettogether.com/news/planettogether-joins-cai and https://www.planettogether.com/aps-software-integrations: CAI acquisition, client-server architecture, integration methods and example ERPs. No pricing published.
- Asprova: https://www.asprova.com/en/: finite capacity scheduling, 3,300+ sites and support across 44 countries, differential data import and export.
- EDGEBIC pricing (User Solutions): https://usersolutions.com/pricing: $25,000 and $35,000 one-time; Windows desktop on .NET 8.
Editorial methodology
- Skody AI publishes this page and sells the product it recommends for the cases described. We say so plainly rather than presenting it as third-party research.
- Details about other vendors come only from their own public pages listed in Sources, checked October 10, 2026. Where a vendor doesn't publish something, the page says "not published" instead of guessing. "Not published" is not the same as "not available."
- No vendor reviewed this page or paid for inclusion. There are no scores, ratings or reviews on this page.
- Product capabilities and prices change. Verify every critical requirement with each vendor, on your own data, before you buy.