We share our best practices for successfully implementing our APS in the cloud. Based on our project experience—practical insights for practical application. For successful digital transformation, production optimization, and modern production control
1. Key Success Factor: The Project Champion Within the Company
Successful projects don’t start with a tool, but with people who believe in them. That’s why you need someone on-site at the client’s location who’s eager to make a difference, who motivates the team, and who inspires people. This person is a key factor in success. Without them, it’s tough; with them, things run smoothly.
2. The business case as the basis for APS implementation
Before we go live with our APS, we’ll work together to define the business case: What needs to improve? Which KPIs are critical? Where are the bottlenecks? Clear objectives help us manage the project effectively and demonstrate success—both internally and externally. All of this forms the foundation for sustainable production optimization.
3. Digitalization and the Cloud as the Strategic Foundation of Production Planning
AI doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It requires structures, processes, and a digital foundation. The future lies in the cloud: it enables scalable, flexible, and cross-location detailed scheduling real time, based on a modern microservices architecture. We’re leaving on-premises solutions behind. Companies that view digitalization and the cloud as part of their corporate strategy—or are ready to take this path—will quickly see results with our solution.
4. Production Data Collection as the Foundation for Data-Driven Shop Floor Management
PAILOT is based on data—specifically, up-to-date and reliable production data. Accurate production data collection isn’t just a “nice-to-have”; it’s the foundation of any effective planning process. If feedback is missing or inaccurate, the very starting point of the planning process is already flawed.
Those who understand the value of data-driven decisions and are willing to take data quality seriously lay the foundation for stable and realistic detailed scheduling. At the same time, additional benefits emerge: transparency on the shop floor increases, information is available in real time, and decisions can be made with greater confidence.
5. Interdisciplinary collaboration as the key to project success
The best projects are those that involve not just “IT” or “Production,” but a team made up of scheduling, work planning, production management, shop floor staff, IT, procurement, and sales. Only when everyone sits down together at the same table can we break down silos and achieve real results.
6. Continuous Feedback as a Driver of Innovation in the Smart Factory
We love it when our solution is put to the test. Because that’s exactly where progress happens. No project goes off without a hitch, and no plan is perfect. And that’s not what we aim for. So that PAILOT isn’t just good—it’s good for you. Our best features weren’t developed behind closed doors, but directly with our customers. We need real-world requirements from everyday operations so that together we can continue to develop what moves you forward. The Smart Factory quickly becomes a reality with intelligent detailed scheduling, production control, and efficient shop floor management.
7. An agile approach to production optimization rather than striving for perfection
The initial plans generated by PAILOT serve as a starting point and improve over time. Collaboration with you is key: through continuous testing, adjustment, and learning, a plan emerges step by step that becomes significantly more stable and robust.
At the same time, pragmatism is essential. Even the best planning cannot perfectly account for every situation. In some cases, it serves as a guide on which to base well-informed decisions. The difference is that these decisions are no longer made in isolation, but within the context of the entire production system.
Conclusion: Successful implementation of PAILOT thanks to a clear structure and teamwork
When we’re asked what makes a good project, the answer is always the same: a motivated team, clear objectives, clean data—and a commitment to growing together. If these points resonate with you, then you’re ready for PAILOT. And we’re ready to get started with you.
