Production planning of complex components faces an overwhelming challenge as the demand for solar and semiconductor products explodes. Customers require an increasing variety of products, in larger volumes and with shorter lead times. The result is rapidly growing manufacturing planning complexity.

ManSim provides a solution with its automated production planning tools, MS/X Planner™ and TS/X Planner™. These products have been designed specifically for semiconductor manufacturing and are flexibile enough for any fabrication process. MS/X Planner is used for finite capacity production planning in fabrication and TS/X Planner is used in assembly and test. Through the use of advanced simulation-based technology, MS/X Planner and TS/X Planner help production planners:
▪ Generate capacity-tested production plans.
▪ Allocate finished goods and WIP to prioritized orders.
▪ Determine required start quantities and optimum start schedules.
▪ Identify equipment, material, and labor constraints.
▪ Forecast projected order completion dates.

ManSim's tools realistically simulate factory operations, taking into account such dynamic factors as equipment failures, product binning substitution and other dynamic events that simply cannot be achieved with spreadsheet modeling. With MS/X Planner and TS/X Planner, manufacturers can optimize utilization of their manufacturing facilities and maximize customer satisfaction with on-time delivery.

Immediate results

Taking only minutes to analyze complex manufacturing dilemmas that would take weeks using traditional tools, MS/X Planner and TS/X Planner are fast. As a result, planners can perform "what-if" analysis to optimize production and get the answers they need quickly.

Demand driven

ManSim's tools use a "pull" system to load factory capacity from demands. The tools accommodate multiple demand types and priorities. Demand types include firm backlog, safety stock, distributor orders, and marketing forecast. Users can quickly gauge their factory's ability to meet demands based on moving capacity constraints over time. They can also immediately see the impact of changing order priority, upsides and cancellations. Using backward scheduling, ManSim's tools can suggest additional lot starts to satisfy unfilled orders. The tools also determine optimum start and out schedules based on mix-dependent cycle times.

Easy to use

Production planners will appreciate the ease of using ManSim's tools. To get started, the user builds a model of the factory using a simple menu driven, point-and-click interface. To make this process even easier, the user can import existing data from spreadsheets as well as from CIM, order entry, and other third party sources.

Comprehensive information

MS/X Planner and TS/X Planner provide comprehensive and meaningful information in a variety of graphical displays and printed reports. With this information readily available, planners can optimize their production schedules and meet customer requirements on time.

Standard reports include order status, unfilled orders, order lot status, product substitutions, finished goods, equipment utilization, lot starts by day, activity-based costs, operator statistics by area, material requirements by period, available to promise, and late orders. These reports help planners document "what-if" analysis and quantify decision alternatives. In addition, planners can generate custom reports to meet specific requirements.

Find out more about how ManSim can help

MS/X Planner and TS/X Planner are the tools semiconductor organizations need to help them manage the rapidly growing complexity of manufacturing planning. With these powerful tools, production planners can quickly get the information they need to ensure on-time delivery and realize maximum return on their company's investment in manufacturing equipment.

To find out more about MS/X Planner and TS/X Planner, contact ManSim, Inc. today!