Alternative machines & routings
Choose suitable machines and alternative production routes. Apex keeps the required order of operations intact.
Simulate scenarios. Automate detailed scheduling. Improve material flow.
Keep working in your existing systems. Optimize order sequences, machine assignments and workforce allocation directly through your AI chat. Reschedule quickly when disruptions occur or priorities change. Flexible what-if analyses let you compare alternatives and quickly gain a reliable basis for decisions — without tedious manual work.
You give the task to your agent and review the Gantt plan. The agent reads Excel and ERP or MES data through configured adapters, then plans with Apex. A coding agent can develop and test new rules. Chat and optional voice input come from your AI platform. This animation uses fictional data and does not run a live planning service.
Choose a scenario
Built for discrete manufacturing
Plan individual parts and assemblies across work steps, machines and shared resources. From machining to final assembly.
Explore industries
Machinery & equipment
Metalworking & machining
Automotive suppliers
Electronics & assembly
What Apex plans for
People, tools & shared capacity
Plan machines, people and tools together. Define how many are needed, for how long, and whether a specific resource or a shared pool can do the job.
Sequence-dependent setups
Account for product changes, longer production sequences and final cleaning. Plan the time, people and tools needed for setup and cleanup.
Shifts, breaks & productivity
Plan with shifts, breaks and changing productivity. Define which steps may pause at a break and which resources stay reserved.
Material availability & dispatching
Assign stock, confirmed deliveries and output from planned operations to the jobs that need them. Check quantities, availability and shortages.
Dependencies & timing rules
Keep operations in the right order. Set minimum and maximum waiting times, earliest starts and mandatory deadlines.
Preparation, inspection & cleanup
Include preparation, inspection and cleanup, with the people and tools they need. Define when the product is ready for the next step.
Orders, quantities & lots
Use workplans to turn orders into operations. Adjust work to the quantity and split oversized lots. Track completion and delays for jobs and orders.
Running work & frozen decisions
Keep completed work and existing commitments. Fix start times, resources or sequences, and replan what is still open.
Weight your planning goals
Meet delivery dates, reduce changeovers or finish earlier. Combine these goals with the costs of different production options. Set priorities and decide how much each goal counts.
Every plan is independently checked against mandatory rules, whatever your priorities.
Illustrative
- 01Delivery performanceFIRST
Reduce delays, weighted by priority
- 02Changeover effortTHEN
Account for the effort of each changeover
- 03Schedule lengthTHEN
Finish all planned work earlier
Change the priorities. Replan. Inspect the trade-offs.
Add your own rules
Your production needs a rule Apex does not yet cover? Describe it with examples. A coding agent helps implement and test the extension in the source code. Your team reviews the results before use.
- 01
Describe the rule
Give the agent examples, exceptions and the outcome your planners need.
- 02
Develop and test
A coding agent helps implement the rule and test standard cases and exceptions.
- 03
Review the plans
Your team checks the results before using the extended version in production.
Change existing settings through your agent. New functions require development, tests and a new build of your Apex version.
Start with your dataWhat does Apex do for production planning?
Apex schedules production orders across machines, people and shifts, taking material and your operating rules into account. An AI agent lets you request plans and compare alternatives in chat. The aim is less manual coordination and a clear basis for deciding which schedule to release.
Which manufacturing companies is Apex designed for?
Apex is designed for discrete manufacturing: individual parts and assemblies with defined operations, resources and dependencies. Examples include machinery, metalworking, automotive suppliers and electronics assembly. The planning model is configured for your shop floor, including alternative machines, lot sizes and shared resources.
Can we control production planning through AI chat or voice?
Yes. Connect a compatible AI platform to Apex through MCP or HTTP. Ask for a plan, change assumptions or compare scenarios in chat. Voice input is available if your chosen platform supports it. The agent works with the data and permissions you provide; Apex calculates the schedules.
Can Apex plan finite capacity, shifts and material together?
Yes. Model machine availability, staff, tools, shifts, breaks, setup times and material availability in one scheduling problem. Apex assigns operations within those constraints instead of assuming unlimited capacity. Fixed operations and resource assignments can be retained when you replan.
See the planning functionsHow can we compare rush orders or machine breakdowns?
Create a what-if scenario, change the affected orders or resource availability, and calculate an alternative schedule. Compare completion dates, delays and production times before changing the operational plan. This helps you assess a rush order, an extra shift or a machine outage using the same planning rules.
Can we set our own production planning priorities?
Yes. Flexible multiobjective optimization lets you weight goals such as delivery performance, completion time, flow time and setup effort. Compare alternatives when goals compete. Mandatory operating rules stay binding regardless of the priorities you choose.
Set planning prioritiesCan we add our own shop-floor rules to Apex?
Configure the rules Apex already supports for your production environment. If you need more, the public source code can be extended within your license. A coding agent can help implement and test a rule from your examples. Your team or an implementation partner reviews the change before using the extended version.
Explore custom planning rulesCan I use Excel or CSV files for production planning with Apex?
Yes. Start with an Excel workbook, CSV file or ERP export. An adapter maps the relevant fields to Apex's planning data and flags missing information. Once set up, reuse it for the next import. Sample data works immediately; your own exports need a mapping to your production model.
Can Apex write planning results back to ERP or MES?
Yes, this can be implemented with your own connector and approval workflow. Transfer agreed dates, sequences or resource assignments through the target system's interface: after manual approval, under defined approval rules or automatically at the level you choose. Field mapping, permissions, conflict handling and logging are set up and tested for your system. Write-back is a separate integration step.
Explore deployment and interfacesStart with Apex
Run Apex locally with your own AI models; we can help with setup and integration. Or request hosting by Qunevo with a Custom license. Custom also supports local operation, with services tailored to your needs.
Request an initial conversation Compare self-service and Custom