APS gaining ground among SMEs

Advanced planning and scheduling (APS) may be catching on – and primarily with SME manufacturers going for the cheap end of advisory finite scheduling systems if Preactor’s rising sales are anything to go by. The firm reported record sales in the last quarter of 2003 and into 2004, up 38% on the previous year. 57% came from the UK, 18% from Europe and 17% from the US. Interestingly, it’s happening across the board. Sectors include automotive, aerospace, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, precision engineering, electrical, optical equipment and machinery, food, beverages and tobacco, machinery and equipment. Preactor managing director Mike Novels says: “I believe our success reflects increasing recognition of the benefits of APS, and increasingly of supply chain scheduling solutions... This has put Preactor in a strong financial position and will allow us to invest more in our products.” Novels is predicting even stronger sales for the rest of the year: “Q1 2004 has started off with a bang: sales are already up 11% on 2003, which was a record quarter.”