NETRONIC and Technology Management to launch production scheduling extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

NETRONIC Software GmbH from Germany and Technology Management Ltd. from the UK have announced that they are collaborating on the development of a visual advanced production scheduling extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

The product, named Visual Advanced Production Scheduler (VAPS), will be sold through NETRONIC's international network of resellers, according to the companies. The companies explained in a statement:

The VAPS brings visual advanced production scheduling as an extension to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It enables customers using Business Central's production orders to understand their production loading and schedule with a graphical transparent, easy-to-understand display that also assists by with advanced rules.

The solution offers a finite capacity scheduler and achieves semi-automatic forward scheduling based on finite capacity. It also addresses scheduling challenges including visibility of material availability on routing line level, definition of alternative work centers, and the option to pin operations, according to the companies.

The parties are still in the build phase but have a prototype to show at Directions North America 2019 and will have a restricted beta launching in June.

In earlier versions of NAV, Netronic's Gannt chart control have been licensed by Microsoft for production order visualization. With VAPS, Technology Management is working with Netronic to provide IP that adds flexibility and rules to Business Central, which the visual scheduler then represents, according to James Crowter, managing director at Technology Management.

"Also, we have added logic that changes the times when you move production from one resource to another and when you sequence production in a particular order," he told MSDW.