Capable to Promise, CTP, (generally defined as taking into account the current status of production and the finite capacity of resources) is often what is really required.

This is a more complex calculation based on data that most ERP systems do not have so many offer instead a simpler calculation based on finite capacity at a bucketed level e.g. daily or weekly buckets of capacity. This takes no account of the effect of sequencing on resources within a bucket which may effect changeover time, nor does it take account of additional constraints e.g. staff, tooling, space etc..

To do this properly the ERP system needs to have access to a multiple constraint, bucketless production scheduling system that can receive ad-hoc enquiries, access the process routing and BoM structure and schedule the operations onto the current live production schedule on a 'what if?' basis.

It is for this reason that PBX, Preactor BoM Exploder was developed specifically for companies who have their Master Scheduling System connected to an ERP system and wish to carry out CTP, Capable to Promise enquiries from within Preactor. Because all routing and BoM structures are held in the ERP system, Preactor does not have its own data table with this information in order to carry out a CTP enquiry. Either it need to request this information from the ERP system, which may not be very timely, or it needs to get its information from another source.

PBX is an integral part of Preactor 500 APS. It has both the product routing and BoM structure and can blow through the BoM for a product and create orders for each level.

The next stage of this automated process is to run SMC. In this process the PBX orders are linked either with orders already scheduled (where there are unallocated materials available created by other scheduled orders) or to the orders created by the PBX as part of the enquiry process. Orders that are unlinked, and therefore not required by this order promise, are then automatically deleted. The remaining orders are then scheduled taking into account the availability of resource to provide a promise date. Running SMC in this way 'nets off' current unallocated materials so introducing some control over inventory levels.

Note that PBX is not meant as a replacement for ERP. Typically, order promises that have been created by running the order enquiry process are replaced completely by orders entered into the ERP system. It is possible to use PBX to enter multi-line orders directly in the example configuration we will be supplying to you but this is not its primary use.