Production planning for the building materials industry

In continuous production processes in the building materials industry, production, silo capacities, transport routes, and delivery dates are closely interdependent.Lack of transparency regarding inventory levels, inbound flows, and capacity constraints leads to short‑term rescheduling, downtime, and delivery risks.Typical symptoms:

low planning reliability beyond a few hours
unplanned plant downtime due to insufficient material or silo availability
high coordination effort between production, logistics, and dispatching
manual inventory and sequencing calculations
overtime and additional shifts to cover peak demand
short‑term customer call‑offs due to lack of reliability

A capacity‑constrained, integrated production planning approach creates transparency, stability, and economic controllability – even in complex continuous processes.

Silhouetten von Bauarbeitern auf einem Gerüst vor einem farbigen Himmel bei Sonnenuntergang

Economic levers in the building materials industry

Production costs

Avoidance of unplanned downtime through transparent inventory and inbound flow logic
Reduction of overtime as well as cost‑intensive night and weekend shifts
Minimization of unnecessary infrastructure or container expansions
Reduction of capital tied up through optimized inventory management
Avoidance of inefficient additional shifts caused by a lack of planning reliability

planning and coordination effort

Reduction of manual coordination for plant start‑ups and shutdowns
Transparent coordination of downstream processes and material flows
Elimination of time‑consuming workarounds and ad hoc decisions
Automated calculation of inventory levels and production sequences
Relief for key personnel through system‑supported planning

Integrated production planning for continuous building materials processes

MCP’s industry‑specific solution extends Opcenter APS with capabilities for the integrated control of continuous production processes.Production, silo fill levels, transport routes, and delivery dates are consolidated into a consistent, end‑to‑end plan.The system calculates capacity‑constrained sequences, forecasts inventory levels across the planning horizon, and enables rapid rescheduling in the event of disruptions or new demand.This creates forward‑looking production and logistics control – instead of reactive corrections on an hourly basis.

Forward‑looking planning over several days instead of reactive hour‑by‑hour control
Significant relief for transport and route planning
Rapid reassessment in the event of disruptions or demand changes

Transparent basis for decision‑making when adjusting capacities
Higher delivery reliability leads to more stable customer call‑offs
Sustainably high process quality – even in replacement scenarios

Lagerhalle mit Regalen und Paletten, in der ein gelber Gabelstapler bei Sonnenlicht arbeitet

Measurable impact in the building materials industry

Through integrated production planning, significant economic improvements can be achieved in continuous building materials processes:

15%

higher productivity

25%

lower inventory levels

70%

reduced transport waiting times

80%

fewer delivery delays

Hand in Hemd mit Stift vor transparenter digitaler Zeitplan- oder Projektmanagementgrafik

Book your individual solution presentation:

We will be happy to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the solution and its applicability in your factory:

production processes and boundary conditions
controllable cost drivers
Detailed functionality and mode of operation
Process quality and reliability
Solution architecture
Implementation methodology
References

Schedule a potential assessment

The initial situation in the plant

In continuous processes, it is often not transparent which silo capacities, transport routes, or inventory levels will be available in the coming days.The planner reacts to bottlenecks at short notice instead of managing them proactively.Planning errors lead to downtime, schedule shifts, and increased coordination effort.A typical symptom is the short‑term reallocation of finished goods shortly before the scheduled delivery time.

Vier Personen in einem Besprechungsraum, zwei tragen Warnwesten, eine Person steht und zeigt auf den Tisch mit Bauhelm und Unterlagen

With integrated APS planning, you gain:

Reliable sequence planning several days in advance
Optimized production sequences taking all constraints into account
Transparent forecast of tank and silo fill levels
Automatisierte Neubewertung des Gesamtplans bei Störungen innerhalb weniger Minuten

Person tippt auf Laptop mit blaugrünem Bildschirm vor zwei Monitoren mit Diagrammen und Tabellen

Hand in Hemdärmel hält Stift vor transparentem Bildschirm mit Gantt-Diagramm und Wochenübersicht

Success Story: Example from the process industry

A leading company in the process industry digitalized and fully integrated its production planning together with MCP.Result:

higher efficiency in production and logistics
significant relief for key personnel
strukturierte Steuerung von Auftragsmanagement und Disposition

The time saved in planning is now invested in strategic improvement initiatives to achieve annual productivity targets – further strengthening long‑term competitiveness.

In the past, incoming orders were planned manually – including silo allocation, flushing batches, and contamination matrices. Today, we generate a complete, optimized plan for all plants within minutes, taking all constraints into account and ensuring stable plant operations.

Full success story

Back to Opcenter APS

Your direct path to stable and economically efficient production planning

In a structured potential discussion, we analyze your specific challenges – and show you concretely what economic potential can realistically be unlocked in your production planning.
You will receive a well‑founded assessment of productivity, inventory, and service level potential, as well as the required implementation effort and project structure