Case studies in Advanced Planning Systems for Tactical Planning in Process Industries

This thesis focuses on the use of Advanced Planning System (APSs) in the tactical planning process. In addition, there is a special focus towards process industries. The overall aim is to find out if and how APSs can support the tactical planning processes and add value to the company. A discussion on APSs as such is also presented, as the general definition of APS is unclear. The study is based on three case studies, first a longitudinal case study at a single company, second a in-depth case study at the same company and last a multiple case study at four Scandinavian companies. The case descriptions provide answers to the overall purpose of the thesis, but they also contribute to the general knowledge concerning APSs, as they describe industrial use of these systems. The study reveals several improvements that companies have achieved by implementing APSs and it conclude that APSs can support the tactical planning process. The improvements are seen either as results of process changes needed to implement the APS or the APS itself. Among the improvements, centralizing, automatizing and streamlining of the tactical planning processes are three of the most prominent. But several other improvements are also found, for example improvements concerning the customer service level and inventory levels. Although several successful implementations, it is not uncommon that implementations projects fail, which is why companies need to be careful when deciding to invest in an APS. Factors found to be linked to success concerning APS implementations are discussed, with the APS’s fit to the company’s processes and existing systems along with promotional activities, either by a project champion or the top management, are found to be important.