Production Exception Agent
Monitors open production orders and resolves scheduling exceptions as they arise.
Monitors open production orders for scheduling exceptions, including missing components, capacity conflicts, slipped dates, and mid-run BOM or routing changes. For each exception, it identifies a resolution from available stock, open purchase orders, and capacity data, applies it where the path is clear, and escalates cases that require a trade-off against customer commitments.
- −30 to −50%
MRP exception resolution time
When production problems come up (missing parts, slipped dates, capacity conflicts), they get resolved in roughly half the time.
Monitors open orders for exceptions
Reads the exception list on active production orders and categorizes each issue, covering missing components, capacity conflicts, slipped dates, and mid-run BOM or routing changes.
Identifies resolution options from live data
Cross-references current stock levels, open purchase orders, supplier confirmations, and available capacity to determine a viable fix for each flagged exception.
Applies fixes where the path is clear
Executes resequencing and schedule adjustments in the planning system for exceptions where a resolution is unambiguous and no customer commitment is at risk.
Escalates trade-offs to a human planner
Routes exceptions that involve a conflict between customer commitments to a designated owner, with the relevant context attached for a final decision.
- Trigger 1
New exceptions added to open production orders
The ERP planning run or an intraday MRP refresh adds one or more exceptions to the open production order queue, flagging missing components, capacity conflicts, or dates that have slipped past their scheduled start or finish.
- Trigger 2
Engineering change issued against an active order
An engineering change notification from the PLM or ERP bill-of-materials module updates a BOM or routing on a production order that is already open or in progress, creating a new exception outside the standard MRP exception list.
- Step 1
Reads and categorizes the open-order exception list
Queries the ERP for all active production orders and reads the current exception list, sorting each flagged deviation into one of four categories: missing component, capacity conflict, slipped scheduled date, or mid-run BOM and routing change. For BOM and routing changes, cross-references the engineering change notification from the PLM or ERP bill-of-materials module to confirm scope and effective date. Produces a prioritized exception queue ordered by order due date and proximity to customer delivery commitments.
- Step 2
Determines a resolution path for each flagged exception
For each exception in the queue, queries current stock levels, open purchase orders, and supplier confirmations from the ERP procurement module or connected supplier portal to assess whether inbound material can cover a missing component. For capacity conflicts, reads work centre queue lengths and routing definitions from the ERP or connected MES to determine whether resequencing the affected orders resolves the overload. Classifies each exception as either a clear resolution path or a trade-off case that requires human judgment before any change is applied.
- Step 3
Applies fixes or routes trade-offs to the planner
Where the resolution path is clear and no customer delivery commitment is at risk, writes the fix directly into the ERP: updates scheduled dates, resequences affected production orders, and adjusts component allocations or work centre assignments. Where the fix requires a trade-off between competing customer commitments or exceeds the agent's authority threshold, it packages the exception with the supporting stock, open PO, and capacity data and routes it to the designated production planner or supply planner for a final decision.
- Resolution
Exception resolved and production schedule updated
All fixable exceptions on the affected open production orders are resolved and written back to the ERP. The production schedule reflects the resequenced orders and adjusted dates, with the cleared exceptions marked as resolved in the planning system.
Exceptions resolved without planner intervention
so that planners focus on trade-off decisions that require judgment, rather than working through a queue of fixable scheduling conflicts manually.
Slippage caught and resequenced while orders are still open
so that customer delivery dates are protected and the cost of expediting or short-shipping is reduced.
- Live read/write access to the ERP
- Connects to the production planning system (e.g. Infor LN/M3/CloudSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, IFS Cloud, or SAP S/4HANA) to poll open production orders, read current stock levels, and write back resolved exceptions and resequenced schedules. Without this connection the agent cannot detect deviations or apply fixes.
- Open purchase order and supplier data
- Reads open POs and supplier confirmations from the ERP procurement module or a connected supplier portal. The agent uses this to determine whether inbound material can cover a missing component before escalating to a planner.
- Live capacity and routing data
- Reads work centre capacity, queue lengths, and routing definitions from the ERP or a connected MES (e.g. Infor Factory Track, Opcenter). Required to assess whether a capacity conflict can be resolved by resequencing or must be escalated.
- BOM and routing change feed
- Monitors engineering change notifications from the PLM or ERP bill-of-materials module (e.g. Infor LN engineering, SAP S/4HANA PLM). Without this feed the agent cannot detect mid-run BOM or routing changes and will miss a class of exceptions entirely.