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Production planning is one of the most important activities in a manufacturing company. Every factory needs to manage customer orders, raw materials, machines, employees, production schedules and delivery deadlines.
When production planning is managed manually through Excel sheets, registers and separate departments, manufacturers may face several problems:
Delayed production orders.
Raw material shortages.
Excess inventory.
Machine idle time.
Poor coordination between departments.
Unplanned production activities.
Increased manufacturing costs.
Delayed customer deliveries.
Difficulty tracking production progress.
For example, a manufacturing company receives 100 customer orders in one month. The production manager needs to calculate material requirements, check stock availability, plan production quantities, assign work orders and decide delivery priorities.
Managing all these activities manually can become complicated.
Production Planning Software helps manufacturers organise production requirements, manage manufacturing orders, plan materials, coordinate resources and monitor production progress.
With the right manufacturing ERP, MRP or production planning platform, businesses can improve operational visibility and make better production decisions.
This guide covers 10 production planning software options manufacturers can evaluate in India for 2026–2027.
Production planning software is a digital system that helps manufacturing businesses organise and manage their production activities.
It helps answer important questions:
What products need to be manufactured?
How many units need to be produced?
Which raw materials are required?
Are materials available in inventory?
Which machines or production lines are needed?
When should production begin?
How much time will production require?
When will the order be completed?
Production order management.
Production scheduling.
Material requirement planning.
Bill of Materials (BOM).
Inventory management.
Work order management.
Machine and resource planning.
Production progress tracking.
Manufacturing cost analysis.
Production reports.
The following is an editorial shortlist, not a verified ranking based on market share or customer reviews. It includes manufacturing ERP, MRP and production management platforms. Their features and suitability vary.
SAP Business One is an ERP solution that businesses can evaluate for integrated business management and manufacturing-related operations.
It can help manufacturers connect production-related activities with inventory, purchasing, sales and financial management.
Key features to evaluate:
Production orders.
Bill of Materials.
Inventory management.
Material planning.
Purchasing management.
Production costing.
Business reporting.
Financial management.
Suitable for: Small and medium-sized manufacturers requiring integrated ERP operations.
Odoo Manufacturing is part of the Odoo business management platform.
It provides manufacturing applications that businesses can evaluate for organising production orders, work centres, materials and inventory.
Key features to evaluate:
Manufacturing orders.
Bills of materials.
Work orders.
Work centre management.
Inventory integration.
Production planning.
Manufacturing reports.
Quality-related workflows.
Suitable for: Small and medium-sized manufacturing companies.
Epicor Kinetic is a manufacturing ERP platform for companies looking to coordinate production, inventory, purchasing and business operations.
Key features to evaluate:
Production planning.
Job management.
Production orders.
Material requirements.
Inventory management.
Purchasing.
Job costing.
Manufacturing reports.
Suitable for: Industrial equipment, metal fabrication and discrete manufacturing.
Infor CloudSuite Industrial is designed for industrial manufacturing businesses.
It can be evaluated for production planning, inventory control, purchasing and supply chain coordination.
Key features to evaluate:
Manufacturing planning.
Production order management.
Material planning.
Inventory visibility.
Supply chain management.
Purchasing.
Cost management.
Business analytics.
Suitable for: Industrial machinery, equipment and discrete manufacturing companies.
MRPeasy is a cloud-based manufacturing ERP and MRP solution aimed at smaller manufacturing businesses.
It can help manufacturers organise production orders and material requirements.
Key features to evaluate:
Production planning.
Manufacturing orders.
Material requirement planning.
Inventory management.
Purchasing.
Production scheduling.
Job tracking.
Manufacturing reports.
Suitable for: Small and growing manufacturing businesses.
Katana is a cloud-based inventory and manufacturing management platform.
It can be evaluated by businesses that want to connect production orders, stock information and purchasing activities.
Key features to evaluate:
Production order management.
Inventory visibility.
Material availability.
Manufacturing planning.
Purchasing workflows.
Order tracking.
Stock management.
Suitable for: Small manufacturers, product businesses and growing manufacturing brands.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management provides enterprise-level supply chain and manufacturing management capabilities.
Manufacturers can evaluate it for production planning, scheduling and coordination across business operations.
Key features to evaluate:
Master planning.
Production control.
Manufacturing scheduling.
Resource planning.
Inventory management.
Procurement.
Supply chain visibility.
Business analytics.
Suitable for: Medium-sized and large manufacturing enterprises.
Siemens Opcenter is a manufacturing operations management and MES product family.
It can be evaluated when a factory requires more detailed production execution and shop-floor coordination alongside its planning processes.
Key features and areas to evaluate:
Manufacturing execution.
Production operations.
Shop-floor visibility.
Production workflows.
Manufacturing data management.
Quality-related processes.
Industrial integration.
Suitable for: Large and complex manufacturing environments.
SAP Digital Manufacturing supports manufacturing execution and production operations.
It can be evaluated by manufacturers seeking to connect enterprise planning with factory-level activities.
Key features and areas to evaluate:
Production execution.
Manufacturing order visibility.
Production monitoring.
Manufacturing analytics.
Shop-floor coordination.
Process management.
Enterprise integration.
Suitable for: Large manufacturers with complex production environments.
BatchMaster ERP focuses on process manufacturing requirements.
It can be evaluated by businesses that need production planning involving formulas, recipes, batches and material consumption.
Key features to evaluate:
Formula management.
Batch production planning.
Material requirements.
Inventory management.
Production costing.
Quality-related workflows.
Manufacturing reporting.
Suitable for: Food, chemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other process manufacturers.
Production orders communicate what a factory needs to manufacture.
A production order may contain:
Order number.
Product name.
Production quantity.
Required completion date.
Raw material details.
Production instructions.
Current status.
A Bill of Materials lists the materials and components required to manufacture a finished product.
Example:
Material | Required quantity for 1 unit |
|---|---|
Steel sheet | 2 kg |
Plastic component | 1 unit |
Screws | 8 units |
Packaging box | 1 unit |
If the factory needs to manufacture 500 units, the software can help calculate the required material quantities based on the BOM.
MRP helps manufacturers determine how much material is required and when it needs to be purchased.
It considers:
Production demand.
Existing inventory.
BOM quantities.
Pending purchase orders.
Material lead times.
Safety stock, where configured.
Production scheduling helps managers decide the order and timing of manufacturing jobs.
Common scheduling approaches include:
Priority-based scheduling.
Forward scheduling.
Backward scheduling.
Job-shop scheduling.
Batch scheduling.
Finite-capacity scheduling.
Not every production planning system supports every scheduling method.
Inventory management helps manufacturers understand the availability of raw materials, components and finished products.
Important features include:
Stock availability.
Material receipts.
Material issues.
Stock transfers.
Reorder levels.
Warehouse tracking.
Work orders help production teams track manufacturing activities.
Managers can review:
Assigned production jobs.
Planned quantities.
Completed quantities.
Pending quantities.
Production status.
Target completion dates.
Manufacturers need to understand the cost of producing goods.
Production costing may consider:
Raw material cost.
Labour cost.
Machine cost.
Production overheads.
Wastage.
Packaging expenses.
A standard manufacturing production planning process follows these stages:
Step | Process | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
1 | Customer order | Understand demand |
2 | Demand planning | Calculate production requirements |
3 | BOM preparation | Identify required materials |
4 | Inventory checking | Verify material availability |
5 | MRP calculation | Identify material shortages |
6 | Production scheduling | Plan manufacturing activities |
7 | Work order creation | Assign production jobs |
8 | Production execution | Manufacture products |
9 | Quality inspection | Verify product quality |
10 | Finished goods | Update completed stock |
These terms are related but have different purposes.
Parameter | Production planning | Production scheduling | MRP |
|---|---|---|---|
Main purpose | Decide what and how much to produce | Decide when jobs will run | Calculate material requirements |
Focus | Overall production requirements | Timing and sequencing | Materials and purchasing |
Inputs | Demand and inventory | Orders and capacity | BOM, demand and stock |
Output | Production plan | Production schedule | Material purchase requirements |
A complete manufacturing ERP may combine all three functions.
Benefit | How it helps |
|---|---|
Better production control | Organises production activities |
Material availability | Identifies shortages earlier |
Reduced excess inventory | Supports planned purchasing |
Improved scheduling | Helps organise production jobs |
Better delivery planning | Tracks order deadlines |
Improved coordination | Connects departments |
Cost visibility | Helps analyse manufacturing expenses |
Production tracking | Shows completed and pending work |
Better reporting | Supports management decisions |
Business growth | Provides more organised workflows |
Production planning helps coordinate components, assembly stages and delivery requirements.
It helps plan fabric availability, cutting, stitching, finishing and order completion.
It supports material planning, mould allocation, machine scheduling and production quantities.
It helps organise batch requirements, material availability and controlled production workflows.
It supports ingredient planning, batch scheduling, recipes and production requirements.
It can help coordinate wood, hardware, cutting, assembly, finishing and dispatch.
It supports component availability, assembly planning, production stages and testing workflows.
It can help organise cutting, welding, machining, job orders and material consumption.
Before choosing software, manufacturers should evaluate their operational needs.
Selection checklist:
Does the system support multiple production stages?
Can it calculate raw material requirements?
Can managers track work orders?
Does it support production scheduling?
Can it compare planned and actual production?
Does it support batch or serial number tracking?
Can it manage multiple warehouses?
Does it integrate with accounting and billing?
Are custom workflows available?
What are the implementation and support costs?
Common problem | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
Raw material shortages | Use MRP and inventory visibility |
Excess stock | Improve demand and purchasing planning |
Delayed production | Monitor work orders and deadlines |
Poor coordination | Connect purchasing, stores and production |
Manual calculations | Use BOM-based material planning |
Unclear production status | Introduce production tracking |
High manufacturing costs | Review material and production costs |
Delivery delays | Improve production scheduling |
Inaccurate inventory | Maintain timely stock updates |
Poor reporting | Use centralised ERP reports |
Step 1: Analyse current production processes
Understand how customer orders become production orders and finished goods.
Step 2: Prepare product information
Create product codes, specifications, units and BOMs.
Step 3: Organise inventory records
Verify raw materials, components, finished goods and warehouse balances.
Step 4: Define production workflows
Document manufacturing stages, departments and responsibilities.
Step 5: Configure production planning
Set up production orders, material requirements and planning rules.
Step 6: Train employees
Train production managers, inventory teams, purchase departments and supervisors.
Step 7: Test with actual orders
Start with a limited number of products and production orders.
Step 8: Review performance
Compare planned quantities, actual output, material consumption and pending work.
Digify Soft Solutions provides manufacturing ERP software for companies looking to organise their business operations through a connected platform.
Manufacturers can explore Digify for inventory, purchase, sales, billing, accounting and production-related business workflows.
1. Inventory Management
Manage raw material and finished goods stock records.
2. Purchase Management
Organise purchasing transactions and supplier information.
3. Sales Management
Manage customer orders and sales-related business activities.
4. GST Billing and Invoicing
Manage billing and invoice workflows.
5. Accounting Management
Organise financial records and business transactions.
6. Production-Related Workflows
Discuss production orders, material requirements and workflow configuration with the Digify team.
7. Warehouse Management
Explore stock and warehouse-related operations.
8. Business Reporting
Review business information through management reports.
9. Customisation
Discuss specific manufacturing requirements and integrations.
Manage inventory, purchase, sales, billing and accounts with Digify Soft Solutions.
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Promotional price and current offer terms must be confirmed with the Digify team. Advanced finite-capacity scheduling, automatic machine connectivity and dedicated MES features should be checked separately.
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Q1. What is production planning software?
Production planning software helps manufacturers organise production orders, material requirements, manufacturing schedules and resources.
Q2. What is the best production planning software in India?
The best solution depends on the business size and manufacturing requirements. Options to evaluate include SAP Business One, Odoo Manufacturing, Epicor Kinetic, MRPeasy and other platforms listed above.
Q3. What is MRP in production planning?
MRP stands for Material Requirements Planning. It calculates the materials needed for manufacturing based on production demand, BOMs and inventory.
Q4. What is a Bill of Materials?
A BOM is a structured list of materials and components required to manufacture a product.
Q5. Can production planning software manage inventory?
Many manufacturing ERP and MRP solutions connect production planning with raw material, component and finished goods inventory.
Q6. Is production planning software suitable for small manufacturers?
Yes. Small factories can use production planning systems to organise material requirements, work orders and inventory.
Q7. What is the difference between ERP and production planning software?
ERP manages wider business activities, while production planning software focuses on manufacturing requirements. Many manufacturing ERP systems include production planning functions.
Q8. Can production planning software reduce material wastage?
It can help calculate material requirements and improve stock visibility. Actual wastage reduction depends on production processes and inventory accuracy.
Q9. Does production planning software support work orders?
Many manufacturing platforms support work order creation, assignment and status tracking.
Q10. Can production planning software manage multiple production units?
Some platforms support multiple factories, locations and warehouses. Confirm the relevant configuration and licensing.
Q11. What is capacity planning in manufacturing?
Capacity planning helps determine whether available machines, employees and working hours can meet planned production requirements.
Q12. How much does production planning software cost in India?
Pricing varies according to users, modules, customisation, integrations, implementation and support requirements.
Q13. What is the difference between production planning and production control?
Production planning decides what needs to be manufactured and when. Production control monitors and manages actual manufacturing activities.
Q14. Can manufacturing ERP integrate with MES?
Yes. ERP and MES can be integrated to exchange production orders, material information, production status and other operational data.
Production planning software helps manufacturing businesses organise raw materials, production orders, schedules, inventory and manufacturing workflows.
Whether you operate a textile factory, automobile parts unit, plastic manufacturing business, food processing plant or electronics production facility, the right system can improve coordination and production visibility.
Before selecting a solution, compare its production planning, MRP, inventory, work order, scheduling, reporting and integration capabilities.
Plan production smarter. Manage materials better. Improve manufacturing operations with the right software.