When it comes to planning and scheduling software, packaged applications are usually--but not always--your company's best option. That's according to Simon Bragg, a software analyst at ARC Advisory Group.
"There are many packaged applications available today for optimal planning and scheduling for supply chain, manufacturing and transportation," Bragg writes in a recent report. In most cases, he says, these applications provide adequate plans at the least cost. But in some cases, more expensive customized software is actually a better choice.
What are these special cases?
When multiple packaged applications (or multiple modules of the same application) would be necessary;
when you need considerable flexibility in evaluating alternative plans; when your company is part of a small industry; and when your goal is something other than maximizing profit/minimizing cost.
Source: Modern Materials Handling, http://www.mmh.com