How Peccin moved from 3-day scheduling to a few hours and now decides through scenarios in minutes
Peccin grew fast. It went from 400 tons/month to over 2,000, multiplied lines, expanded its mix and raised operational complexity. The bottleneck, however, was no longer the factory: it had moved to planning, still based on spreadsheets and manual processes.
Highlight results
Indicators observed after structuring execution with Opcenter AS and deploying integrated planning with NPLAN.
The challenge
The scenario was typical of an operation that scaled volume, mix and complexity without evolving its decision model. Scheduling took up to 3 days, scenario generation was virtually nonexistent, and decisions were made without forward-looking impact visibility, fully dependent on spreadsheets.
Whenever something changed, the plan broke. Production changes had no forward impact assessment weeks ahead, material shortages triggered immediate reactions instead of planned responses, and new orders were accommodated without visibility into consequences. In practice, planning was being executed, not decided.
First, organize execution
Peccin did not start with tactical planning. It started on the factory floor. The Opcenter AS deployment structured real shop-floor sequencing, considering setup, capacity, allergens, mix and inter-process flow.
Scheduling time dropped from days to a single shift. More relevant than the time gain, however, was the elimination of a structural process error: before, the plan did not see real constraints; afterwards, the plan started respecting the factory.
Direct effects included eliminating rescheduling due to missing intermediate inputs, consistent sequencing across lines and processes, and full visibility of setup and the impact of every changeover.
Then, structure the decision with NPLAN
With execution organized, NPLAN was deployed. Peccin began connecting demand, inventory, capacity and materials in a single planning model, with extended horizon and continuous refresh. And, above all, it started to simulate.
Scenarios that previously took days to build and still delivered low reliability are now generated in minutes. The PCP team stopped operating spreadsheets and started comparing structured alternatives to choose the best decision, with integrated visibility of capacity, materials and inventory.
In five minutes we generate a scenario and compare several alternatives to decide.
Concrete gains
Operational speed
Scheduling dropped from 3 days to a few hours. Scenario simulation, previously unfeasible, now happens in minutes. The planning horizon, previously limited to weeks, was extended to months, with multiple simultaneous scenarios replacing a single weekly scenario with high preparation cost.
Scale without team growth
The operation multiplied volume and complexity: from 400 to over 2,000 tons/month, with three times more SKUs, more lines, more plants and more constraints. The PCP team kept the same size.
Elimination of structural error
Before, intermediate inputs ran short during execution, constant rescheduling was needed and the plan did not reflect factory reality. After structuring with Opcenter AS, critical input shortages due to scheduling errors no longer occurred.
Real replanning capability
Peccin now operates with a firm production horizon, weeks and months of forward visibility and structured replanning. When a line stops, the impact is recalculated forward. When the mix changes, the system shows the consequence on capacity and inventory.
Scenario-based decision
This is the central point. Decisions previously made in isolation are now compared. Instead of betting on a single plan, the team generates four or five scenarios, evaluates trade-offs and chooses the best path based on data.
Where the difference is most visible
The gain does not appear only in daily routine. It appears in hard decisions. When cocoa prices spiked sharply, Peccin did not react blindly: it simulated impacts on mix, raw material consumption, portfolio and supply contract extensions, comparing alternatives in minutes.
Decisions of this scale, previously unfeasible within a commercial window, are now structured, documented and supported by scenario analysis. The team effect was equally notable: PCP work shifted from mostly operational to mostly analytical.
Before NPLAN, our PCP team spent days building spreadsheets to plan a single week of production. Today, in just a few minutes, we generate complete scenarios that show the operational and financial impact of each decision: a line stop, a mix change or a cocoa price variation. We tripled volume and mix while keeping the same team, gaining speed, predictability and intelligence to decide based on data. Integrated planning became a true competitive advantage.
Before and after
Before
- Spreadsheets as the planning base
- Reactive decisions
- Low visibility
- One scenario per week
- High scheduling time (up to 3 days)
- Recurring structural error
After
- Integrated planning model
- Scenario-structured decisions
- Weeks and months of forward visibility
- Multiple simultaneous scenarios
- Scheduling in hours, simulation in minutes
- Execution consistent with the plan
The main takeaway
Peccin did not just improve planning. It changed the decision model. The operation moved from an effort-based process to a simulation-based process, sustaining the company's growth even amid continuously increasing complexity.
Video testimonial
Watch the Peccin team's direct account of the planning and decision-making transformation.
Want to transform planning in your operation?
Talk to the NPLAN team about ERP integration, scheduling with Opcenter AS and building a scenario-based S&OP process.