Horizon is an advanced planning and scheduling system that enables complex supply chains to be modelled, planned and scheduled simply and efficiently. The software combines manual and automated scheduling mechanisms guided by customisable business rules in the Horizon Rules Engine.

Horizon contains tools for automatic schedule construction, schedule visualisation, multiple planning periods, constraint planning, material blending, “what if” scenarios and rules based schedule validation.

Horizon provides you with enhanced decision support through optimising your planning and scheduling capabilities. The system can be configured to represent a variety of processes in your supply chain for true end to end planning and scheduling, from the pit through to management of the Port and delivery to the customer.

Flexible and ModularHorizon can be implemented to plan a whole supply chain or on a module-by-module basis. Modules within Horizon include:

• shipping/voyages/vessel loading/berth scheduling

• stockyard/inventory management

• task and equipment optimisation

• transportation management (rail, truck, barge, conveyor etc)

• process plant scheduling (wash plant, crusher, OBP etc)

• resource scheduling (tugs, pilots, helicopters, crews, mobile crushers)

• capacity planning

• maintenance/outage planning

• web based reporting engine

Product Features• Real time, heuristics based solver – the system generates

plans and schedules quickly, incorporating similar technology to an internet search engine.

• Highly Visual Workbench – rich computer graphics represent tasks, resources, assignments, constraint violations and critical indicators.

• Highly Interactive Workbench – easily select, view, move, size, delete and create elements associated with a schedule/plan.

• Contextual Information – the system incorporates all of the immediate scheduling elements required to make effective decisions and also provides rapid access to related information.

• Manual, Automated and Partial Schedules – provides full support for manual construction of schedules, automated construction of schedules or combinations of both.

• KPI Based Schedules – Automated schedule generation is driven by user specified key performance indicators (KPI) and supports schedule optimisation based on a weighted combination of KPI’s.

• Multiple Planning Horizons – In the near term, schedule to the hour or minute, over the longer term, plan daily, weekly, monthly or annually.

• External Business Rules – All constraints, preferences and business rules are represented and managed externally by the Horizon Rules Engine enabling reuse in other applications.

• Flexible and configurable – Horizon is adaptable to your specific needs and can be customised for your unique supply chain.

• Seamless integration – Integrate to third party systems via web services as well as to QMASTOR’s PortVu and Pit to Port products

Optimise your bulk material supply chain with the click of a button.

HorizonTM

The Bulk Commodity Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) System

T H E O N LY I N D U S T R Y S P E C I F I C A P S S O L U T I O N F O R M I N E S , P L A N T S & B U L K T E R M I N A L S

Business BenefitsSupply Chain Planning and Execution• Graphical visualisation ensures the business has a clear,

overall view of current & proposed plans and schedules

• Automation of constraint and preference checking ensures schedules are consistent & valid

• “What if” scenarios allow users to respond to real time scheduling problems and maximise KPI’s

• Schedules can be built & maintained manually, automatically or using a combination of both

• Automated schedule generation is driven by KPI based scoring techniques allowing desired business outcomes to drive schedule construction

• Visual indication of relationships between supply chain elements allows the scheduler to better understand and navigate dependencies

• Generate & compare multiple schedules based on alternate KPI driven strategies

• Context sensitive display shows the planner information appropriate to their current task

• Schedule across multiple time and planning horizons, produce short, medium and long term plans in the one system.

• Open ended view of supply chain allows users to focus on individual parts of the supply chain in any order

• Multi-user environment allows planners to see changes to the plan made by other planners instantaneously. Horizon allows for the partitioning of responsibility to different planning and scheduling roles all working simultaneously and collaboratively

• Seamless integration with external systems enables automation of data population and reduces manual data entry errors.

For the Business• Schedules and Plans are adaptable & can be readily

changed to meet changing business conditions

• Business rules are maintained using the Horizon Rules Engine, allowing them to be rapidly modified in response to changing business demands-

• Single repository of planning and scheduling data and logic ensures sure your employees are seeing the most up to date information

• Business rules are represented visually allowing easy understanding and verification by non technical staff

• Increased ability to predict material qualities & react to changes in predicted material qualities

The Bottom line

• Optimise materials and resources to save time and money• Produce complex schedules in near real time• Solve capacity, inventory, equipment and logistical issues before they occur• Optimise inventories and minimise safety stocks• Achieve on-specification deliveries by optimising grade• Improve on time performance• Produce schedules that are driven by KPI based outcomes• Increase overall operational productivity• Provide planning visibility across the whole organisation

Can you afford not to optimise your supply chain planning horizons?

QMASTOR – Newcastle OfficeSuite D, Level 4, 251 Wharf Road, Newcastle NSW 2300PO Box 495, Newcastle NSW 2300

Phone +61 (2) 4908 2222