Columbus McKinnon Expands Deployment of APS-System by INFORM in Mexico and the USA
Feb 6, 2025
The Columbus McKinnon Corporation, a global leader in intelligent motion solutions, is expanding its implementation of the AI-powered Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system FELIOS. Developed by the German-based software company INFORM, the system is being implemented at Columbus McKinnon’s newest facility in Monterrey, Mexico. Columbus McKinnon had previously successfully implemented FELIOS at two German locations, Kissing and Künzelsau.
"FELIOS plans and maps cross-plant material movements, further integrating the locations." Jörg Hartlief, Head of Technical Sales at INFORM (Image source: INFORM GmbH).
Columbus McKinnon is among the few manufacturers worldwide capable of offering fully integrated systems for lifting, pulling, securing, and transporting materials tailored to the specific needs of various industries. The company plans to implement the APS system at its facility in Mexico. This site consolidates part of the component manufacturing for the U.S. market and supplies international locations for further processing. INFORM and Columbus McKinnon are currently finalizing the data integration into its SAP system. Additionally, the production planning software will soon be rolled out at two additional locations in the USA.
strengthening collaboration between locations
Since the beginning of the year, the AI-powered APS system FELIOS has been supporting transparent production planning for the Pfaff-silberblau brand in Kissing and STAHL CraneSystems in Künzelsau. FELIOS was already familiar at the Kissing site; Columbus McKinnon had successfully implemented the software in 2011 but later reverted to planning without the APS system due to restructuring. Thanks to its decision-intelligent algorithms, the APS system was quickly brought back online and now optimizes production at STAHL CraneSystems using AI and Operations Research.
Both sites utilize the FELIOS modules for production planning and control, shift and workforce scheduling, and a data warehouse for in-depth data analysis. These modules, as integral components, ensure comprehensive data availability and transparency.
“FELIOS can map inter-plant material movements within the planning process, further enhancing collaboration between locations”, said Jörg Hartlief, Head of Technical Sales at INFORM. “Together, the sites benefit from an integrated planning process chain and intelligent capacity planning, enabling seamless and efficient production.”
Valeska Seyer, Director of Global Systems at Columbus McKinnon, added: “Over time, it became clear that an ERP system alone was no longer sufficient for production planning. Without the APS system, we suddenly lost a significant level of transparency and reliability. The coordination and planning effort across nearly all areas became noticeably more complex and time-consuming. Once you’ve experienced FELIOS, you don’t want to plan without the advantages of a good APS system. The optimization software left a lasting positive impression within the company, which is why we successfully revived it and rolled it out globally.”