Siemens announced on June 3 that it would purchase UK-based Preactor, a privately held supplier of advanced planning and scheduling (APS) software, expanding Siemens’ portfolio of manufacturing operations management (MOM) offerings.

According to a post by LNS Research, there were several key drivers behind the acquisition. For one, adding APS software is a natural extension of Siemens’ MOM portfolio, as it bridges the gap of real-time plant scheduling and dispatching within manufacturing operations.

APS will also help create a more holistic perspective on decisions made across the supply chain by bridging gaps between Siemens’ product lifecycle management, enterprise quality management and manufacturing execution system software products.

Siemens plans to begin building Preactor APS into its MOM products, ensuring compatibility with current versions and future upgrades. Ultimately, the company hopes to benefit customers by providing better scheduling and coordination of long-term ERP scheduling. It will also seek to leverage Preactor’s existing partnerships by offering complementary software technologies.

LNS Research says most APS firms have already been purchased by MOM and ERP providers, and the move could prompt Siemens’ competitors to further enhance APS capabilities.