TABLE OF CONTENTS Best proof of being able to handle your problem: similar plant using the tool for several years and you get to see the scheduler use it under a stress condition.
It will likely take a year in the best cases to get a system and get it fully functional regardless of what people say.
NEVER let people who do not know what really happens in production control specify or buy the system, even if they think they know. They can be part of team, but they should not have the final say.
Buy standard, buy and tailor, buy and do a little customization, a lot of customization, totally custom. Those are your choices. Start with the simplest option and see if it works. Go for the standard if possible and avoid custom unless you have no other option.
Implement a system on a limited scope as a pilot. Try one line and a few products before trying to scale up. Then iteratively scale up.
