Re: MRP/VPi in a Seasonal Business

With MRP, it's difficult to handle seasonality that exceeds capacity. Since
MRP is an infinite planner, it will simply net available inventory against
the forecast and generate an un-achievable schedule. The obvious 'fix' is to
spread the forecast out to level the load but as soon as you build the extra
inventory, the system will net it out against future forecasts and reduce
the production plan going forward. You have to 'hide' the inventory, by
putting it in another warehouse, for example.



In MPSP, you can directly enter / manipulate the master schedule,
essentially short-circuiting this netting logic. You tell it what to build
and when and that's what it will do. This is also an infinite scheduler so
it won't spread the load for you based on capacity limits. You spread the
work by spreading the master schedule.









message: 1

date: Fri, 7 Jun 2013 11:57:06 -0500

from: "Marc Rohde" <marc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

subject: [MAPICS-L] MRP/VPi in a Seasonal Business



When you have seasonality that outpaces your capacity what are some of the
best approaches to ensuring that MRP/VPi will recommend an appropriate start
date for production based on the forecasted demand? We want to build up to a
peak of the season and then let inventory diminish after the peak.





Dave Turbide, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, CMfgE

Production Solutions

(603) 964-6903



www.daveturbide.com