MRP Planning

This activity allows you to regenerate the MRP plan. You can run MRP in two modes:

• Regeneration: removes the existing plan and replans all items in the database. For large databases, this option may take a long time to complete; you should consider running it at night or at low-activity periods.
• Net Change: plans only those items to which you have done some type of processing that caused existing MRP information to become obsolete and would cause the system to recalculate MRP requirements. The system automatically sets the Net Change field on the Items form when activity has taken place that changes the requirements, on-hand, or receipts for that item.

NOTE: Running a net change is considerably faster than running a Regeneration when a relatively small subset of your items have the Net Change field selected. Regeneration would actually be faster if, for example, all or most of your items had the Net Change field selected.

If you change any of the following Planning Parameters, the system selects the Regeneration option automatically:

• Use CO or Forecast
• Check PO Requisitions
• Forecast Look Ahead/Look Behind
• PO Reschedule Tolerance
• Job Reschedule Tolerance
• Shrink Factor (Items form)
• Scrap Factor (Items form)
• Minimum Hours in Work Day
• MDAY Start/End
• 30-Day Bucket Fence
• 90-Day Bucket Fence

The system also selects the Regeneration option when you:

• Change the holidays on the Holidays form
• Change the default shift on the Scheduling Shifts form
• Change the Dedicated Inventory field on the Warehouses form
• Change the Transit Time on the Inter-Site Parameters form

Output of the Plan

MRP Planning generates exception messages and planned orders. Exception messages describe shortfalls and other discrepancies that occur when you run MRP Planning, allowing you to take corrective action. You can view exception messages on the Planning Detail form or Material Planner Workbench, or you can run the Exceptions Report to print the exception messages.

Planned orders represent MRP's suggestions of how you can manufacture or purchase the item to satisfy the requirements. You must examine each PLN and firm it into a real job order, purchase order, transfer order, etc. as you deem appropriate. Use the Material Planner Workbench or Order Action Report to help determine which planned orders to firm. You can view and firm planned orders on the Planning Detail form or on the Material Planner Workbench.

Forecasts

The forecast will not consider orders that are stopped, planned, or credit held, if the corresponding flags are deselected.  A forecast of 400 with an order of 50 that is stopped and the flag set to false will create a forecast plan of 400.  A forecast of 400 and an order of 50 that is stopped and the flag is set to true will have the customer order planned and 350 planned in the forecast the net planned will be equivalent.

APS alternate plans do not maintain this relationship. A forecast planned job will be created as defined by the production plan for use in the “What if Analysis”.  This has the potential, if the alternate planning parameters are set differently for a planned customer order and a forecast planned order, to duplicate the requirement, or not show any planned requirement in the alternate.  

Actions Menu

The Background Queue form is accessible from the Actions menu.

Related Topics

MRP Overview

Running MRP Planning

Troubleshooting MRP

Using Utilities and Activities

About Exception Messages

Background Task History

Exceptions Report

Order Action Report

Planning Detail

Planning Parameters