Having the MRP system drive the material requirements is
why a company buys the system! It is a culture change for companies to accept
the new way of "doing business". I've had presidents of companies tell me "I'm
not going to have any system tell me what I need!". Fact is, if you don't have
top management commitment for this project it's in for a long haul and almost
surly doomed to failure!
Having senior management committed to the project is
paramount to the success of any MRP implementation or re-implementation. Senior
level education is required so they understand what is required and more
important, commit the resources.
There is no magic to making an MRP system work and
yield the benefits expected. Most companies work pretty much the same way. They
get customer orders, buy material, assemble the components then sell them. When
a company get large enough to automate the ordering process a lot of things need
to be addressed prior to "turning on the switch".In general, MRP systems are usually far ahead of the
education and training of the people who are assigned to install and use them.
In fact, there can be so many problems with the installation that people even
question if the tool would work for the average company.
Implementation of an MRP system
isn't a matter of just loading a few discs and using the system.
The company using an MRP system should have procedures
in place to perform as expected. The MRP system only knows two things,
part numbers and dates.
If their is an order for a part and it doesn't have any on-hand the system
will generate a manufacturing planned order to build one and have it ready on a certain
date. Master Scheduled parts are considered firm orders.
The system will then look through the bill of materials and calculate
component
requirements from the bill. It will again review inventories and generate
purchasing planned orders for the parts needed and specify the due date for
receipt. Again it's part numbers and dates!
There are three absolute requirements for any MRP system to function
correctly. They are:
- Accurate inventory quantities
- Correct bill of materials and
- Realistic customer or Master Schedule due dates
If the inventory is not correct the system will either not order what is
needed or order too much. If the bill of materials is incorrect the same
scenario will apply. If items are missing the MRP system doesn't know to order.
The third items is having realistic dates ship dates.
If you add up all the lead times required to purchase the material, assemble
and test the part and package for shipment you have the overall lead time
assuming no material in house. If ship date are constantly too short, purchasing
is scrambling and expediting orders, the shop floor is constantly changing
priorities and QC is pressured to test and "ship it".
Once the decision has been made to start using an MRP
system many things need to happen to get ready. We recommend an MRP audit that
will yield a "state-of-union" of the current operation. The Audit will establish a
bench mark for future planning. Next is the readiness assessment and estimates
of resources and manpower requirements. Once done the entire plan must be
presented to top management for approve of the financial cost,
manpower requirements and schedule for this worth while project. All this while
still putting product out the door!
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for more information on MRP implementation.To inquire about
MRP driven requirements please
contact us at:
Phone: 727 642-4677
E-mail:
MRP_driven_requirements@mfgsysgroup.com
Fax: 352 270-8979
