Functions of Master Production Scheduling (MPS)

Master production scheduling (MPS) has become an essential component of current manufacturing operations. In manufacturing, the Master Production Schedule is a plan that indicates the demand for products in a given time period.Typically, the Master Production Schedule is generated by softwares and only requires some manual adjustments to meet company goals. The MPS takes in a lot of information on actual and forecasted demands, inventory, production lead time, and resource capacity.

The output provides information about the amount of items that need to be produced, the quantities available to promise, the resource capacity required to meet demands, and other information that can be used to create a Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) schedule. 

Overall, the Master Production Scheduling software pertains mainly to planning, inventory, and other production control requirements. 

The main goal of the Master Production Schedule is to save time managing all aspects of the production flow by providing all of the information necessary so that you can fulfill all of your customer orders and demands. This includes knowing what needs to be produced based on demands as well as when these items should be produced based on need dates and capacity/material availability. 

Before implementing a master production scheduling system, it is important to analyze the main functions of the system that aid production.

Main Functions of Master Production Scheduling

These functions include the following:

• Translating Plans  - This portion of master production scheduling determines the level of operations that balance market demand with material, labor, and equipment capabilities. This is because the master schedule translates the plan into a specific number of items that are needed to be produced within a given time.
• Evaluating Alternative Schedules - The master schedule produces trial and error schedules that give production alternate routes to follow. This accounts for any unexpected mishaps within production to be taken care off immediately.
• Produce Capacity Requirements  - This software aids capacity planning through establishing capacity requirements. Capacity requirements are directly received through master production scheduling and therefore correlate with capacity planning. This is an important component of planning and scheduling as capacity constraints will affect the output of production.
• Facilitating Information Processing  - The master schedule determines whenever deliveries are needed to be made. This coordinates with various management information systems such as marketing, finance, and others.
• Utilization of Capacity  - Master production scheduling software establishes load and utilization requirements for machines and equipment. This allows for the absolute best capacity utilization and a much more efficient flow of production.

Manufacturing facilities big and small can benefit from a Master Production Schedule. The MPS helps to avoid material and item shortages, allows for the efficient and optimized allocation of resources, and accounts for demand fluctuation.

Arguably, the biggest advantage of MPS is the improvement of efficiency within the manufacturing organization. This is because MPS oversees production and accommodates for any swift changes in scheduling and production to avoid any wasted production. 

One of the most popular forms of master production scheduling software is PlanetTogether’s advanced planning and scheduling software (APS).

Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software

Advanced Planning and Scheduling Softwares have become a must for modern-day manufacturing operations as customer demand for increased product assortment, fast delivery, and downward cost pressures become prevalent. 

These systems help planners save time while providing greater agility in updating ever-changing priorities, production schedules, and inventory plans. 

APS Systems can be quickly integrated with an ERP/MRP software to fill the gaps where these systems lack planning and scheduling flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency.

With PlanetTogether APS you can:

• Create optimized schedules that balance production efficiency and delivery performance
• Maximize throughput on bottleneck resources to increase revenue
• Synchronize supply with demand to reduce inventories
• Provide company-wide visibility to resource capacity
• Enable scenario data-driven decision making

The implementation of an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software will take your manufacturing operations to the next level of production efficiency by taking advantage of the operational data you already possess in your ERP system. 

APS is a step in the right direction of efficiency and lean manufacturing production enhancement. Try out a free trial or demo!