MRP Systems - Materials Resource Planning Systems

Generally speaking, MRP and ERP software is best suited to a disciplined company or one that will limit the number of people with access to the database. An excellent tool when used properly, the MRP database can become corrupted easily with improper data input. If left undetected, the corruption becomes exponential. Correcting a corrupted database can take considerable time and effort. MES software is generally for large manufacturing operations that require quick response to a high speed manufacturing process where an undetected error may produce hundreds of defects in just a few minutes.

Lean manufacturing plants usually wind up using the MRP system for supplier ordering more than production scheduling. This is because using a Kanban system will make the MRP tracking redundant, therefore, during a kaizen blitz, it is seen as waste an is eliminated from the scheduling duties.

MRP systems, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) software are wonderful tools to use to coordinate your sales, purchasing, production and shipping activities. The MRP system's standard elements are focused on the material purchasing, raw materials inventory, bills of materials, production scheduling, payroll, warehousing and shipping. The expansion to ERP systems adds the full accounting packages (accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, etc.) plus sales order system. MES software is a larger version of the MRP software were the data bank will hold statistics on machine and personnel utilization, have work and quality standards, cycle times, rework stats, etc. It is basically used to follow Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in real time.