As a result, a master scheduler can develop a realistic master production schedule that tells what products to manufacture, when to produce or purchase them, and in what quantities. The master schedule can be expressed using lot-sized orders for MRP items or orderless supply rates for JIT items.

Requirements Planning. This module plans the supply of components to meet demand. It operates in either a selective, net change, or a regenerative mode and is bucket less. It allows you to generate and maintain a simulated schedule, giving you the ability to perform "what if" analysis. It has an unlimited planning horizon and provides planners with timely exception/order action reports. For items designated for MRP production, it creates, changes, and deletes planned orders to meet demand. The orders can be planned using a variety of lot sizing techniques. For JIT items, it creates, changes, and deletes orderless supply rates to meet item demand. This rate planning technique better reflects repetitive JIT production and can be tailored to specific JIT environments with a variety of options.

Capacity Planning. In an MRP environment, this module provides load versus capacity information by summarizing time-phased load requirements by workcenter. This allows management to plan and monitor labor and machine requirements and adjust planned resource capacities.

Load information is based on the status of all orders in process or on planned production orders created in the Master Scheduling, Requirements Planning, and Inventory Control modules. Detail load reports and on-line graphic inquiries provide workcenter labor and machine load by item, order, operation, and time period. Over-capacity situations are highlighted. This information helps planners determine which orders to reschedule or reroute.

Materials Management Manufacturing companies share the need to monitor and replenish inventory levels with non-manufacturing companies. In addition, they must track inventory items through production and modify the production schedule to meet varying demand. The Just-in-Time module and the manufacturing functions in the Inventory Control module meet these needs.

In manufacturing environments, the Inventory Control module reacts automatically to changes in product design and component availability, as well as to changes in customer demand. In response to these changes, it adjusts the production schedule -- modifying production quantities and changing start and due dates of orders.

Just in Time. This module allows manufacturers to change production quantities and adjust JIT production rates. It supports on-line and load simulation for "what-if" analyses and mixed-model scheduling for manufacturing cells. Once the optimal production schedule has been developed, it can be firmed through to the date of a firm time fence. The other planning modules will not automatically reschedule production within the firm time fence; planner intervention is required. The firm time fence can be set globally, or at the item level.