MR-F  Generate Material Requirements

Purpose of Program

Use this program to generate the material requirements down through all levels of the bills of material, and to produce suggested work orders and purchase orders and to issue expedite and delay messages on existing orders.? MRP can be generated for all inventory locations or a group of locations can be selected, excluding others.

The program begins by identifying existing material requirements needed by sales orders, forecasts, and work order bills of material.  It then compares requirements with existing work orders, purchase orders, and inventory.  Wherever shortages are encountered, work orders and purchase orders are suggested (referred to as Planned orders).  Wherever finish dates and expected receiving dates are to be moved up or moved back, expedite and delay messages are issued.

As work orders get suggested, new requirements are created by the planned work orders’ bills of material.  Again, work orders and purchase orders are suggested.  This process continues down through all levels of the bills of material.

After the material requirements are generated, you can then use the remaining Material Requirements programs: MR-G, Print Material Requirements, MR-H, Print Order Action, MR-I, Generate Work Orders, MR-J, Generate Purchase Orders, and MR-K, Generate RFQ's.

The frequency of running this program depends on how often requirements change.  Some companies run it every day, some once a week.  The program does a complete generation from scratch each time and can take hours to complete, so it is best run during off hours.

To limit the program to necessary requirements, you can optionally exclude forecasts, sales orders, and scheduled work orders (S types) from the generation, and you can limit the generation up through a particular estimated ship date.  Limiting the MRP generation can significantly reduce the run time of the program.

General Program Operation

Indicate whether forecasts are to be included in the MRP generation.

Next, Indicate whether sales orders are to be included in the MRP generation.  If so, you can limit the range of sales orders to be included by entering an estimated ship date that limits the MRP generation to sales order requirements up through that date.

Indicate whether scheduled (S-type) work orders are to be included in the MRP generation.

You can then specify which inventory types are to be included.  Types R, F, A, and M are always included, but you can optionally include or exclude types N (non-stock), L (labor), or T (outside processing).

Next, select location(s) to be included and click Go or press F10 to begin.

You are then asked if you want to begin the MRP generation.  Enter a Y and the MRP generation will begin.  This program can take hours to run, so it is best run during off hours.  You can stop the MRP generation at any time by pressing <Esc> (or clicking on the Exit button).

You will see the following messages as each phase of the program is run: "please wait while the MRP files are initialized", "please wait while the MRP flags are reset", "please wait while the sales orders are searched", "please wait while the purchase orders are searched", "please wait while the work orders are searched", "please wait while the work orders bills of materials are searched", "please wait while the forecasts are searched", "please wait while the MRP is generated."  When the program is completed you are returned to the Material Requirements menu.

Shortening MRP Generation Time

If you have not set up any reorder levels or reorder amounts on your inventory items, many more MRP records will be created as the program responds to each individual requirement.  This would be o.k. for a job shop that purchases material to each order, but for a make-to-inventory company this is not advisable.  Establishing reorder levels and reorder amounts will reduce the number of MRP records and will shorten generation time.;