Design & implementation of a bespoke MRPII system for a small and medium enterprise (SME) manufacturing company

Abstract

Due to significant challenges and increase in competition within the global environment, manufacturing companies need to focus on Manufacturing Planning and Control (MPC) systems in order to gain a competitive edge. This research paper describes a contribution towards the design and implementation of a bespoke MRP II system for a SME company dealing in tool reclamation. The paper covers the investigation of currently available MRP II systems and also investigates the present MPC system of the concerned SME company. On the basis of these investigations, a new/bespoke design has been proposed and developed for an MRP II system that is tailor-made for the aforementioned company. The newly designed MRP II system has been developed (using MS Access and Visual Basic for Application i.e. VBA) as a database planning tool of MPC system and contains the critical modules Demand Management (DM), Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP), Master Production Scheduling (MPS), Material Requirements Planning (MRP), and Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP). The bespoke MRP II system has been tested within the real manufacturing environment existing in the SME company with positive results. The key outcome of the research has shown that even small SME’s can design and implement their own MRPII system, which is particular and relevant to their own special manufacturing environment, using a minimal of time, software and financial resources.