Materialbedarfsmanagement

Materialbedarfsmanagement, often translated as Material Requirements Planning (MRP), is a planning and inventory control system used by manufacturing and production companies. Its primary purpose is to ensure that the right materials are available in the right quantities at the right time for production. MRP systems consider the production schedule, bills of material (BOMs), and current inventory levels to calculate what raw materials, components, and subassemblies are needed and when.

The core of MRP involves taking a master production schedule (MPS) for finished goods and breaking it down into requirements for lower-level items. A bill of materials details the specific components and quantities required to produce a finished product. By "exploding" the BOM for each item on the MPS, the system determines the gross material requirements. Then, on-hand inventory and scheduled receipts are subtracted to determine the net requirements. Finally, lead times are factored in to calculate when orders for materials need to be placed to meet production deadlines.

Effective material requirements planning helps minimize inventory holding costs by preventing overstocking, reduces stockouts that can disrupt production, and improves overall operational efficiency. It provides visibility into future material needs, allowing for better purchasing decisions and supplier management. While early MRP systems were manual or relied on basic computer programs, modern MRP systems are often integrated into Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, offering more comprehensive control over the entire production process.