MRP · part of Production & Supply

MRP Software Find the shortage before the job reaches the machine.

Run MRP for a plant against customer orders, forecasts and safety stock. YourBrand nets your stock and open orders, explodes the BOM level by level, and proposes what to make, buy or subcontract, with start and order dates worked back from the need date.

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The basics

What is MRP software?

MRP, material requirements planning, works out what material you need, how much and by when. It takes demand from customer orders and forecasts, subtracts stock and open supply, explodes each bill of materials level by level, and turns what is still short into planned make and buy orders, dated back from the day the material is needed.

Without it, a planner walks the BOM by hand in a spreadsheet, one order at a time. Shared components get counted twice or not at all, purchase requests go out late because nobody subtracted the supplier lead time, and the first sign of trouble is a machine standing idle waiting for castings.

Features

An MRP system built on how SAP plans material

Planning settings follow SAP's concepts, and every label shows a readable name with the SAP code beside it, such as Make (E) or Make to order (20).

Material requirements planning per plant

Run planning for a whole plant, or for one part and everything below it. Parts are planned by BOM level, so every component sees the full demand from its parents before it is netted, and firmed proposals survive a rerun.

Planning data on every part

Set material type, procurement type, MRP type, lot size, safety stock, reorder point and lead times per part and plant. Lot-for-lot, fixed lot and replenish to maximum are all supported, with minimum lot and rounding.

Make to order and make to stock

Choose a planning strategy per part: make to stock, make to order, planning with final assembly or planning at assembly level. Monthly forecasts can be keyed in or imported from Excel, and customer orders consume them in the same month.

Proposals a planner converts

The run proposes and never orders. Planners firm, edit or delete proposals, then convert make proposals into draft manufacturing orders and buy proposals into draft purchase requirements, with the preferred supplier filled in.

Stock and requirements view

For any part, see stock, demand, supply and proposals in date order with the running available quantity. Exception messages flag a start date in the past, supply that should be pulled in or pushed out, and excess supply.

Subcontracting and phantom assemblies

Subcontracted parts get their own proposal type, which converts to a subcontract purchase requirement carrying the components you send. Phantom assemblies are exploded straight through, so their components get the demand.

Connected

MRP doesn't live alone

The run counts stock from Inventory, open manufacturing orders, open purchase orders and unordered purchase requirements as supply, including requirements raised from material shortages, so nothing is ordered twice. Converted proposals land as drafts in the Manufacturing Execution System and Purchase.

Standards and industries

MRP software for manufacturing plants in automotive and aerospace

IndustryStandardWhat you get
AutomotiveIATF 16949Material planned from customer orders and forecasts, with every proposal pegged to the demand it covers
Aerospace and defenceAS9100Make to order planning, with supply and stock kept for the customer order line it was built for
General manufacturingISO 9001Planned material requirements and a recorded path from each proposal to the order it became
FAQ

MRP questions people ask

Still unsure? Ask our team.

What is MRP in manufacturing?

In a factory, MRP is the calculation that turns what you have to ship into what you have to make and buy. It looks at every BOM level, takes off stock and orders already open, and leaves a list of planned orders with quantities and dates.

How does an MRP run work?

The run collects demand from open customer order lines, forecasts, safety stock and the components of planned and open manufacturing orders. It nets that against stock and open supply, applies the lot size, and back-plans each proposal: make proposals start the in-house days before need, and buy proposals are ordered the supplier lead time before need.

What is the difference between MRP and ERP?

MRP is one function: planning material. ERP is the wider system that also runs sales, purchasing, inventory and finance. YourBrand has MRP as its own product, and it works with the sales, purchase, inventory and manufacturing products in the same suite.

What is the difference between MRP and MRP II?

MRP plans material only. MRP II, manufacturing resource planning, adds machine and labour capacity. In YourBrand, the MRP run plans material with lead times, and capacity is handled when you schedule each manufacturing order onto workstations in the Manufacturing Execution System.

Does MRP create purchase orders automatically?

No. The run only creates proposals. A planner reviews them and converts buy proposals into draft purchase requirements, which purchasing then releases and orders as usual. This keeps a person in charge of every order that goes to a supplier.

Can we plan make to order and make to stock parts together?

Yes. The strategy is set per part and plant. Make to order parts are planned per customer order line and only use stock built for that line. Make to stock parts are planned from forecasts and use free stock.

Can we start with only a few parts?

Yes. Any part set to No planning (ND) is skipped by the run. Switch planning on part by part, check the proposals, and widen it when you trust the settings.

Run your first MRP on real orders and real stock

We walk through it with your own parts and documents. It takes about 30 minutes.

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Related: Production and supply suiteManufacturing execution systemPurchase order softwareAutomotiveIATF 16949