Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Closed-Loop MRP — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what Closed-Loop MRP is, how it adds feedback to material planning, a practical example, and why closed-loop systems improve scheduling accuracy.
Continuous Improvement: The Engine of Lean Manufacturing
Learn what continuous improvement means in manufacturing — an ongoing effort to improve products, processes, and services through incremental and breakthrough changes.
Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP) — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what Capacity Requirements Planning (CRP) is, how CRP validates MRP output against real capacity, a worked example, and why CRP prevents overloaded schedules.
Demand-Driven MRP (DDMRP) — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what Demand-Driven MRP (DDMRP) is, how it differs from traditional MRP with strategic buffers, a practical example, and why DDMRP reduces the bullwhip effect.
Dependent Demand — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what dependent demand is in manufacturing, how it differs from independent demand, a worked example with numbers, and why it drives MRP calculations.
Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is, the EOQ formula with a worked example, when to use EOQ in manufacturing, and how it relates to MRP lot sizing.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is, how ERP systems work in manufacturing, a practical example, and why ERP needs dedicated scheduling software.
Firm Planned Order — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what a firm planned order is in MRP, how it locks orders against automatic replanning, a practical example, and why planners use firm planned orders to stabilize schedules.
Flow Production: Continuous Movement Through Manufacturing
Learn what flow production means in manufacturing — a production strategy where products move continuously through operations with minimal waiting or batching.
Gemba: Go to Where the Work Happens
Learn what Gemba means in lean manufacturing — the practice of going to the shop floor to observe processes firsthand and identify improvement opportunities.
Gross Requirements — Manufacturing Glossary
Learn what gross requirements are in MRP, how they are calculated from BOM explosion, a worked example with numbers, and the difference between gross and net requirements.
Heijunka: Production Leveling for Smoother Scheduling
Learn what Heijunka means in lean manufacturing — the production leveling technique that smooths volume and mix to reduce waste and improve flow.