Master Production Schedule (MPS) Software
A master production schedule says what you will build, how much and when, over the next weeks and months. Master production schedule software turns demand into that plan, tests it against the capacity you actually have, and hands the result to MRP so purchasing buys for production that can really happen. Plan on infinite capacity instead and every number downstream inherits the error.
EDGEBIC (RMDB 2.0) by User Solutions builds the master schedule to finite capacity, levels the load, and drives MRP from it. Horizons of six months to two years, what-if scenarios before you commit, one-time license from $25,000.
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Why Most Master Schedules Do Not Survive Contact
Most master production schedules are built on infinite capacity assumptions, which turns the production plan into a wish list. The schedule looks complete, MRP dutifully raises purchase orders against it, and then the plant discovers in week three that the hours were never there. The symptoms are consistent:
- The master schedule assumes capacity the plant does not have
- MRP orders material for production that cannot run on that date
- Capacity bottlenecks surface only once production is behind
- The real master schedule is a spreadsheet one person maintains
- New demand cannot be evaluated against existing commitments
- Some areas run overtime while others sit idle in the same week
Three Ways to Build a Master Production Schedule
What separates them is not the horizon or the report pack. It is whether the plan was ever tested against real capacity before MRP was allowed to act on it.
| Spreadsheet MPS | ERP MPS module | EDGEBIC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity check | None, or a rough hours total | Rough-cut at best, usually infinite capacity | Finite: machines, labor, materials and tooling |
| What the plan is tested against | Last quarter plus judgement | Fixed lead times per item | Real remaining capacity, period by period |
| Taking on new demand | Rebuild and hope | Rerun the regen and read the exceptions | What-if scenario in memory, compared with the live plan |
| Handoff to MRP | Re-keyed by hand | Automatic, from an unfeasible plan | Automatic, from a capacity-feasible plan, material pegged |
| Horizon | Whatever the sheet covers | Usually the ERP planning horizon | 6 months to 2 years (Nimitz: 2-year dry dock cycles) |
| Level loading | Manual smoothing | Rarely | Level loads resources and names the bottleneck |
| Pricing | Free | Included in the ERP | $25,000 APS, $35,000 Complete with MRP, one time |
RMDB and EDGEBIC: Master Scheduling on Finite Capacity
RMDB generates master production schedules that respect real constraints. An operation is scheduled only when machines, labor, materials and tooling are available, so the master plan is something the plant can execute: accurate MRP, promise dates that hold, and level resource loading instead of alternating overtime and idle time. EDGEBIC keeps that engine and adds the optimizer and the what-if workbench around it.
- Finite capacity master scheduling across every resource type
- Planning horizons from 6 months to 2 years and beyond
- Schedule optimization with configurable priority rules
- Resource level loading to balance work centers across periods
- What-if scenarios to evaluate new demand before committing
- MRP driven by an achievable production plan, with material pegging
- Bottleneck identification before delivery is affected
- Gantt and resource views of the whole horizon
- Forward scheduling from today or reverse from due dates
- Re-plan as orders, capacity and actuals change
From Demand to Material: Where the MPS Sits
Demand becomes a master schedule, the master schedule becomes a material plan, and the material plan becomes purchase orders and work orders. EDGEBIC Complete runs the whole chain on one model, which is why the material plan stops contradicting the capacity plan.
- 01Demand. Firm orders and forecasts come in from your ERP, Excel or CSV.
- 02Master production schedule. Planned output by item and period, tested against finite capacity and leveled.
- 03MRP. Requirements exploded through the bill of materials from the approved master schedule, with material pegged to the demand it serves.
- 04Execution. Operations sequenced on the planning board, actuals captured at the kiosk, the plan re-planned against them.
Deeper on each piece: what an MPS is and how to build one, MRP in EDGEBIC, MRP compared with APS and finite capacity scheduling.
Labor planned several months ahead across 33 locations, on one master schedule
Cummins Engine
A six-month labor horizon is only credible if the plan behind it knows what each site can really do. Cummins uses RMDB to hold that horizon across 33 US locations, with labor as a planned constraint rather than an assumption.
The result is a master schedule that purchasing, HR and the plants can all work from, and customer commitments that reflect capacity months before the week arrives.
They enable the user to quickly generate various 'what-if' plans for feasible and efficient master scheduling, all without disrupting the current system.
Master Production Schedule Results
- Master production plan with realistic labor and capacity forecastsTechnical Glass Products
- 6 months
- Scheduling horizon for dry dock cycles and maintenance planningUSS Nimitz
- 2 years
- From raw ERP data to a complete optimized master schedulePlastilite Corporation
- 5 days
- Master schedules with a 6-month labor planning horizonCummins Engine
- 33 sites
EDGEBIC Pricing: Published, One-Time
Two editions of EDGEBIC by User Solutions, both perpetual licenses with updates included and no per-seat annual fee. EDGEBIC is an installed Windows application, not a subscription service. See EDGEBIC pricing and editions or how this compares with the market.
| Edition | What it includes | One-time license |
|---|---|---|
| EDGEBIC APS | Finite capacity scheduling and optimization: graphical routing designer, forward and backward scheduling, Theory of Constraints anchoring, parallel work centers, sequence-dependent setup, lot streaming, operator skills, and a two-layer schedule optimizer. | $25,000 |
| EDGEBIC Complete | Everything in EDGEBIC APS plus MRP, inventory, purchasing and material pegging, so material availability constrains the schedule alongside machines and labor. | $35,000 |
Works Alongside Your ERP
Your ERP stays the system of record. Demand, items, bills of materials and work centers come into EDGEBIC from Excel, CSV or database tables; the approved master schedule and its material requirements go back out. No middleware and no custom API project. Step-by-step integration guides:
- EDGEBIC with SAP
- EDGEBIC with Epicor
- EDGEBIC with NetSuite
- EDGEBIC with Microsoft Dynamics
- EDGEBIC with QuickBooks
- EDGEBIC with Sage
- EDGEBIC with JobBOSS
- EDGEBIC with Infor
- EDGEBIC with Acumatica
- EDGEBIC with Odoo
- EDGEBIC with Fourth Shift
- EDGEBIC with SYSPRO
- EDGEBIC with Global Shop Solutions
- EDGEBIC with Plex
- EDGEBIC with IQMS / DELMIAworks
- EDGEBIC with Made2Manage
Using a different system? Any ERP that exports Excel, CSV or database tables works. See EDGEBIC ERP integration and the ERP scheduling add-on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Master Scheduling Success Stories
How manufacturers built master production schedules they could actually execute, with RMDB.
Transportation
Repair Shops Triple On-Time Shipping from 30% to 90%
GE Railcar Services
Read storyDefense
Finite Capacity Scheduling of USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier
US Navy
Read storyConsumer Products
Affordable MRP for Smaller Manufacturer
Sleepmaster Ltd
Read storyWoodworking
Amish Manufacturer Rapidly Amortizes Scheduling System
Homestead Furniture
Read storyGlass Manufacturing
Job Shop Increases Throughput and On-Time Shipping
Technical Glass Products
Read storySoftware / Manufacturing
ERP Vendor and Manufacturer Turn to RMDB
ERP Partners
Read storyExplore Related Solutions
Discover how these capabilities work together to transform your manufacturing operations.
Finite Capacity Scheduling
Schedule to real machine, labor, and material limits
Learn moreMulti-Location Scheduling
Unified scheduling across multiple plants and sites
Learn moreWhat-If Analysis
Simulate scenarios before committing to production
Learn moreLabor Scheduling
Workforce capacity planning alongside machines
Learn moreHeavy Equipment
Multi-location industrial production planning
Learn moreSee a master schedule built from your own numbers
Book a free live demo. Bring a forecast, your items and your work center hours, and watch a capacity-feasible master production schedule come together in the session.
Or see RMDB features, EDGEBIC by User Solutions or pricing and editions.