I’m hoping someone can help me how to manage large material requirements for our jobs.
We receive substantial forecasts from our customers that result in very large job suggestions. While we have the capacity to meet the demand, the long running job results in substantial purchasing suggestions due at the start of the job. Obviously we do not need full material availability at the outset as we have a max daily output. We were advised to set max lot sizes to result in smaller job sizes, however, this is not ideal for us, especially since many of our products use the same material, and in some cases even a weekly production lot size across several jobs would exceed our silo capacity. Also, managing many small jobs can be a headache.
Any suggestions on how to calibrate MRP to understand a delivery schedule of materials based on the expected job quantities and production standard (without having to create micro jobs)?
I do not believe there is a way to do what you are asking. However, I believe there is a way to get to a similar result.
I have never used either of the following, but I would look into Consume Minimum Quantity and Start Minimum Lot Quantity. Those things might be what you are looking for.
I just realized this was sitting in my drafts! I appreciate the reply! I do believe we modeled it and I think that both those fields do not influence the overall quantity/timing suggestions that would be suggested via MRP. these impact the job itself in terms of material consumption and scheduling… I wish it did work on the MRP PO suggestion though!
This suggests you’re producing a large job in smaller batches. Which means it’s not really a large job, it’s several small ones repeated. Set a max lot size on the part you’re shipping out, not the materials for it. Then (if needed) reduce days of supply on the lower level assembly so that it produces manageably sized jobs for near term demand.
You’ll have more job#'s to juggle, sure, but your material demands will better reflect your actual timing.
