Dissecting Master Production Schedule, management homework help

Production systems usually have limited resources and output. For this reason, creating a Master Production Schedule (MPS) can be very challenging, as multiple products and product lines require the use of shared resources. The MPS must provide careful coordination of production resources in a way that meets production demand for all product lines, maximizes productivity across factories and assembly lines, and minimizes inventory, all in consideration of workstation setup times.

Jacobs and Chase (2011) provide the following directives that master schedulers must consider when creating the MPS:

• Include all demand from product sales, warehouse replenishment, spares, and interplant requirements.
• Never lose sight of the aggregate plan.
• Be involved with the promising of customer orders.
• Be visible to all levels of management.
• Objectively trade off manufacturing, marketing, and engineering conflicts.
• Identify and communicate all problems.

For this activity, respond to the following:

1. When the MPS is exploded to the next lower level, what is this lower level called? What is the purpose of this level?
2. Items in the MPS are usually combined in a higher-level planning sequence; what is this called? What does this sequence specify?

A minimum of one reference is required.