A decision support system approach to developing systems to support production planning and control in smaller companies

Smaller Manufacturing Enterprises (SMEs) would benefit from manufacturing decision support systems (DSSs) in which the links between customer orders and manufacturing operations were maintained throughout the production planning process. However, systems with this characteristic are not available at prices that most SMEs can afford. This paper describes how a prototype DSS with this feature was developed and validated using data from a manufacturer of fencing materials. A hybrid relational database/object-oriented approach to modelling the manufacturing process is outlined. Static and slowly changing data about the manufacturing system were stored on a relational database, while more dynamic production planning information was built into an object model. The system made use of a ‚Bill of Production’ for each manufactured item that contained both materials and operation information, and was constructed at the time it was required from information held on the database.