Decentralised, distributed MRP: Solving control problems in cellular manufacturing

This article discusses the application of conventional control systems such as MRP, kanban, and OPT in cellular manufacturing environments. These systems have significant practical drawbacks when applied in circumstances of high variety and low/medium volumes. It suggests that a newly developed capacity-sensitive distributed version of MTP in which each cell is provided with its own complete system would offer significant performance benefits ranging from low initial costs and ease of implementation to flexibility for future expansion.