Master production scheduling: A function based approach

The Master Production Scheduling (MPS) function has grown from an MRP-driver to a management function which coordinates Production and Sales and translates the company’s long term plans into detailed production decisions to control the goodsflow. Therefore each company, though often implicitly, has an MPS function. The existing frameworks in literature however are not always valid to model the MPS function in different types of companies. In this paper the restricted validity is illustrated with a case and three examples. Based on the examples it is stated that the restricted validity of the existing frameworks is caused by insufficient separation of decision functions and the way they are performed. A function framework is proposed which is more suitable to model the MPS function in different types of companies.