Manufacturing classifications: relationships with production control systems

Since the early 1970s, production planning systems have evolved from material requirements planning (MRP) through manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) into enterprise resource planning (ERP) with simultaneous development of related control systems such as theory of constraints (epitomised by OPT), just-in-time (JIT), etc. One key area for all manufacturing companies is the planning and control function. There is a wide range of generic proprietary software available that aims to meet a company’s planning and scheduling requirements. The difficulty experienced by many companies is not only in examining available software, but also in understanding the match between business needs and the capabilities of that software. This paper first sets out some common manufacturing classification systems, then attempts to map them against accepted paradigms for production planning and control approaches. Analysis confirms the need for a more rigorous approach to software selection, and the need for a complete understanding of the drivers of the production control process before this can be achieved. The paper goes on to discuss a method for mapping these drivers, with the aim being to create a series of reference models for production planning and scheduling.