Glossary · MRP
Material requirements planning
Calculating what materials to buy or make, and when, to meet the plan.
Technical definition
A method that explodes the master production schedule through bills of material to time-phased material and component requirements.
Manufacturing example
MRP determines that meeting next month's orders requires ordering film and adhesive by a certain date.
Common misconception
MRP is not scheduling; it plans materials but typically assumes infinite capacity for timing.
Why it matters operationally
Material availability is a hard constraint — a schedule is not executable without it.
Related terms
Put material requirements planning to work
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