Inventory Management

Companies who intend to compete in a global marketplace must deliver with World Class efficiency and effectiveness. Achieving these standards requires a systematic approach to planning and executing business strategy. Best practices that have emerged in the manufacturing and production sector over the past three decades point to the benefits offered by a purposeful Manufacturing Planning and Control (MPC) infrastructure as a key enabler of achieving competitive advantage through quality, precision, speed, agility in production and elimination of waste. This course will take Supply Chain and Operations Management students on a deep dive into the MPC System. The course will begin by defining the Manufacturing Planning and Control System itself, describing the basic framework, and showing the key purpose underlying each level within the framework. The class will then proceed to explore in detail the "front end" of the MPC System, including such activities as Demand Management, the role of Forecasting in production operations, Sales and Operations Planning, Master Planning and Master Production Scheduling, and Materials Requirements Planning (MRP). "Closed loop MRP," ERP systems, and Capacity Planning will also be discussed.