How Manufacturing ERP Can Help with Production Planning and Control in India

ERP for the manufacturing industry has found a wider significance with the production planning control processes. Especially now that the manufacturing industry is adopting new measures for social distancing, automation of the workflow is critical. All the critical steps involved in production planning and control can be automated with manufacturing ERP software.

Meaning of Production Planning and Control

Production planning and control are two important processes that run simultaneously in the manufacturing industry to achieve optimum production performance. Production planning helps decide the what, when and how’s of production. On the other hand, production control is about employing different quality optimization techniques to achieve the desired product output and revenue.

Types of Production Planning and Control

Manufacturing planning and control can be achieved through different processes, depending upon the nature of the product to be manufactured, specifications, and the skillset required.

• Job Method: Job method is used for specialized production as per the specifications of customers. In this type of production, only a few workers are employed who have the skill set for the required products.
• Batch Method: As the production volume increases, most manufacturing companies switch to the batch method.The entire production process is divided into parts, with one task leading to another.
• Flow Method: This is like the batch method. However,there is a more streamlined workflow with the more continues task. 
• Process Method: This is a continuous production method where a standardized sequence is being followed.
• Mass Production Method: Mass production is often performed using product-wise layouts and standardized techniques.

Production control can be further achieved by following the sequence of programming, ordering, dispatching, progressing and inventory control.

What is ERP in Production Planning and Control: Manufacturing ERP Modules

The best manufacturing ERP software comes with the production planning module that helps track any production process and the completion of a work order. Backed by historical data related to production and sales forecasting, ERP for manufacturing industry helps optimize the production capacity.

Major Modules of Manufacturing ERP Software for Production Planning and Control

• Defining the process in terms of inputs, outputs, etc.
• Creating the bill of material for every product
• Planning the production as per the sales forecast and end user’s expectations
• Material requirement planning based on machines’ efficiency and availability
• Generating job orders
• Generating production schedule and production requisition needs
• Providing reports for the estimated production and the achieved numbers.

The Process of Production Planning & Control

Manufacturing companies follow the steps to production planning and control and ensure that there is an uninterrupted workflow. From procuring raw materials to delivering finished products, there is a need of production planning and control at every step. The major steps to production planning and control are:

Step 1: Planning

Production planning helps with better utilization of production facilities in a way that you meet quality standards, match delivery deadlines and ensure lower operating costs. When you decide what will be produced, where, by which employees, when and how, production inefficiencies can be minimized considerably.

Step 2: Routing

Routing is about creating a plan for the movement of raw materials through different machines and production processes. A routing chart is created, which includes the sequence of different machines and processes to be used in a sequence during production. You can also plan an alternate routing, based on the availability of machines, skillset of your employees, and process limitations.

Step 3: Scheduling in Production Planning and Control

This step helps determine which production process will be performed when and on which specified machines. The idea is to ensure efficiency at every stage and meet the desired production completion date. While the Master schedule is used for scheduling all production activities in a manufacturing unit, the detailed schedule is used to manage manufacturing operations for every product.

Step 4: Dispatching

Dispatching is the process where all the plans created during routing and scheduling stages get into action. For this, your staff at the manufacturing plant supervisors have to ensure that tools and raw materials have moved to the designated workplace on time and as per the routing plan.

Dispatching is often done through work orders, which include the tools and machines required for every operation, along with their start and end date.

Step 5: Following-Up

Expediting is the stage where the status of different work orders is analysed and a report is generated for the overall production performance. Any variance from the predefined production schedules can be analysed at this stage to take steps for improvement.

How to Achieve Better Production Planning Control with Manufacturing ERP

iXpert ERP is a popular name among manufacturing companies to manage every process involved in processing the input material and generating the desired output. Multiple processes are involved in manufacturing, such as, material management, labour management, shifts management, machine availability & maintenance, etc. All these processes can be streamlined with the best ERP software for manufacturing in India.

• Forecasting & Planning for Production

iXpert Manufacturing ERP can track the history of orders and sales to provide realistic forecasting. Accordingly, you can plan the production along with the raw materials required, manufacturing time, machines required, etc.  

• Material Requirements Planning with MRP Software

This is an important feature of MRP ERP software, which helps with better production planning and scheduling. You can manage your manufacturing processes with higher efficiency and have a better inventory control with the MRP feature. iXpert ERP helps maintain lean inventory levels so that you can adhere to your manufacturing cycle.

• Master Production Schedule (MPS)

To meet the manufacturing demand, you need a master production schedule to analyse current work orders and the availability of inventory, machines and staffing. MPS schedule clearly indicates which product will be required at what stage and in what quantity. MPS schedule works by considering your sales forecast and work orders.

• Advanced Scheduling and Execution

Planning and scheduling are followed by the execution phase where the best ERP for manufacturing simulation software helps users prepare for last-minute changes. Real-time changes in the production plan is inevitable to achieve the desired production targets.

• Product Lifecycle Management

Product Lifecycle Management is an important aspect of this manufacturing ERP, as it helps manage the production of complex products across different locations. It ensures better coordination between the teams working from different sites, who can access product drawings, specifications and the CAD data simultaneously.

Also, iXpert manufacturing ERP software makes it easy to check for the lifecycle of a product in terms of the changes in specifications over the years.

• Identifying Bottlenecks & Backlogs

With the best manufacturing ERP software, you can track any bottlenecks in machine and staff utilization and resolve the backlogs in terms of the material. Different processes like generating work orders, managing route cards, and handling job tickets can be automated with manufacturing ERP for better production execution.

Manufacturing ERP Software: The Backbone of Any Production Process

It’s the time to boost your production cycle and recover for all the losses that happened over the last few months. With the best manufacturing ERP software at your disposal, things will get easier for your production unit in days to come.