Master Scheduling is a tool for turning forecasts into production plans. Based
on registered forecasts and current supply/demand situation, supply proposals
are created to fulfill the forecasts/demands, taking lot sizing, safety stock
and safety lead time into consideration. When actual demands come in, they are
netted/consumed against the forecasts.
Forecast Consumption is further described in About Forecast and Forecast
Consumption.
Based on the total demand, which then is the sum of actual demand and unconsumed
forecast, the master schedule calculation generates MS proposals. These proposals
can also automatically be turned into Shop Order proposals or Purchase Proposals
depending on
planning time fence and other parameters in the system.
The Master Schedule proposals will use lot sizing rules according to settings
on Inventory Part. They will also be seen as demands for subassemblies and components
based on manufacturing structure and hence picked up by MRP.
To be included in Master Schedule calculation parts must be defined as active MS Level 1 parts.
In order to simplify forecasting, there is a possibility to register forecasts
on an aggregated level, e.g. a product family. These parts are registered as
MS Level 0 parts
A Level 0 part is a form of a blow-through part and cannot have a balance on
hand or be ordered. Disaggregation of Level 0 parts will yield Level 1 parts
for master scheduling. They are the parts which are planned by MS Level 1
Level 0 refers to the top level plan group which collectively represent parts
with similar design. Level 1 parts represent the tangible items that are at
the lowest level of the planning structure. In between Level 0 and Level 1 parts
there can be MS phantom parts (Planning
Method T) which can be used for sub grouping of parts with similar design.
Level 0 parts, Level 0 phantoms, and Level 1 parts will be defined in IFS Applications
using MRP Planning Method O, T and A respectively.
It is also possible to aggregate Level 1 Part forecasts up to Level 0 Part forecasts,
e.g. for Sales&Operations Planning.
Although master scheduling can start at the Level 0 part family, it can also start directly by planning level 1 forecasts for Level 1 parts in the Master Schedule Level 1 Part page
Master Scheduling can also be performed by project. Then a project planned netting
group, which defines the context of the plan, will be attached to Level 0 and
Level 1 parts.
Project Master scheduling Level 1 parts can be distinguished from non project
master schedule Level 1 parts as project master schedule has a project PNG value
and non project master schedule has the value * for project PNG.
Note: In IFS Cloud, project MS and MS features are executed in the same pages by separating them with the PNG value (If the value for the PNG is *, master scheduling is used and a unique ID must be given for the PNG if project master scheduling should be used)
An important feature in Master Scheduling is the time fences. These fences controls
how MS proposals are created and also how forecasts are disposed when approach
today’s date.
There are two time fences, Demand Time Fence (DTF) and Planning Time Fence (PTF).
Normally the DTF should correspond to the manufacturing Lead Time for the part
and Planning Time Fence to the Cumulative Lead Time.
Inside DTF, the production plan is considered fixed and not possible to change.
No forecasts can exist inside DTF and, depending on settings, forecasts are
either dropped or rolled out outside DTF when passing the fence.
Inside PTF, the MS calculation will not create or modify any supply proposals,
since we can’t make sure manufacturing is actually possible. When planned MS
Supplies fall inside PTF they will become Fixed and if you have indicated that
requisitions can be created, also shop order requisitions and/or purchase order
requisitions will be created.
Outside PTF, the MS calculation will generate Planned MS proposals. Shop order requisitions and/or purchase order requisitions can be created if wanted.
When master scheduling plans supply, the manufacturing calendar connected to
the Site is used for manufactured parts and the distribution calendar is used
for purchased parts.
The supply proposals for parent parts created by MS are broken down and generate
demand for sub-assemblies and purchased component parts, which is input to the
material requirements planning (MRP/PMRP) process.
You may indicate whether
the supply for the MS part should be created by the MS calculation or not. If
you choose not to have supply created by MS, supply proposals will be created
by MRP/PMRP based on actual demand, but forecast consumption will take place
in MS.
Fixed master schedule proposals remain in existence until the run date, but
they do not affect any calculations within the demand time fence. Planned proposals
are set to zero (0) so that they can be recalculated outside the planning time
fence.
Site level attributes control how master scheduling plans for a part. The selections
that you make in the Manufacturing tab of the Site page determine how the system
processes the part during master scheduling. Selecting the Use Rel Purch
Reqs in Planning setting causes master scheduling to not delete purchase
requisitions in Released status at the start of the master scheduling run. These
are viewed as supply, later in the master scheduling process.
When demand for a part arises, shop order requisitions or purchase requisitions
are usually created from the fixed master schedule proposals within the planning
time fence. Multiple requisitions or schedules will be created depending on
the maximum, minimum and multiple values set in the
Inventory Part Planning Data page. However, this kind
of supply is created only if the value in the Proposal Release field in the
Inventory Part Planning Data page is set to Release, indicating
supply for the part is not managed by Kanban circuits.
If you specify that fixed master schedule proposals are to be created automatically, this happens when the variable proposals fall within the planning time fence. Quantity on-hand development and quantity available to promise are based on the current quantity on-hand minus safety stock.
In a situation where parts are mainly defined as end products in some structures and as components in several other structures, such parts will have dependent and independent demands due to its nature of how it is defined in the structure. If such Component parts are planned by MS or defined as MS level 1 parts the Supply proposals for parent parts created by MS are broken down and they explode demands to these MS planned Components as planned Dependent Demands. During MS level 1 calculation demand explosion stops when it hits MRP planned component.
The MS calculation considers various parameters and their settings.
If you indicate that rolling should be used, the estimated quantity on-hand development is used to update the MS proposals after the planning time fence. This means that the first master schedule proposal after the planning time fence is adjusted by the estimated quantity on-hand development between the run date and the planning time fence. For example, if there is an excess part quantity of 100, it is subtracted from the first MS proposal after the planning time fence.
The MS calculation takes any specified lot sizes into consideration. This information is retrieved from the planning data entered for the inventory parts. If the minimum and maximum lot sizes are set to zero, the lot size is unlimited.
Fixed master schedule proposals remain in existence until the run date, but they do not affect any calculations within the demand time fence. Variable proposals are set to zero (0) so that they can be recalculated outside the planning time fence.
Site level attributes control how master scheduling plans for a part. The selections that you make in the Manufacturing tab of the Site page determine how the system processes the part during master scheduling. Selecting the Use Rel Purch Reqs in Planning setting causes master scheduling to not delete purchase requisitions in Released status at the start of the master scheduling run. These are viewed as supply, later in the master scheduling process.
When demand for a part arises, shop order requisitions or purchase requisitions are created from the fixed master schedule proposals within the planning time fence. Multiple requisitions or schedules will be created depending on the maximum, minimum and multiple values set in the Inventory Part Planning Data page. However, this kind of supply is created only if the value in the Proposal Release field in the Inventory Part Planning Data page is set to Release, indicating supply for the part is not managed by Kanban circuits.
If you specify that fixed master schedule proposals are to be created automatically, this happens when the variable proposals fall within the planning time fence. Quantity on-hand development and quantity available to promise are based on the current quantity on-hand minus safety stock.
This is a range of periods, defined for each part, in which the forecast for
a part could be consumed for a customer order or a sales quotation. Forecasts
can be consumed both backwards and forwards in time depending on the Forecast
Consumption settings in Master Schedule Level 1 Part
More information
about forecast consumption can be found in About Forecast and Forecast Consumption