How to plan purchasing and production with MRP

MRP compares what you will need with what you have and what is on the way, item by item and date by date. Where it falls short, it recommends making the item (if it has a bill of materials) or buying it (if it doesn't).

What it takes into account

It plans the product first and then its components: if it recommends making 40 kg of sauce, it also works out that sauce's ingredients for the same date.

Run it

1. Go to Production › Material planning (MRP).
2. Choose the horizon in From and To.
3. Under Warehouses, tick the ones that count. None ticked: all.
4. Tick Consider minimum stock if you want to restock up to each item's minimum in its warehouse. Without it, only what orders and the forecast ask for is covered.
5. Optional: under Forecast, add expected demand besides the orders: item, quantity and date.
6. Click Run.

Read the recommendations

Each row shows the Action (Make or Buy), the Item, the Quantity, the For date, the preferred Supplier for purchases and Because of why it is recommended: sales orders, forecast, production orders, what will be produced or minimum stock.

The quantity respects the item's Minimum order. Purchases are grouped by the item's preferred supplier.

Below, Projection by item shows On hand, Demand, Incoming, Minimum and how it ends up At the end.

If you get Everything is covered, stock, purchases and open orders are enough for the horizon.

Create the orders and purchases

1. Tick the recommendations you want (All or None to start).
2. In Purchases as, choose Purchase requests or Purchase orders (draft) by supplier. Items without a preferred supplier go to a request.
3. Click Create.

Make recommendations become Planned production orders: review and release them in Production › Production orders. See How to produce.

Why: Nori's MRP is lighter than SAP's. It doesn't save scenarios or forecasts, and it doesn't consider supplier lead times: the recommended date is the date the item is needed. Order early what takes time to arrive.

If you don't see…

• A Make recommendation for an item: the item has no bill of materials; MRP treats it as a purchase. Create its bill of materials.
• A supplier on the purchase: the item has no Preferred supplier. Enter it on the item.
• Minimum stock isn't counted: tick Consider minimum stock and check the item has a minimum in that warehouse.
• The screen: you need permission to run MRP (Production, Supervisor or Administrator role).