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Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and supply chain management features allows our users to incorporate their supply chain strategies into Cin7 Core inventory management.


MRP considers demand from sales and supply from stock on hand, transfers, production, assembly and suppliers to generate supply management suggestions. Use MRP to compare actual and forecasted sales demand with available and potentially available stock supplies, then determine when products should be produced in-house, bought from suppliers, and delivered from distribution centres. 


We recommend conducting MRP planning for production as a two step process in order to properly schedule orders around available production resource capacity. See Material Requirements Planning for Production for more information. 


Production BOMs can contain finished products (products with their own production BOM) or assembled components (products with their own Assembly BOM). Material Requirements Planning (MRP) can be performed with or without BOM explosion.


NOTE: MRP requires an add-on to your base subscription. Add the MRP module from the My subscription page. Users whose subscription dates from before 1 February 2024 will continue to have the same level of access to MRP as they previously held. 


Prerequisites


Table of Contents:


MRP Run Parameters

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MRP run parameters define what is included as demand and supply for a planning period. With these parameters, supply suggestions can be calculated according to your business requirements. Set MRP Run Parameters when starting a new run from Inventory → MRP.


The parameters are divided into 4 groups:

  • General: Filters demand by date range, location, and customer
  • MRP Supply Settings: Define what is included when calculating demand and supply suggestions
  • Demand Source: Define what is included into demand calculation of sales, production, assembly, and transfers. Note that including production or assembly as a demand source will generate supply suggestions for the required components, but not nested components, unless BOM explosion is also selected.
  • Supply order status: Define the status of supply orders (e.g. Draft, Authorized, Planned) when they are created from MRP run. 


Users can save MRP Run parameters so they can be reused for future MRP runs. When parameters have been set, the MRP Run can then be executed. This adds up all the sources of actual, draft (if requested), compares it to actual and draft (if requested) supply orders, and supply order required by dates. The user can then compare supply and demand and determine which actions should be taken to meet any remaining demand.


General 

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General settings filter demand by planning period, location, and customer. 

  • Consolidate suggestions by source: Purchase orders from the same supplier to the same location will be consolidated, using the earliest required by date as the date of the purchase order. Purchase orders can also be merged after the MRP run has been calculated, from the Suggested supply orders tab. 
  • Planning period: Select this week, next week, this month, next month, or enter a custom date range. Planning period cannot be in the past. Start date and end date of the planning period are included.
    • Required by date of the demand should be within planning period
    • Tasks without a required by date and stock level demand are included in planning period by default
  • Location: Select the location where demand and supply will be calculated. Select Every location to run MRP for all locations at once. 
  • Customer: Optionally filters sale demand by customer. In case of selection of the specific customer, all MRP Supply and Demand Source parameters are subjected to the filter by customer. If left blank demand will be calculated for all customers. 


Load demand with details

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Checking this box displays results with a description of how independent demand, dependent demand, and supply suggestions are calculated. Quantities displayed in the Demand tab after run calculations are finished will be shown as hyperlinks, and clicking will open a detailed view for each product and its related orders. 


This option is only available for planning periods of up to two weeks and up to 100 products at once, as it requires more time to calculate. When selected, the system will calculate the approximate time required to load and require user confirmation. The user will be notified after the system has completed calculations in the background.

This setting is required in order to display results in MRP Scheduler


MRP Supply Settings

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MRP Supply settings define what will be included in the demand and supply for stock. For example, minimum stock levels, nested production components, and demand from overdue sales. Additionally, the user can select if draft (e.g. transfer orders, purchase orders, production orders) or planned (production orders) supply orders are included in the calculated available supply. 


NOTE: Tasks can be both supply and demand. 

  • Case 1: Demand is created from sales. In this case all Production, Transfer, Assembly orders can be supply tasks because these orders can cover the Sales Order demand.
  • Case 2: Production, Transfer, Assembly orders are supply for some orders, but also create demand.


Ignore stock on hand/on order

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This option is only available when a customer is selected in the MRP General Settings.The setting defines if the current stock on hand and stock on order should be taken into account when calculating required supply for that customer. 


Example: A customer John Smith creates a sale order for 5 chairs. Stock on hand for the location includes 2 chairs, with a further 3 chairs on order. 

  • If Ignore stock On Hand/On Order is checked, the on hand/on order quantity will not be taken into account. Demand = 5 chairs. 
  • If Ignore stock On Hand/On Order is not checked, the on hand/on order quantity will be taken into account. Demand = 0 chairs. No supply suggestions will be made. 


Procure up to stock level

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This setting means that stock level should be maintained at the chosen location, in addition to the stock demand generated from other sources. 

Minimum stock level is calculated as Minimum Before Reorder + Reorder Quantity for a product.

  • Reorder settings for a product are configured for each location from Inventory → Products → [select product] → Reorder Levels. Location reorder settings take priority over general reoorder settings. 
  • If reorder settings are not set for a location, default reorder settings (Inventory → Products → [select product] → General) will be used for the stock level calculation.
  • See Low Stock Reorder - Setting Up Low Stock Reorder Points for more information.


e.g. A product Chair has no reorder settings for a location. General reorder settings for Chair are Minimum Before Reorder = 20 and Reorder Quantity = 10. This means that MRP calculations will be made so that a stock level of 30 chairs (20 + 10) on hand is maintained every day, regardless of demand from other sources. 


Procure up to minimum before reorder

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This setting means that minimum before reorder stock should be maintained at the chosen location, in addition to the stock demand generated from other sources. This helps to avoid overstock for products with low velocity during the calculated period. 


Minimum stock level is calculated as Minimum Before Reorder for a product.

  • Minimum before reorder settings for a product are configured for each location from Inventory → Products → [select product] → Reorder Levels. Location reorder settings take priority over general reoorder settings. 
  • If reorder settings are not set for a location, default reorder settings (Inventory → Products → [select product] → General) will be used for the stock level calculation.
  • See Low Stock Reorder - Setting Up Low Stock Reorder Points for more information.


e.g. A product Chair has no reorder settings for a location. General reorder settings for Chair are Minimum Before Reorder = 20 and Reorder Quantity = 10. This means that MRP calculations will be made so that a stock level of 20 chairs (20) on hand is maintained every day, regardless of demand from other sources. 


If the suggested purchase quantity with this setting is less than the reorder quantity, the user will receive a warning but can continue with the purchase.


Include past due demand

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MRP calculations will take into account demand where Required by Date is earlier than the planning period start date range. 

The demand is calculated including past due demand: the demand with the Required by Date earlier than the Planning period Start date range.

  • e.g. Planning period = 20/02/2021 - 01/03/2021


Include draft and planned supply orders

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Draft and Planned supply orders are Transfer, Production, Purchase, and Assembly orders which have not yet been authorised and are not included in the On Order quantity for a location. These orders can supply demand at one location while creating demand at another location. 


BOM explosion

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A bill of materials (BOM) explosion displays the highest level of a production or assembly broken down into components at its lowest level. If the parent production or assembly contains components that also have a production or assembly BOM, the nested BOMs are also broken down into components


If BOM explosion is checked, Cin7 Core will decompose a production BOM or assembly BOM to calculate the demand for nested products and components. If BOM explosion is not checked, Cin7 Core will not execute any decomposition or a production BOM or assembly BOM. Including production or assembly as a demand source will generate supply suggestions for the required components, but not nested components, unless BOM explosion is also selected. 


This is summarised below:

  • Option 1: Production demand not included, no BOM explosion
    • Sales demand for 5 tables
    • Supply suggestion: Produce 5 tables
    • No supply suggestions to replenish table components or nested components


  • Option 2: Production demand included, no BOM explosion
    • Sales demand for 5 tables
    • Supply suggestion: Produce 5 tables
    • Supply suggestions to replenish table components (table leg, tabletop) 
    • No supply suggestions to replenish nested components (wood, screws, etc.)
  • Option 3: BOM explosion (production demand included by default)
    • Sales demand for 5 tables
    • Supply suggestion: Produce 5 tables
    • Supply suggestions to replenish table components (table leg, tabletop) 
    • Supply suggestions to replenish nested components (wood, screws, etc.)


NOTE: BOM explosion is applied to components only and does not apply to labor resources. 


NOTE: BOMs with auto-assembly/disassembly will generate suggested supply orders for the BOM components delivered to the assembly location. Suggested supply orders will not generate assembly order suggestions for products with auto-assemble/disassemble enabled. 


We recommend conducting MRP planning for production as a two step process in order to properly schedule orders around available production resource capacity. See Material Requirements Planning for Production.


Save MRP Run parameters

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Users can save MRP Run parameters so they can be reused and save time for future MRP runs


Execute MRP run

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Go to Inventory → MRP to start a new run. 


Set parameters and start run

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Manually set MRP run parameters or select a saved parameter set, then click Run to start the MRP run calculation. 



View calculated demand and supply

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Demand and current supply are calculated according the MRP run parameters when the user selects Run. Each line displays product and demand location. 

  • Independent demand is the demand in the location without considering existing supply. Independent demand is based on confirmed sales, draft sales (optional), and stock level settings (optional).
  • Dependent demand is the demand for items that is dependent on another item. e.g. when Retail is replenished from Warehouse, the demand in Retail generates dependent demand in Warehouse.
  • Existing supply is calculated as stock on hand + stock on order + draft supply orders (optional)
  • Suggested supply shows quantity from suggested supply orders to meet the dependent and independent demand. 
  • Total demand is calculated as Independent Demand + Dependent Demand - Supply.


NOTE: By default, supply considers past and future supply irrespective of planning period specified by the user when calculating total demand. To limit supply to orders where Required by date falls within the planning period, check Exclude future supply

MRP demand report can be searched by SKU, Product Name, and Location. Use Export to export the current layout in .csv format. 


Expand detail view

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When the run parameter Load demand with details was selected, any value in the table can be clicked to open up a detailed view. This view breaks down supply suggestions, independent demand, dependant demand, and current supply into individual orders. Each order is displayed with quantity, additional information, and a hyperlink to the document. Suggested supply order quantities provide a hyperlink to the Suggested supply orders view, filtered by the related product. 


View suggested supply orders

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The suggested supply orders tab displays the results of the MRP run calculation, based on demand quantity and required by dates, supply rules, planned transfer days, stock on hand, stock on order, and MRP run parameters. This will generate a list of suggested transfer, purchase, assembly, and purchase orders to meet the demand in each location by the required by dates.

NOTE: Supply rules are set for each location and specify how demand at a location should be replenished if there is no stock on hand. For example, a location can have supply rules that specify that replenishment should first transfer stock from another location, if not possible then produce goods in house, if not possible then purchase from lowest price supplier. See Supply Rules for more information.

Transfer planning is configured for each location and specifies when transfers between locations should take place. This is used to define the date of suggested transfer orders. See Transfer Planning for more information. 


Users can Search suggested supply orders by Product name, Demand Location, Supply Location/Supplier, and Required by date.


Suggested supply orders can be filtered by:

  • Products: Filter suggested supply orders by product families, categories, brands, tags, or specific products.
  • Demand location: Select one or more demand locations included in the MRP run. 
  • Supply location/supplier: Select one or more supply locations or suppliers included in the MRP run. 
  • Supply order type:  Filter list by one or more type of supply order (Purchase, Assembly, Transfer, Production).


Use the Show products checkbox to expand or collapse product details for all suggested orders. Use the arrows next to each order to expand or collapse product details for a single order. 


Click Split products to split a supply order into multiple orders if necessary. Click the Supply from/buy from fields or Status field to change the value before confirming an order.


Confirm reorder action

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When you have verified the suggested supply orders details and status, check one or more boxes for a supply order and click Confirm/Reorder to generate the supply order. 


Split supply order

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Suggested supply orders with more than one product can be split into smaller supply orders, for example to order products from different suppliers. Click Split products to view products in a suggested supply order to split.


Click Split supply order to split some products into another order. Click + on the split order to add products from the original suggested supply order. Selecting Split supply order again will add another split order to the window. Click Undo to remove all products from the split list, or X to remove a single product. Adjust the product quantities and click Confirm to split the supply order.


Merge supply order

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The Merge option will always visible and enabled. Currently, only purchase orders can be merged. Simply select one or more purchase orders from the same supplier and select Merge. The earliest required by date as the date of the suggested purchase order. User can later confirm to generate the supply order. 


Purchase orders with the following cannot be merged:

  • Invoice lines
  • Stock received lines


Recalculate

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Recalculate takes into account supply orders that have already been edited and confirmed, and recalculates the demand quantities and supply suggestions. Recalculate is only available after at least one edited supply order has been confirmed. Demand is recalculated when Supply task, Supply or/and Required by Date is changed.


Export supply suggestions

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Suggested supply orders can be exported in CSV format for reference. The CSV file also shows the full list of products for each suggested supply order. Click the Export button to download the CSV file.

 

View confirmed supply orders

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Suggested supply orders that have been confirmed are moved to the Confirmed supply orders page. Confirmed supply order details are displayed here as read-only with a link to the order (purchase, transfer, assembly, production). Void a confirmed supply order to return it to the suggested supply orders page. After Void, the user should recalculate supply suggestions.


Confirmed supply orders can be searched by Product SKU, Product Name, Demand Location, Supply Location, and Required by Date


View MRP Scheduler

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Several MRP values (independent demand, dependent demand, current supply, and supply suggestions) are calculated based on expected replenishment dates. MRP report view did not display dates with the calculations, however, this information can be displayed visually using MRP Scheduler. 


NOTE: Due to limitations on the amount of data which can be shown at once, MRP Scheduler is only available when Load data with details is checked in MRP parameters. This option is only available for planning periods of up to two weeks and up to 100 products at once, as it requires more time to calculate.


MRP Scheduler displays MRP run data in two views, Supply vs Demand view and Supply view.


Data in the Scheduler is not refreshed as the planning period is completed. The only way to refresh MRP data and Scheduler display is to recalculate the data. 


Use the Settings gear to change the Scheduler display, including enable/disable Show Suggestions.


Supply vs Demand View

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This table displays the data in calendar view for all products included in the MRP run, the columns display the days/weeks for the MRP run period. One location is shown at time, included locations can be selected from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen. Search box can be used to filter results further. 


This view shows numerical values, separated by days/weeks, for:

  • Independent demand 
  • Dependent demand 
  • Current Supply units from stock on hand + stock on order + draft supply orders (optional)
  • Suggested Supply Orders when Show Suggestions is checked includes units from supply orders from suggested supply orders


The data for the demand is displayed in red in case if the demand is not covered. Hovering over a number in red should display the reason demand cannot be covered, e.g. no supply rule to cover this demand. 


Supply View

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This view displays the supply data as a Gantt chart. This includes authorised supply orders and supply suggestions if Show Suggestions is enabled. One location is shown at time, included locations can be selected from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen. Search box can be used to filter results further.


Supply View can be filtered according to Order Type: Purchase, Assembly, Transfer, and Production orders. Multi-select is permitted. Each row can be expanded to view supply orders for that product. This shows order status and lead time - if several products are included in the supply order, the longest lead time will be displayed.


When suggested supply orders are displayed, it is possible to Confirm them directly from the scheduler. 


NOTE: When a suggested supply order contains several products, confirming one product of the order confirms the entire order with all contained products. 



Complete MRP run

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Once an MRP run is completed, it can no longer be edited and becomes read-only. Click Complete to end the run and save your changes. 


View Errors

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The Errors tab displays the list of errors which occurred during the MRP Run, for example if supplier, lead time, reorder quantity, and/or stock are not set for a product. This will cause incorrect calculations for demand and supply suggestions. 


Errors are split into three subsections to aid user comprehension:

  • Information: some optional settings have not been configured but this will not stop completion or cause calculation errors.
  • Warning: some settings have not been configured, the calculation will complete but some results may be calculated incorrectly.
  • Critical: Critical settings have not been configured and calculation will be completed with unexpected or incorrect results. 



View MRP list

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View active and completed MRP runs. There can be only one active MRP run at a time. Click an active MRP run to continue planning. 


Check one or more boxes next to an MRP run and Delete to remove the run. Deleting a run does not delete created confirmed supply orders.


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