Optimal master production scheduling in ERP systems for ETO companies - A maturity model

Abstract

Due to the high competitiveness in the complex ship-components market, Norwegian companies are pursuing for new ways to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in order to remain competitive. This sector that has an engineering-to-order (ETO) production strategy has some specificities, that are not well supplied by enterprise resources plan (ERP) suppliers. Furthermore, due to the lack of information, ETO companies do not use those systems in an optimal or way. Then, this study aims to help those companies by bringing a stepwise approach on how to have a better use of their master production scheduling (MPS) function on ERP systems. This research covered a literature review on ETO, MPS, maturity levels and ERP systems in which two systems were analysed, Infor M3 and Microsoft Dynamics AX. Moreover, a case study was realized with two companies, composed by meetings and semi-structured interviews, in order gain insight and to check how these companies are using their ERP systems (the ones previously mentioned) and its relation with the MPS. After this phase, the results were compiled and the main requirements for performing the MPS in the ETO environment were listed and analysed, being the base for the development of the maturity model as the main outcome of this project. This model analyses how well ETO companies are performing the MPS with the support of ERP systems having a grading scale in which companies can , and together with it a complementary tool was also developed, the evaluation matrix that has questions covering a wide range of topics and aims to help companies to improve the use of their ERP system. Both tools were developed aiming to help production-related personal to evaluate how are they using their ERP system, and provide guidance to improve it.