Master production schedule software for master scheduling, with a worked MPS example
ProductionPlanning.ai is master production schedule software for small and mid sized US plants: it builds the MPS from firm orders and the forecast, checks every week against finite capacity on every work center, and turns it into a machine schedule, from 149 USD per plant per month with unlimited users. The master production schedule (MPS) is the plan of what the plant will finish, product by product, week by week. It sits between the sales forecast and the detailed machine schedule, and it is the number sales should promise from. Most MPS tools stop at quantities; the useful part is knowing whether those quantities fit the machines.
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Machine shop, Material shortages and late orders, this week
Open it in the demoMaterial shortages
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Late orders
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What an MPS master production schedule is
An MPS states how many of each finished product the plant will complete in each period, usually weeks, over the next two to three months. It is built from firm orders and forecasts, netted against stock, and checked against capacity.
- Demand: firm customer orders plus the forecast for the rest of the period
- Projected stock at the end of each week
- Planned production quantities that keep stock above a safety level
- Available to promise: how much of the plan is not yet sold
Master production schedule example, one product over four weeks
One product, 60 units in stock at the start, a safety stock of 20, and a production batch of 100.
| Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forecast | 40 | 40 | 50 | 50 |
| Firm orders | 45 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| Demand used | 45 | 40 | 50 | 50 |
| MPS production | 100 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Projected stock | 115 | 75 | 25 | 75 |
How the numbers work, week by week:
- Week 1: 60 in stock, demand 45 (the larger of forecast and firm orders), stock would drop to 15, below safety, so a batch of 100 is planned. 60 plus 100 minus 45 leaves 115.
- Week 2: demand 40, stock 75, no batch needed.
- Week 3: demand 50, stock 25, still above the safety level of 20.
- Week 4: demand 50 would leave minus 25, so a batch of 100 is planned. 25 plus 100 minus 50 leaves 75.
Available to promise in week 1 is 60 in stock plus the batch of 100, minus the 95 units of firm orders due in weeks 1 to 3, before the next batch arrives in week 4. That leaves 65 units sales can still promise.
Master production planning only works if capacity checks it
The MPS says 100 units in week 1 and week 4. It does not say whether the machines can make them in those weeks alongside every other product. That check is rough cut capacity planning, and in practice it is where most MPS plans go wrong: every product's plan looks fine alone, and the total does not fit.
ProductionPlanning.ai runs that check for real. Weekly quantities become orders, orders are scheduled with finite capacity on your work centers, and any week that does not fit shows the late orders and the overloaded machine. Read more about capacity planning software.
Master production schedule software that connects to the floor
- Weekly quantities per product from firm orders, and from forecasts (Plant plan and above)
- Scheduled on real work centers, shifts and setup times
- Late weeks and overloaded work centers marked before you commit
- Plan versions compared side by side (Plant plan and above)
- Forecast inputs described on the production forecasting software page
Where to run a master production schedule, and what each option costs
There are four common places to keep an MPS. They differ less in the arithmetic than in whether anything checks the plan against capacity.
| Option | Typical price | Checks capacity | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet | Staff time only | No, unless someone builds a load sheet by hand | One product family, one planner, stable demand |
| MPS inside an MRP such as MRPeasy | MRPeasy includes MPS from its Enterprise plan, 99 USD per user a month | Rough cut only on most plans | Plants that already run that MRP for stock and purchasing |
| MPS inside an ERP such as Epicor Kinetic or Infor VISUAL | Quote only, third party estimates from about 100 USD per user a month plus implementation | Yes, through the ERP's scheduling module | Plants replacing their whole business system |
| ProductionPlanning.ai | 149 USD per plant a month on Line, 429 USD on Plant | Yes, finite capacity on every work center and shift | Plants that want the MPS and the machine schedule in one place, next to the books they keep |
The ERP figures are third party estimates; the arithmetic is worked through in Epicor Kinetic pricing and MRPeasy pricing.
Master production scheduling questions buyers ask
What is MPS software?
MPS software builds the master production schedule: how many of each finished product to make in each week, from firm orders, the forecast and stock. Good MPS software also checks those weekly quantities against machine capacity and passes them to the detailed schedule, so sales promises dates the floor can actually hit.
What is the difference between MPS and MRP?
The MPS decides how many finished products to make and when. MRP takes that plan and works out the components and raw materials to buy or make, and when to order them. MPS drives MRP, so an MPS that ignores capacity pushes impossible dates into every purchase order downstream.
Who is responsible for the master production schedule?
Usually a master scheduler or production planner, with the plant manager signing it off. In a small plant that is often one person who also runs the machine schedule. Sales owns the demand side and the floor owns capacity, so the MPS works best when all three see the same plan, which is why we include unlimited users.
How far out should a master production schedule go?
Far enough to cover your longest cumulative lead time, purchase plus production, and usually 8 to 13 weeks for a small discrete plant. The first few weeks are frozen so the floor is not chasing changes, and the later weeks stay open to the forecast.
Turn your MPS into a schedule every machine can run
Create your account and schedule your weekly plan with finite capacity.
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