MPS (Master Production Schedule) in Business Central

MPS stands for Master Production Schedule. It’s a key element in manufacturing and supply chain management, used to plan and control production activities. Here's a breakdown of what it is and how it maps into business operations:

🔍 What is MPS?

Master Production Schedule (MPS) is a plan for the production of finished goods. It specifies:

• What products need to be produced
• How much of each product is needed
• When they need to be produced

It acts as a bridge between sales forecasts/sales order and production planning, ensuring that customer demand is met without overproducing or underproducing.

🧭 How MPS Maps into Business

MPS plays a central role in various business functions:

1. Production Planning

• Helps determine the quantity and timing of production.
• Ensures optimal use of resources (machines, labor, materials).

2. Inventory Management

• Prevents excess inventory and stockouts.
• Aligns raw material procurement with production needs.

3. Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP)

• Aligns production with sales forecasts.
• Facilitates coordination between departments (sales, marketing, production).

4. Supply Chain Coordination

• Provides suppliers with accurate demand forecasts.
• Improves lead time and delivery reliability.

5. Financial Planning

• Helps estimate production costs and cash flow.
• Supports budgeting and cost control.

To map Master Production Schedule (MPS) in Dynamics 365 Business Central, you use the Planning Worksheet feature, which supports both MPS and MRP calculations. Here's how it works and how you can implement it:

🔧 How to Implement MPS in Business Central

1. Identify MPS Items

• MPS is used for end items (finished goods) that are driven by sales forecasts or sales orders.
• These items are dynamically identified during the planning run.

2. Use the Planning Worksheet

• Navigate to Planning Worksheet in Business Central.
• Choose Calculate Regenerative Plan or Calculate Net Change Plan.
  • Regenerative Plan: Replans all items from scratch.
  • Net Change Plan: Only replans items affected by recent changes.

3. Select MPS Calculation

• In the calculation options, you can choose to run MPS only, MRP only, or both.
• MPS focuses on what to produce and when, based on demand forecasts and sales orders.

4. Review Action Messages

• After calculation, Business Central generates action messages suggesting:
  • Create new production orders
  • Change existing orders (quantity or date)
  • Cancel unnecessary orders

5. Convert to Production Orders

• Once reviewed, you can convert planned orders into firm production orders directly from the worksheet.

You may refer the below Microsoft Learn documentation link for more information. 

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/production-how-to-run-mps-and-mrp