Track: Operations Management

Abstract

A review of the principles and techniques for Manufacturing Flow techniques (MFC) was made from the earlier Reorder Point to the more recent Demand Driven Materials Requirement Planning (DDMRP). The hermeneutics double loop review procedure was used to progressively analyse and build up the body of knowledge to create a story line structured using major concept, theoretical lens, and historical development. A chronology of key events and challenges leading to the evolutions of important MFCs were traced to the evolution of the DDMRP, where some key principles of the DDMRP were presented in response to some of these challenges, followed by a discussion of opportunities for research that exists in the implementation of this MFC approach. Findings show that there are opportunities to strengthen the theoretical underpinning of this technique rather than depending mainly on the experiential judgment of those implementing it. Also, more efforts need to be invested in how to understand the similarities of the different MFC techniques so as to create a more integrated and responsive approach, rather than focusing on their differences as seems to be currently done in most research. In addition, making inventory decisions independent of extant capacity considerations (and vice versa) is unlikely to produce an optimal result, hence, the need for a more integrated approach to the planning and control of the manufacturing system. The main limitation to this research is that not all existing MFC have been reviewed, but only those that may be considered as foundational to the evolution of the DDMRP logic, hence, the motivation for the selection of the review approach as well. This can be expanded in subsequent studies, where more comparative studies can be done.