Master Production Schedule (MPS): Meaning & Example
Definition
A master production schedule (MPS) is the plan of which finished products will be made, in what quantity, in each period — usually week by week. It is the input that MRP explodes into material requirements.
| Term | Master production schedule (MPS) |
|---|---|
| In Hindi | मास्टर उत्पादन अनुसूची (MPS) |
| Area | Production & quality |
| Search phrase | master production schedule |
| Try it | MRP |
मास्टर उत्पादन अनुसूची (MPS) — हिंदी में अर्थ
मास्टर प्रोडक्शन शेड्यूल यह योजना है कि कौन-से तैयार उत्पाद, कितनी मात्रा में, किस अवधि (आमतौर पर हर हफ्ते) में बनेंगे। MRP इसी से कच्चे माल की ज़रूरत निकालता है।
How an MPS is built
Start from confirmed sales orders and the forecast, subtract finished goods stock, and spread the remainder over weeks within the factory's capacity. Near weeks are frozen; later weeks can still change.
MPS vs MRP
The MPS says what finished products to make and when. MRP takes that plan, explodes the bills of material and works out what components and raw material to buy or make, and when.
Example
MPS for October: week 1 — 20 work tables, week 2 — 30, week 3 — 25. MRP turns these 75 tables into sheet, castors and fasteners needed by date.
Related tools and guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of MPS in production?
Master Production Schedule.
What is the difference between MPS and MRP?
MPS plans finished products by period; MRP plans the materials and components needed for that plan.
How often is the MPS updated?
Usually weekly, with the nearest weeks frozen to keep the shop floor stable.
What are the inputs to an MPS?
Customer orders, demand forecast, finished goods stock and available capacity.
Related terms
- 5 Whys (root cause analysis)The 5 Whys is a root cause analysis technique in which a team asks 'why?' repeatedly — typically about five times — starting from a problem, until it reaches a cause that, if fixed, stops the problem coming back.
- 5S5S is a workplace organisation method with five steps: Sort (Seiri), Set in order (Seiton), Shine (Seiso), Standardise (Seiketsu) and Sustain (Shitsuke).
- CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action)CAPA stands for Corrective and Preventive Action — a structured process to find the root cause of a quality problem, fix it so it does not recur (corrective), and stop similar problems before they occur (preventive).
- DMAIC (Six Sigma)DMAIC — Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control — is the five-step, data-driven problem-solving method used in Six Sigma to improve an existing process by finding and removing the root causes of defects and variation.
- First pass yield (FPY)First pass yield (FPY) is the percentage of units that pass a process step correctly the first time, without rework, repair or scrap. FPY = units passed first time ÷ units entering the step × 100.
- Fishbone diagram (Ishikawa)A fishbone diagram, also called an Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, lays out all the possible causes of a problem in categories along the 'bones' of a fish whose head is the problem, so that a team can brainstorm and then test the likely ones.