Enterprise Resource Planning
ERP systems (Enterprise Resource Planning systems) are designed to network complex company processes with each other using modules. “In this respect, the strengths lie in integration,” says management consultant Götz-Andreas Kemmner. However, there is a need for optimization within the individual modules.
In Kemmner’s opinion, for example, the MRP under the ERP provider SAP is unclear on two points: “Firstly, SAP lacks distribution-free procedures for determining the base value and safety stock, which are relevant in practice in many applications,” says the expert author. On the other hand, SAP’s own parameter optimization in the context of exponential smoothing cannot ensure the desired degree of delivery readiness under certain conditions, says Kemmner.
His recipe for greater efficiency in scheduling: add-on tools to complement ERP systems such as SAP R/3. “If you consider that for every euro of inventory reduction, up to an additional 30 cents in warehousing costs can be saved, the tool pays for itself from just a few million euros in inventory value and at the same time leads to an increase in delivery readiness.” In his article “Disposition management with a sharp pen”, the author presents an add-on tool developed by his company for SAP systems and explains how it works. The complete technical article can be downloaded free of charge from the website www.logistik-inside.de – in the “Specialist knowledge” section.
