IT Infrastructure II: MRP and Production Planning Systems

This chapter examines MRP and production planning systems as the infrastructure that connects market demand with the physical realities of manufacturing. This chapter traces how production planning evolved from manual control toward integrated planning systems capable of coordinating materials, capacity, and schedules across organizational functions. MRP is interpreted not simply as a computational tool but as a shared planning language that translates product structures and demand forecasts into coordinated action. From an ADX perspective, planning systems are the primary interface between human judgment and digital representation. Their role is not to eliminate uncertainty but to structure it so that organizations can align expectations and learn from deviations. This chapter also shows that Japanese manufacturing historically combined formal planning with genba-based adjustment, creating hybrid control systems that balance visibility and flexibility. In the digital era, MRP remains strategically important because advanced analytics and real-time data still depend on coherent planning architectures that convert information into coordinated organizational commitments.