The MRP acronym can be used to discuss several manufacturing topics. One of the things that MRP can be used for is manufacturing resource planning. In this context the acronym is usually used to describe an entire manufacturing system that can include items like financials for manufacturing, inventory and supply chain systems as well as planning and manufacturing execution systems. There have been two MRP standards MRPI and MRPII. If you’re interested in MRP Software you might want to check out the MRP page at Tuppas. Tuppas offers agile MRP Solutions.

The manufacturing industry does not use the MRP acronym with the frequency that it once did in relationship to resource planning. ERP is used more now in manufacturing. The ERP acronym stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP solutions are basically MRP systems meant for an entire enterprise or collections of plants. The boundaries of functionality that these systems encompass can vary greatly and are as numerous as the companies that create and implement them.

The MRP acronym can also stand for material requirements planning. Material requirements planning is usually a report or collection of reporting that tells its’ users what raw materials to purchase in order to meet the current and predictable demands for finished goods. These MRP reports are usually generated from inventory levels in relationship to open orders and inbound raw material on open purchase orders. Some systems also incorporate additional information on sales forecasts, KanBan levels and other lean manufacturing systems.