Organizational concepts for production planning and resource allocation in a multinational pharmaceutical enterprise

Abstract

The production of active substances in pharmaceutical enterprises sometimes involves different production sites. This situation complicates the development of an optimal production plan and results in long lead times and large buffer stocks. Therefore, new solutions for the production planning tasks have to be derived. The MRP II concept, basically developed for discrete manufacturers, seems to be a useful basis. But several adjustments, especially for the capacity planning processes, have to be made. In this article, a modified planning architecture and supporting organisational structure are introduced.