An Online Tool for Learning Material Requirements Planning in a Computer Integrated Manufacturing Course – A Case Study

Abstract

Material Requirements Planning (MRP) is a commonly used method and system for production and procurement planning in manufacturing companies. In practice, MRP functionalities are provided as a core module of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, but can also be offered via software tools. As MRP competencies are vital for several engineering roles, their attainment is one of the operations management and industrial engineering education goals. Accordingly, in this work, the possibilities and effectiveness of a new online MRP learning tool are assessed. The new MRP module from web-based OPR-MAN software was chosen following a customized selection procedure aiming to identify the most suitable MRP educational software for the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) course at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, the University of Belgrade. The chosen module was subsequently applied when teaching several generations of students attending the CIM course. Its effectiveness was assessed both quantitatively (considering students’ test scores as a measure of individual performance) and qualitatively (using online questionnaire probing students’ overall satisfaction with this tool). A total of 145 students participated in the evaluation and the results showed that students acquired advanced MRP competencies and were very satisfied with the use of this new online tool for learning MRP.