Joseph Orlicky
Joseph Orlicky was a Czech-born American engineer at IBM who developed material requirements planning (MRP) in the 1960s and wrote the first book on it, published in 1975.
What they did and why it matters
Orlicky's MRP logic, which works backward from planned output to the exact components needed and when, is still built into the ERP and planning systems brands use to buy inventory. Instead of reordering each item when stock fell below a point, MRP explodes a production plan through the bill of materials, nets out on-hand and on-order stock, and offsets by lead time. For brands that kit, bundle, or manufacture, the same calculation tells them when to place purchase orders for components and packaging.
Related people
Sources
- Joseph Orlicky (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org
- Heroes of manufacturing: Joseph Orlicky (QAD) qad.com