Lot-sizing rules and freezing the master production schedule in material requirements planning systems

Freezing the master production schedule (MPS) is one of the frequently used methods for reducing schedule instability in multilevel material requirements planning (MRP) systems. The selection of lot sizing rule and the selection of MPS freezing parameters have been shown to significantly influence MRP performance. This study examines the impact of lot-sizing rule selection on the selection of MPS freezing parameters under rolling time horizons under deterministic demand. A model is built to simulate the Master Production Scheduling and Material Requirements Planning operations in a make-to-order environment. The results show that the selection of lot-sizing rules significantly influences the selection of MPS freezing parameters.