Integrating lean and MRP: A taxonomy of the literature

Abstract

The natural evolution of MRP and JIT has led to what we know today as ERP and lean production respectively. More than thirty years have passed since the introduction of JIT production into the Western world and since then, discussions regarding the dual existence of MRP and JIT persists in the operations management domain, though now more often in the form of ERP and lean. Needless to say, the dual existence of the two systems has led to an interest amongst both academics and practitioners about the comparability and compatibility of the two approaches. The aim of this paper is to review the literature that focusses on the compatibility of the two. As such, we present a taxonomy of the lean and MRP integration literature.