How to consider supply uncertainty of renewable resources in the basic data structures of ERP-systems

Abstract

Production planning in companies often assumes that resource flows are constant. This idealized assumption does not reflect the problem of uncertain procurements. Especially renewable resources are underlying natural influences which result in uncertainties of the quality and quantity of the resource as well as an uncertain time of harvest and delivery. In this paper we analyze how procurement uncertainties of renewable resources can be taken into account in the basic data structures of ERP-systems, namely bill of materials (BOM), work schedules and time schedules. Therefore we describe certain variations methods as general possibilities to handle uncertainty. As a result it can be stated that not every type of BOM can consider uncertainties well enough. The work and time schedules cannot represent every kind of variation which is needed. Overall, a combination of both structures is a good possibility to gain a more flexible and thus a more certain planning.