An investigation into manufacturing planning and control systems within Irish engineering sector

Abstract

Manufacturing planning and control (MPC) systems, among a number of sub-systems in an organisation, are the pivotal infrastructures that support the' organisation’s strategy in order to create competitive advantage in the market place. It provides information to efficiently manage the flow of materials, effectively utilize people and equipment, coordinate internal activities with those of suppliers and communicate with customers about market requirements. Several studies emphasized the need for alignment between the manufacturing planning and control methods and the manufacturing environment, in order to improve companies’ performance. Matching the MPC systems dimensions with the manufacturing environment is problematic. Throughout the literature there is a lack of empirical- studies that match specific manufacturing environment and planning methods. This thesis provides a practical knowledge investigating the MPC system used within the Irish engineering sector and examines the effect on performance, of linking those systems to' the business environment. The underlying hypothesis is that good performance is the result of matching the MPC system with the manufacturing environment and good use of the MPC system employed. A conceptual framework, based on the literature review has been developed. Further it examines how the use of those systems influences the companies’ performance. The thesis concludes that the performance of Irish companies improves when they can match the MPC system with the manufacturing environment and they use it efficiently.