Unpacking Strategy 56: Production Planning for Make-to-Order with a Twist

In SAP Production Planning (PP), choosing the right strategy is critical to optimizing manufacturing processes. Today, we delve into strategy 56, a unique approach designed explicitly for make-to-order scenarios with characteristic planning.

What is Strategy 56?

Imagine you produce a configurable product, like a custom laptop. Strategy 56 lets you plan for this by focusing on the finished product (the configurable material) without planning for its components at the outset. The specific components depend on the customer’s chosen features (characteristics).

Here’s the breakdown:

• Independent Requirements (PIRs): These are planned at the configurable material level, considering the probability of each characteristic combination.
• Dependent Requirements: Generated during the MRP run based on the Bill of Materials (BOM) and the chosen characteristics in the sales order.
• Production: Similar to strategy 50 (make-to-order), production happens after receiving a sales order.

Key Points to Remember:

• Strategy 56 uses the KEKS requirements type, which links directly to sales orders.
• Usage probabilities are crucial. You define the likelihood of each characteristic combination in the sales forecast, influencing planned requirements.
• This strategy works best for single-level configurations. Planning for multi-level configurations gets complex.

Benefits of Strategy 56:

• Accurate demand forecasting: Considers the specific features customers are likely to order.
• Reduced planning effort: No need to plan for every possible component combination upfront.
• Improved inventory management: Only necessary components are procured based on sales orders.

Who Should Use Strategy 56?

This strategy is ideal for companies producing configurable products with a limited number of characteristics. It fits industries like electronics, furniture, and engineering equipment well.