SAP PP MRP What is Discrete Manufacturing, REM and Demand Management?

1. What is Discrete Manufacturing?
2. What is REM?
3. What is Demand Management?

Here are difference between Discrete and REM and small explanation about discrete and repetative manf.:

- A typical characteristic of discrete manufacturing is the frequent switching from one manufactured product to another. The products are typically manufactured in individually defined lots, the sequence of work centers through production varying for each one of these. Costs are calculated on the basis of orders and individual lots.

- In Repetitive Manufacturing, products remain unchanged over a longer period and are not manufactured in individually defined lots. Instead, a total quantity is produced over a certain period at a certain rate.

- Discrete manufacturing typically involves varying the sequence of work centers through which the products can pass during production. The order of work centers is determined in routings, which can often be very complex. There can be waiting times between the individual work centers. Also, semi-finished products are frequently placed in interim storage prior to further processing.

- Repetitive Manufacturing, on the other hand, normally involves a relatively constant flow on production lines. Semi-finished products are usually processed further immediately without being put in interim storage. Routings tend to be relatively simple.

- In discrete manufacturing, component materials are staged with specific reference to the individual production lots. Completion confirmations for the various steps and processes document the work progress and enable fine-tune controlling.

- In Repetitive Manufacturing, components are often staged at the production line without reference to a particular order. Completion confirmations are less detailed, and the recording of actual data is simplified.

- The function of Demand Management is to determine requirement quantities and delivery dates for finished products assemblies. Customer requirements are created in sales order management. To create a demand program, Demand Management uses planned independent requirements and customer requirements.

To create the demand program, you must define the planning strategy for a product. Planning strategies represent the methods of production for planning and manufacturing or procuring a product.

Using these strategies, you can decide if production is triggered by sales orders (make-to-order production), or if it is not triggered by sales orders (make-to-stock production).You can have sales orders and stock orders in the demand program. If the production time is long in relation to the standard market delivery time, you can produce the product or certain assemblies before there are sales orders. In this case, sales quantities are planned, for example, with the aid of a sales forecast.