Glossary 361

QUEUE TIME The amount of time a job waits at a work center before
work is performed on the job. Queue time is one element of total manufacturing
lead time. Increases in queue time result in direct increases to
manufacturing lead time.
QUICK-SLICE A method of implementing most of the ERP functions into
a small slice of the business, typically one product or product line, in a
very short time.
REGENERATION MRP A method of processing Material Requirements
Planning on the computer whereby the master schedule is totally exploded
down through all bills of material to maintain valid priorities.
New requirements and planned orders are completely regenerated at that
time. See Net change MRP.
REPETITIVE MANUFACTURING Production of discrete units, planned
and executed via schedule, usually at relatively high speeds and volumes.
Material tends to move in a sequential flow. See Flow Shop.
RESCHEDULING ASSUMPTION A fundamental piece of MRP logic which
assumes that existing open orders can be rescheduled in nearer time periods
more easily than new orders can be released and completed. As a
result, planned order receipts are not created until all scheduled receipts
have been applied to cover gross requirements.
RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS PLANNING See Rough-Cut Capacity Planning.
ROUGH-CUT CAPACITY PLANNING The process of converting the production
plan (from Sales & Operations Planning) and/or the master
schedule into capacity needs for key resources: manpower, machinery,
warehouse space, suppliers’ capabilities and, in some cases, money. Product
load profiles are often used to accomplish this. The purpose of
Rough-Cut Capacity Planning is to evaluate the plan prior to attempting
to implement it. Sometimes called Resource Requirements Planning.
ROUTING Information detailing the manufacture of a particular item. It
includes the operations to be performed, their sequence, the various work
centers to be involved, and the standards for set-up and run times. In
some companies, the routing also includes information on tooling, operator
skill levels, inspection operations, testing requirements, and so forth.
SAFETY STOCK A quantity of stock planned to be available to protect
against fluctuations in demand and/or supply.
SAFETY TIME A technique whereby material is planned to arrive ahead of
the requirement date. This difference between the requirement date and
the planned in-stock date is safety time.
SALES & OPERATIONS PLANNING (S&OP) A business process that helps
companies keep demand and supply in balance. It does that by focusing
on aggregate volumes—product families and groups—so that mix issues