The Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013 release includes a set of new supply planning options, aimed at the following goals:
- Optimize supply handling cost by minimizing order changes.
- Provide a more precise setup for optimizing the inventory profile.
- Reduce the time spent on processing and changing the planning result.
So, now you might start to wonder: Is this relevant to me? A fair question, which will probably also be raised in many upgrade, sales, and implementation situations.
The short answer: If you are working with either the Requisition or Planning Worksheet, then this change is relevant.
So What Changed?
On the Item card and SKU card on the Planning FastTab, the Reorder Cycle field has been removed and split into four new fields, making it possible to have different values for:
- Lot Accumulation Period: Demands that are due within the reorder cycle are grouped together to make a joint supply order, used by Lot-for-Lot.
- Rescheduling Period: Used to determine if the action message should reschedule an existing order or cancel it and create a new order, used by Lot-for-Lot.
- Time Bucket: Period used by the reorder point to define how often inventory level is checked.
- Dampener Period: In Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, the dampener period applies to an item and can never be higher than the value in the item’s Reorder Cycle field.
On the quantity side, you will also find a few new fields:
- Dampener Quantity: Specifies a dampener quantity to block insignificant change suggestions for an existing supply if the quantity by which the supply would change is lower than the dampener quantity.
- Overflow Level: Specifies a quantity by which you allow projected inventory to exceed the reorder point before the system suggest decreasing existing supply orders. In most scenarios this field should be left blank.
Note: The reorder point is now triggered when inventory level is equal to or below. In earlier versions, it used to be only below.
This was done to align with manufacturing standards and to address the situation when the safety stock quantity and reorder point had the same value.
During upgrade from earlier versions with low repoint values, you may need to update the Reorder Point to reflect this change. For example, if you have a Reorder Point of five pieces (with a rounding factor of one) in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, this would trigger a supply when inventory dropped below five pieces, to four pieces. In Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013, the Reorder Point would have to be four to get the same planning result.
With the new layout on the Planning FastTab, the planning fields are now grouped based on when they are used. So if you use the Lot-for-Lot Reordering Policy, you should focus on the Lot-for-Lot Parameters and if you use Fixed Reorder Qty. or Maximum Qty. you should focus on the Reorder-Point Parameters.
When you are done with the setup and turn to Calculate Regenerative Planning from either the Requisition or Planning Worksheet you should pay attention to a new option to respect planning parameters:
When you select this option, the calculation will respect the planning parameters even when Microsoft Dynamics NAV has to make an exception order to avoid having the inventory level dropbelow the safety stock level. If you do not select this check box, the calculation will just create a suggestion to cover the safety stock level – regardless of most planning parameters, as in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009.
Are you spending too much time analyzing and understanding the planning suggestions?
The new FactBoxes on the Requisition and Planning Worksheet make it easier to get a full overview, by displaying both item details for Replenishment, Planning, and Warehouse as well as details for the Untracked Planning Elements for each line in the worksheet. So make sure you display the FactBoxes relevant for you.
If you want more information on Supply Planning in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2013, one place I suggest you turn is to the Readiness material on Microsoft Dynamics PartnerSource site. In general, you should also take a look at the product Help, in the box and on Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), which got quite an overhaul and now includes content from relevant whitepapers.
-Christian Rytt