Cyclic influences within the production resource planning process

Nowadays, manufacturing companies operate in a constantly changing environment. Customer requirements, increasingly stringent environmental laws and the entrance of new competitors into the manufacturer’s market influence the decisions and processes of manufacturing companies. In order to sustain a competitive advantage, a manufacturer needs to anticipate this dynamic environment and offer the right amount of the right products at the right time to the right markets. Therefore, companies need to understand and analyze the different influencing factors. Many of these factors occur at periodical intervals and demonstrate a cyclic behavior. This article proposes a number of models and methodologies for anticipating and managing the different occurring cycles. In this pursuit, various trends in the production industry and the manufacturer’s environment are highlighted. Thereby, different aspects, perspectives and concepts regarding the production process are discussed. Finally, the need for the professional management of cycles is emphasized and the application of the introduced methodologies is demonstrated through a case study of the industrial robot industry.