An empirical investigation of enterprise‐wide integration of MRPII

The changing requirements of manufacturing exert considerable pressure on manufacturing resources while competition is intensified as a result of increasing new entrants into the market. The marketplace has consequently been turned into a “battlefield”. The competition for market share has driven improvement initiatives since the 1960s. The extension of MRPII to integrate with other advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) that were hitherto isolated is considered as one of the initiatives embarked on by manufacturers in search of improved performance. Reports a major study of these initiatives and the associated benefits. Reviews integration and extension of MRPII and presents the state‐of‐the art in the UK companies from a survey of 120 manufacturing enterprises. Discusses some empirical findings about the benefits of integration and extension of MRPII with other AMTs.