Abstract: A computer system and method for synchronizing sales order confirmations and material flow determinations in a supply chain management (SCM) environment. For example, a method according to one embodiment of the invention comprises: receiving an indication of a new sales order having associated therewith a desired quantity and a desired delivery date; determining whether the desired quantity can be promised by the desired delivery date based on current receipts; and generating a fixed pegging relationship between the new sales order and receipts identified to satisfy the sales order if the desired quantity can be promised by the desired date.

Abstract: A system and method are described for performing bucket-oriented capacity checks on resources to determine whether activities can be processed prior to a desired delivery date.

Abstract: Identifying an operation that is critical to meeting a due date of a production order includes identifying operations associated with the production order, obtaining schedules for the operations using infinite production planning, obtaining start intervals for the operations based on the schedules, selecting a target operation from the operations, and determining whether the target operation is critical to meeting the due date based on whether the target operation can be scheduled, using finite production planning, in a start interval obtained for the target operation.

Abstract: A method and device for planning a production includes determining material flows of products that are part of the production. This determination is done by allocating available quantities of a product for covering demanded quantities of the product in time. An allocating procedure classifies orders for the demanded quantities according a priority and orders for the available quantities according to a feasibility to provide the quantity. The classifications of the orders are used to cover the demanded quantities with a higher priority by available quantities with a higher feasibility.

Abstract: Methods and computer systems are provided for reducing the runtime of a material requirements planning run. In one embodiment, a computer system loads a plurality of bills of materials into a data structure. The computer system may analyze parent-child relationships between components of the plurality of bills of materials in the data structure and set for each component in the data structure a counter value that indicates the number of parent components for each component. The counter value of a specific child component may be decremented when the planning of a parent component of the specific child component is completed. The computer system may then proceed with the planning of the specific child component if the associated counter value indicates that the planning of all parent components of the specific child component is completed.