The early road to material requirements planning

Material requirements planning (MRP) systems became a prominent approach to managing the flow of raw material and components on the factory floor in the late 20th century. Its adoption was not an over night phenomenon, but was a slow progression over many decades. This article chronicles many developments and events during the formative years of MRP, highlighting changes in computer technology and contributions by key early proponents of this approach for managing the flow of material on the factory floor.