In a lean environment, one uses material requirements planning (MRP) processing primarily to:

 In a lean environment, one uses material requirements planning (MRP) processing primarily to create plans to share with suppliers. MRP is a software-based system that calculates the quantity and timing of materials needed for production, based on the master production schedule, the bill of materials, and the inventory status. MRP helps to coordinate the flow of materials from suppliers to the production process, reducing waste and inventory costs. MRP can also generate purchase orders, work orders, and other documents to communicate the plans with suppliers and internal departments. MRP does not calculate average daily demand, which is a measure of the average amount of a product or service that is sold or consumed per day. MRP does not determine the kanban circuit locations, which are the physical places where kanban cards or containers are exchanged between processes in a pull system. MRP does not determine where to use supermarkets, which are locations where a small amount of inventory is kept to buffer against fluctuations in demand or supply. References: CPIM Exam Content Manual Version 7.0, Domain 4: Plan and Manage Supply, Section 4.1: Supply Planning Concepts, p. 24; Lean MRP; Manufacturing resource planning.