ABSTRACT
This update of the original DBR concept from 2001 takes a broader view of the manufacturing environment. Traditional DBR was designed for situations where demand was assured, and often exceeded, the capacity to produce. The traditional model focused on plant constraints.S‐DBR recognizes that for a substantial number of companies demand does not require all the capacity. Simplified drum–buffer–rope (S‐DBR) requires a “drum beat” that comes from the market not the internal constraint (capacity‐constrained resource, or CCR). S‐DBR also requires a “buffer” for protecting the drum — usually at the loading dock, and a “rope” to signal the need to release materials for new orders. Simplicity is provided by the elimination of two types of buffers (the CCR and assembly) and use of the market‐driven master production schedule rather than CCR (or drum) schedule. In effect, the principal constraint is customer demand and CCRs are still protected but with less rigor than that recommended in the original DBR approach. This is accomplished by using a concept called the “planned‐load.” The S‐DBR approach has, as the entry points out, many advantages over MRP. The entry also notes that DBR and S‐DBR protect delivery schedules from the inevitable variation and waste that can't be eliminated using lean and six sigma tools.
