Curricula

Objectives

Purpose:
Materials management can have a significant impact on a company's profit, logistics efficiency and customer service. In global supply chains and e-commerce, the importance of material management components, such as demand forecasting, inventory level management, selecting production strategy and planning capacity, is becoming increasingly important. In this course you will learn how to plan and manage material flows. After completing this course, you will understand the basic principles, key concepts and theories of material management and their implications for business.

Competencies:
- Investigations and information retrieval
- Knowledge and understanding
- Purchasing
- Intralogistics
- Business

Learning outcomes:
- You will understand the importance of demand forecasting in business and the most common methods of forecasting.
- You will understand how material flows and inventory levels can be managed and controlled. You understand how to minimize costs of material flow and inventory can be minimize.
- You will understand the basic principles of production control management as well as the different production strategies and their importance for business.
- You will understand how machine, space and personnel capacity is can be determined and understand the basic principles of capacity management.

Content

- Demand forecasting
- Inventory management
- Material requirements planning
- Production control management
- Capacity management

Learning materials and recommended literature

Learning materials in Moodle

Preferred literature:
Introduction to materials management. 2017. Chapman, Stephen N. Harlow : Pearson Education Ltd.

Teaching methods

This course includes lectures, learning assignments and exam. Some of the assignment are done as independent work, some during contact teaching (around 40 hours or contact teaching). The assignments are described in the course learning environment. All assignments are either independent or group work (as described in course workspace) and due dates are confirmed as the course progresses.

Practical training and working life connections

Company visits are included to course if possible. Trade fairs, seminars, webinars, etc. that take place during the course can be included in the course. This will be discussed in more detail during the course.

Exam dates and retake possibilities

Exam schedule will be informed during the course.

Student workload

Lectures and other contact studies approximately 40 lessons.
Independent studying approximately 95 hours.

Further information for students

Course assessment is based on assessment criteria from learning objectives.

Evaluation scale

0-5

Evaluation criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

1: You have gained knowledge at all the subjects described in the learning outcomes.
2: You have gained knowledge at all the subjects described in the learning outcomes and is able to can utilize this knowledge.

Evaluation criteria, good (3-4)

3: You understand all the subjects described in the learning outcomes and is able to apply the skills one has learned.
4: You have attained an excellent level in almost all the subjects described in the learning outcomes and is able to apply the skills one has learned.

Evaluation criteria, excellent (5)

5: You have attained an excellent level in all subjects described in the learning outcomes and is able to apply the skills one has learned.