Vibe Code Your Own IBP Solution? Here are the Traps | Ep. 28

Most production companies have already done the hard work upstream. The demand forecast is in place, inventories are optimised, and the MRP is running on better input. Then the production order proposals land on the planner's desk and the whole thing drops into Excel. But why Excel? Software could automate and optimise the job has existed for years. The short answer is that advanced planning software is built to be configured for any factory in the world, so configuring it for yours becomes a very expensive project. That’s why Excel wins by default. But that raises a question many is asking right now. Why not just vibe code an IBP system ourselves? Ask Claude or ChatGPT for an optimisation algorithm, describe your machines, orders and constraints, and let it run. In this episode, we discuss this question, and what traps you need to watch out for if vibe coding is your plan. By the end of the conversation you will know what that building block needs from the platform around it, where the planner and the embedded AI fit, and how to test the whole idea in four weeks before you commit any real money. Chapters 02:17 Where production planning sits after MRP 04:00 The gap between what is possible and what happens 04:53 Two options, configure everything or give up and use Excel 10:37 Why the business case is easy to find 11:42 Why not just vibe code it 13:41 From impressive demo to production reality 15:20 Knowing when to stop automating 17:19 Keep the platform, vibe code only the optimisation 21:09 What the platform gives the building block 22:29 The planner, the dashboard and the embedded AI 26:08 Prove it with a four-week POC