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Question

Demand allocation to multiple suppliers?

  • June 18, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 11 views

Npoyraz
Do Gooder (Customer)
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Does anyone know how to split supplier allocation in IFS? If I want to give 50% of the volume to one supplier and 50% to another, what needs to change in IFS? how does it behave? Thanks!

1 reply

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  • Superhero (Employee)
  • June 19, 2026

Hi ​@Npoyraz ,

You can configure supplier allocation at Purchase Part level:

Purchase Part → Supplier for Purchase Part → Supplier Split tab

Setup steps

  1. Create / open your Purchase Part
  2. Maintain Supplier for Purchase Part records (at least 2 suppliers)
  3. Go to Supplier Split
  4. Add lines:
    • Supplier A → 50%
    • Supplier B → 50%
    • Define Valid From / To dates (important!)
  5. Save

👉 Important: The suppliers must already exist in Supplier for Purchase Part, otherwise you cannot assign them to the split.

 

⚙️ How IFS behaves 

✅ 1. Split happens at requisition creation / MRP

  • When a Purchase Requisition (PR) is created (manually or via MRP):
    • The system splits the required quantity according to percentages
    • It creates:
      • multiple PR lines, or
      • prompts to split the requisition

➡️ Example:

  • Demand = 100 pcs
  • Split = 50 / 50
    → PR:
  • 50 pcs → Supplier A
  • 50 pcs → Supplier B

✅ 2. It is a fixed percentage logic (not dynamic)

  • The split is:
    • static
    • manually maintained
  • IFS does NOT automatically rebalance based on:
    • supplier performance
    • lead times
    • stock situation

➡️ You must adjust percentages yourself over time

 

✅ 3. MRP logic: sequencing matters

IFS typically:

  1. Calculates required quantity
  2. Applies planning rules (lot size, etc.)
  3. Then applies supplier split

⚠️ This leads to some side effects:

  • Quantities may not respect lot sizes after split
  • Small rounding differences can appear

 

⚠️ 4. Important behavioral limitations (often misunderstood)

🚫 Not a “target share over time”

It is:

  • NOT averaging 50% over a month/year
  • It is applied per requisition event

➡️ So:

  • If demands come unevenly → actual share may deviate

🚫 Not inventory-aware

IFS does NOT:

  • check how much you already bought from each supplier
  • rebalance to maintain 50/50 historically

🚫 Not context-aware (make/buy or constraints)

Example from real case:

  • If you already have supply covered from one source,
    IFS still splits the remaining demand 50/50
    (even if it doesn’t make business sense)

🚫 Doesn’t always trigger if PRs already exist

  • If you have existing open PRs/POs, the split may not apply cleanly
  • Best practice:
    • run MRP without existing PRs
    • or cancel/regenerate

 

🧠 Practical example (consultant view)

Let’s say:

  • Demand: 1,000 pcs
  • Already planned internally: 700
  • Remaining: 300
  • Split = 50 / 50

👉 IFS will do:

  • 150 pcs → Supplier A
  • 150 pcs → Supplier B

⚠️ Even if:

  • you intended to buy only from one supplier for the remainder

🧩 When to use vs not use

✅ Good use cases

  • Dual sourcing policy (e.g. risk mitigation)
  • Stable, predictable demand
  • Strategic sourcing split

⚠️ Not ideal for

  • Dynamic allocation (capacity-based)
  • Performance-driven allocation
  • Make vs buy optimization
  • Highly volatile demand

💡 Key takeaways 

  • ✅ Use Supplier Split on Purchase Part
  • ✅ Define percentages (50/50)
  • ✅ Expect split at PR/MRP level
  • ❗ It is static, per-event logic
  • ❗ No automatic balancing or intelligence

🚀 Consultant tip (important for design discussions)

If your business says:

“We want 50/50 yearly share”

You need:

  • reporting (Power BI / IFS KPIs)
  • periodic manual adjustments
    or
  • custom logic / optimization layer

Because standard IFS = tactical split, not strategic allocation engine

If you want, I can map this to your specific process (MRP vs manual PR vs supplier agreements), because behavior slightly changes depending on how you're generating demand.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Pilar