POLC-A: an assessment of POLCA’s authorization element

POLCA (i.e. Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization) is a card-based production control approach developed to support the adoption of Quick Response Manufacturing. POLCA’s control mechanism is unique since it combines a card-based element (the paired cell overlapping loops of cards) with a higher-level Material Requirements Planning system for release authorization. POLCA has been applied in practice and evaluated in research, but the loops of cards element (POLC) has been adopted without the authorization element (A). In response, we use simulation to evaluate the effect of POLCA’s authorization element. We show that this element has a direct detrimental effect on percentage tardy and mean tardiness performance. While the literature argues that the authorization element should be an integral part of POLCA, our results suggest the opposite. This has important implications for research and practice. Instead of using POLCA with its authorization element, it is preferable to combine POLC—the card-based element—with a shop floor dispatching rule.