While grappling with glitches in the design and operation of its production system, Andover Assembly must also launch a new sensor product line to meet ultimatums issued by frustrated Signatron vice presidents. The financial returns of the division are not meeting corporate's expectations and plant manager Jan Havel has been sent in to turn around the plant's operations under 2 (6- and 12-month) deadlines. To turn the unhappy customers into cooperating customers, the Andover division is faced with the challenge of reaching nearly 100% ontime delivery performance within weeks. The introduction of the new product line, which requires some of the same resources, compounds the team's problems.
Describes the continuous flow process used to generate orange juice concentrate. Production involves several tightly coupled process steps with varying production rates and setup times. Given production constraints and customer requirements, management choices must be made to maximize the greatest contribution.
Stonehaven is a disguised version of a shoe factory located in Central Europe that must respond quickly to mix and volume changes for the U.S.-based company. Shoemaking involves several distinctly different processes, which must be designed and managed in a way to give high performance (lead time, cost, productivity).
Few U.S. companies are absorbing the advanced production technologies - such as CAD, CAM, FMS, or CIM - they need to stay competitive. Many are put off by the stringent demands of programmable automation. Most manufacturers are inhibited by organizational structures and practices. Also, approaches to plant construction and capital improvement are incremental, which often precludes investing in advanced, integrated plants.
For more than ten years, U.S. manufacturers have tried to narrow their competitive gap with Japan by investing in flexible automation. But having the technology and using it well are two different things. A study of more than half the installed systems in both countries shows that American companies are using computerized manufacturing for the same old-fashioned, high-volume, low-variety production they have always pursued, while the Japanese are utilizing the new technology in remarkably flexible and effective ways.
Examines different alternatives for the introduction of telemation and computer aided design in a small firm. The issues involve what extent of cooperation is required by different firms so that a telecommunicative interchange between them becomes effective.
Involves the introduction of a technology which almost completely eliminates direct labor for a major segment of the product line. The technology is unproven though, and requires managing the learning process. The teaching objective is to review the differences in managing change between fixed and variable cost-intensive technologies and additions of manufacturing capacity.
The marketing director of a fast-growing firm must make some decisions about the customer service department. The volume in the department has been rising steadily, eye doctors are waiting longer for orders to be filled, and morale in the department is slipping. With pressure on the firm to make a profit, the marketing director must carefully justify any request for additional people or equipment.