Abstract This paper discusses how the authors of this article identify six steps that organizations can take to make the process of change from mass and batch-production to flow production smoothly. It provides step by step guidelines and helps the reader get a realistic view of the actual conditions that managers and change agents face when undertaking the conversion process.
From the Paper "The article "From Batch to Flow in Six Moves" was selected for critiquing. (McClure, Aft, & Schmeidler, 2003) Lean manufacturing is becoming very important and critical for the success of organization in a global environment. In the past, mass and batch-production were the norm for manufacturing and production organizations. In recent times, however, the lead times have reduced. Companies not sensitive to the market demand slowly fade away. Process and operations management has become the lifeline and support for organizations. They ensure that organizations are competitive on price, quality and delivery time. Years of mass and batch-production have made organizations resist the changeover to flow production. The idea of balancing flow (and not the capacity) throughout the plant is considered the starting point for implementation of the Optimized Production Technology (OPT) program proposed by the Dr. Goldratt."
Abstract This paper explains that computer clustering involves the use of multiple computers, typically personal computers (PCs) or UNIX workstations, multiple storage devices, and redundant interconnections, to form what appears to users as a single integrated system. This paper points out that, despite some challenges, such as achieving transparency, mitigating network latency, and the split-brain problem, clustering has proven to be a huge success for bringing scale and availability to computing applications. The paper relates that, just as clustering has reduced the importance of supercomputers for parallel processing, clusters are making the mainframe less relevant for batch applications.
From the Paper "Parallel processing is the processing of program instructions by dividing them among multiple processors with the objective of running a program in less time. Parallel processing is normally applied for rendering and high computational based applications. Rather than using expensive specialized supercomputers for parallel processing, implementers have begun using a large cluster of small, commodity servers. Each server runs its own operating system, to take a number of jobs, process them, and send the output to the primary system. Clusters provide the ability to handle a large task in small bits, or lots and lots of small tasks across an entire cluster, making an entire system more affordable and more scalable."
Abstract This paper discusses batch scripting in Unix. Relevant terms and concepts, such as batch files, scripting, and Unix shells are introduced. The advantages of Unix scripting over batch files in an MS-DOS environment are highlighted. The benefits of batch files and the development of batch control systems are examined.
From the Paper "Scripting in Unix can be used for batch jobs. The purpose of this approach is to create a reliable repetition of a single task ranging from analysis of real data, processing or reprocessing of raw data to final quality data and reconstruction.
"Batch files are a familiar term for those who have used MS DOS in its most basic form and who have background knowledge of the Windows operating system. While working in the DOS environment, it is likely that the one might come across batch files at some point. In the context of an MS DOS environment, a batch file is simply a text file, which contains a list of commands to be executed in sequence. Although, in the batch files created in a DOS environment, a simple level of interactivity exists but they are not capable of offering a rich environment similar to that of a dedicated program that a language like Unix can provide."
Abstract This paper examines in depth how manufacturing organizations in the United States are not as profitable as can be, by looking at management, integration human factors, technology and facility available to achieve near perfection. The paper debates along with the authors of the book, "The Goal" by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Fox, the different approaches to making profit, by increasing throughput through sales while reducing the inventory and the operational cost of the organization. The paper uses the Toyota Company as an example of these ideas.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Methods and Discussion:
Bottlenecks and non-bottlenecks resources
Inventory
Batch Size and the importance of setting a batch size
Operational expenses
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "In the book, "The Goal" by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Fox, evaluate the manufacturing process used by most organizations. According to the authors, manufacturing processes followed by the west and most developed countries are flawed. These flaws can be eliminated from the process by implementing specific operating practices. The goal for any organization is making money, and experts in the field propose different ways of approaching it. Making money, according to Dr. Goldratt, is simple: increase throughput through sales while reducing the inventory and the operational cost of the organization. No individual can identify and analyze all the factors affecting a manufacturing organization alone."
An overview and exploration of the main differences between materials resource planning (MRP), materials resource planning II (MRP II) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
Abstract This paper looks at how material requirements planning (MRP or MRPI) was developed in the 1960?s, to enable companies to calculate the number of different components necessary and when they were needed. It traces its development over the years and identifes the main differences between materials resource planning (MRP), its predecessor materials resource planning II (MRP II) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) as well as the pro's and con's of the MRP II concept. Using a basic diagram, the three fundamental functions of MRP are explained which are netting, batching and time phasing.
From the Paper "Distinguishing MRPII from the original MRP concept is a simple process. MRPI is simply the process of identifying the amount of components required and at what time they are required. This developed into closed loop MRP, which calculated the workload required to fulfil the orders and compared this to the capacity available. MRPII expands on this by calculating the cost of proposed MRP runs, this allowed managers to identify viable production-runs and allowed them further control over the operation. In calculating the costs MRPII works in the opposite direction to MRPI, it starts at the lowest level of the BOM and works its way up until the net-requirements of the finished product is determined."
Tags:batching, bom, netting, operations, phasing, processes, time
Abstract This paper discusses Washburn International Guitars, which is a guitar manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It looks at the launch of Washburn's new product line and their suggested price point and batch number. Additionally, the paper analyzes the company's consideration of relocating its manufacturing and production facilities to Nashville, Tennessee.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Statement of the Problem
Summary of the Facts
Analysis
Recommendations
Conclusions
From the Paper "The global economy has allowed competitors in almost every industry to compete in markets that are geographically removed and diverse. Researchers note that because of comparative advantage across markets, the sheer cost-savings achieved by shifting production and manufacturing to overseas locations makes this option requisite even for companies that traditionally have not competed on price (Measuring, 2005). The reason for this is that as these overseas contract manufacturers have improved their infrastructure, technologies, as well as competencies in the manufacturing process, they are increasingly offering higher quality products at the same cut-rate pricing schemes. This is an equation that retailers and distributors cannot ignore."
Abstract This paper discusses how programming computer architecture includes the instruction set, memory organization and input/output structure and how at the machine level making use of this structure is cryptic and tedious. Operating systems are therefore implemented to serve this function. It looks at how the computers in use between 1945 and 1955 were massive, costly entities driven by unreliable vacuum tubes and how all programming was done in machine language because the computer industry had not yet advanced far enough to need operating systems. It analyzes how the development of the transistor in the middle of the 1950s made computers considerably more reliable and smaller, looks at the batch systems that were used from from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s and the new computer architecture using LSI (large scale integration) developed in the 1980's. It follows the development of the different operating systems to move with the advancement in technology from DOS for to Linux , Unix and Windows.
From the Paper "Technicians next addressed the problem of the need for a simple protection scheme and created one by which certain memory (found where the monitor resides) was made off-limits to user programs, which prevented user programs from corrupting the monitor. To keep user programs from reading too many (or not enough) cards, the hardware was changed, allowing the computer to operate in one of two modes: one for the monitor, and one for the user programs. IO could only be performed in monitor mode, meaning that IO requests from the user programs were passed to the monitor. To prevent an infinite loop from developing, a timer was added to the system and modifications were made so that a maximum execution time for the job was passed to the monitor. The computer would then interrupt the job and return control to the monitor when this time was exceeded ("Operating Systems History")."
Abstract This paper lays out the foundation for the accounting information system (AIS) initiatives. It takes into account the present and ongoing developments in technology and its effective and innovative use in business. The paper starts with building and reinforcing the basic security infrastructure and foundational areas to ensure the achievement of long-term objectives and proceeds to improvement and development of the core information system - the AIS.
Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Information Security
Business Continuity Planning (Bcp)/Disaster Recovery Planning
Impacts Of Privacy Considerations On The Accounting Information System
Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act
Why the HIPAA in AIS?
Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002
Due Diligence and Corporate Governance
The Ais And New And Emerging Technologies And Processes
Coverage Of The Ais
E-Business Technologies
Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer
Advantages of B2B and B2C
Disadvantages of B2B and B2C
Batch And Real Time Transaction Processing 4.4. Electronic Data Interchange
The Essential Elements of EDI are
Extensible Business Reporting Language
Usage and Benefits
From the Paper "Today's commerce and industry increased its global competitiveness through the implementation of information technologies. The availability of various supplies over demands helped leverage customer expectations, and businesses reacted to this modern trend by reengineering their processes and methodologies while reorganizing their corporate organizational structure to meet the growing needs of modern business. Whereas a person used to go to the mall to buy something, nowadays at a touch of a button, anything - or everything can be had via the Internet; thus Internet e-commerce or e-business was born."
Tags: corporate, organizational, ICT, communication
Abstract The paper examines how many business drivers that are influencing and growing the use of enterprise service bus (ESB) architectures throughout global manufacturing are also making it critical for manufacturers to take into account the need for greater synchronization of supply chains across the many sourcing, supply chain, manufacturing, fulfillment and service centers. The paper discusses how, over and above the need for manufacturers to synchronize these disparate, legacy and often non-integrated systems with enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain, distributed order management, and often, global customer relationship management (CRM) systems is the more fundamental challenge of turning all these systems into competitive advantages in the marketplace.
Outline:
Introduction
Table 1: Planning Web Services For Channels: Real-Time Versus Batch Integration
Figure 1: Manufacturer's dilemma regarding mass customization and channel implications of integration
Figure 2: An example of a Brokered ESB Pattern Model
Implications of Visualization Grids on ESB in Manufacturing
Figure 4: Combining BPEL4WP and Key Performance Indicator Financial Performance
Figure 5: An Example of a Manufacturing Dashboard
Figure 6: IBM WebSphere's' Hierarchical Model
ESB as the Catalyst for attaining The Perfect Order
Table 2: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Relative to The Perfect Order
Enterprise Service Bus Case Studies
Areas for Future Research
References
From the Paper "The logic of many global manufacturers is that while they are incurring the costs of attaining compliance to government regulations and standards for financial disclosure, they can at the same time completely re-define their IT strategies to better align with the needs of their business. In this regard many manufacturers today look to compliance as the impetus for change, and the primary reason to re-architecting how information technologies and services support making their organizations more agile and flexible."
Abstract This paper explains that Toyota Motor Corporation is almost a showcase company for how effective total quality management (TQM) can be applied at every stage of the production process. The author points out that Toyota is credited with several innovations in automotive manufacturing including supply chain management and inventory control, including just-in-time management as well as quality processes including total quality management, which has been heralded as one of Toyota's keys to success. The paper relates that TQM emphases a corporate culture with a lot of employee participation and systematic management of the data, processes and practices to eliminate waste and pursue continuous improvement. The author describes several of Toyota's seven principals of TQM, such as reducing set-up times by teaching workers to do their own set-ups, producing products in smaller batches and pull production.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
A Brief History & Overview
Total Quality Management
Toyota's Production System - Lean Manufacturing - Do More with Less
Conclusion
From the Paper "Quality at the source is another key element to TQM. In other words, as soon as a problem or defect is found, it must be corrected as soon as possible. It is much less expensive to fix a problem early on, than later in the process. For instance, if a problem is discovered at step one in the production process, it might cost as little as $6 to fix. If it is discovered at step three, it might cost $15. If it is not discovered until the part is eventually inspected for quality that same mistake could cost the company $1,500, $2,000 or more. When that number is compounded by several mistakes, the savings of catching mistakes early can be substantial."
Tags: production, just-in-time, six sigma, employees culture
Abstract The paper relates that real-time data warehousing is emerging as a strategy many manufacturers are relying on to better synchronize their efforts with suppliers, commercial customers, warranty centers and service centers, in addition to channel partners. The paper proposes a dissertation that will evaluate whether manufacturers are attaining a positive return on investment (ROI) for adopting a real-time warehousing architecture and strategy. The paper outlines the conceptual framework and methods and methodologies for this dissertation.
Outline:
Introduction
Conceptual Framework
Analytical Methods and Methodologies
Conclusions
From the Paper "Data warehouses have progressed from being repositories of data, used only by accounting and finance, to becoming an indispensable part of all departments' analytics and reporting requirements. Having transitioned from being the repository of data in the past to a platform for inter-departmental and inter-divisional analysis of results at the tactical and strategic level, data warehouses form the foundation of many organizations' business intelligence (BI), predictive analytics, customer segmentation, pricing modeling, and measures of operating effectiveness including manufacturing key performance indicators (KPIs). Corresponding to the exponential demands on data warehouses across organizations has been the demand for real-time data warehousing over batch-oriented processes. Getting data in real-time is also exponentially more costly on the one hand yet critical for manufacturing companies competing globally. "
Abstract This paper discusses the business production process and how it consists of a series of links that transform inputs into the desired outputs. It then focuses on the differences between the continuous and the intermittent production processes. Next, the paper presents a case study analysis of Kona Coffee and the issues relevant to its production process.
From the Paper "This step is followed by another: coffee fermentation. This process consists in sending the coffee beans that are covered in slippery mucilage to the patios to dry, or to coffee fermentation tanks. Coffee beans must then ferment about 16-36 hours. The coffee fermentation process's time depends on the amount of coffee that is fermenting, water temperature, and humidity. This process is an intermittent one."
"The next step is represented by coffee drying. This process develops as it follows: "from the coffee fermentation tanks, the beans are moved to drying patios and dried to 11-12% moisture content. A small portion of the lot is hulled and milled by a mini-huller. Three hundred grams of coffee is classified for defects (100 grams is often used), and the percentage of each screen size is determined" (Coffee Research, 2007). Then, a 200-300 grams sample of coffee is roasted and cupped in order to determine the coffee's quality. The coffee then remains in pergamino until shipment time, so that the coffee's flavor and aroma are not affected. This is also an intermittent process."
