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Unit 1 - Production Management Frequently Asked Questions: What Is Estimating?
Unit 1 - Production Management Frequently Asked Questions: What Is Estimating?
What is Estimating?
Involves deciding the quantity of products to be produced and cost involved in it on the basis of
sales forecast. Estimating manpower, machine capacity and materials required (bill of materials
is the basis) to meet the planned production targets.
What is Routing?
This is the process of determining the sequence of operations to be performed in the production
process. Routing determines what work must be done, where and how?
Routing information is provided by product or process engineering function and it is useful to
prepare machine loading charts and schedules.
Example:
What is Scheduling?
It Involves fixing priorities for each job and determining the starting time and finishing time for
each operation, the starting dates and finishing dates for each part, sub assembly and final
assembly.
Scheduling lays down a time table for production, indicating the total time required for the
manufacture of a product and also the time required for carrying out the operation for each part
on each machine or equipment.
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What is Loading ?
Facility loading means loading of work centre and deciding, which jobs to be assigned to which
work centre or machine? Loading is the process of converting operation schedules into practice.
Machine loading is the process of assignment specific jobs to machines, men or work centers
based on relative priorities and capacity utilization.
Example of machine loading chart is Gantt chart
What is Dispatching?
It is defined as setting production activities in motion through the release of orders (work order,
shop order) and instructions in accordance with the previously planned time schedules or
routings. It also provides a means for comparing actual progress with planned production
progress.
What is Expediting?
It ensures that, the work is carried out as per the plan and delivery schedules are met. It
includes activities such as status reporting, attending to bottlenecks in production and removing
the same, controlling variations or deviations from planned performance levels, following up and
monitoring progress of work through all stages of modifying the production plans and re-plan if
necessary.
What is Inspection
To achieve the quality standards set by product design, every product coming out of the work
center is tested for quality in production.
Example:
Inspection The Perfect Buns: Digital Imaging System On Production Line Catches Bad Sandwich
Buns
What is Evaluation?
The objective of evaluation is to improve performance. Performance of machines, processes
and labour is evaluated to improve the same.
What are types of productivity?
Capital Productivity
Capital involves resources, such as, money deployed in plant, machinery, buildings, distribution
system and also working capital.
To maximize the utilization of the funds allotted towards capital, strategies such as, adapting
new technologies, outsourcing, balancing of workstations, methods analysis, rationalization of
packaging methods and quality circles need to be followed.
Labour Productivity
Labour productivity is the amount of goods and services that a labourer produces in a given
amount of time. It is measured using Motion Study and work measurement methods.
Personal Productivity
Personal does not involve those who do work on the machine, but those, who facilitate the
operations, who co-ordinate between various operations of identifying the jobs that have to be
done, check the setups, verify allocation of machines and calibration of inspection equipments
etc.
The productivity of these personal cannot be directly measured. Their productivity is indirectly
measured in terms of the productivity of the functions and workforce they are aligned.
Process:
Computerization of system
Use of Management Information System (MIS)
Improvement in scheduling
Better material flow
Fast and accurate retrieval of parts
Work Design:
Improve job-design
Better work method
On-job training
Work Environment:
Better lighting and illumination
Better ventilation
Safe work-place
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Program:
Quality circle
Suggestion scheme
Incentive schemes
Revise pay or policy
Technology:
Acquire new technology such as electro-chemical machining (ECM), etc.
Acquire automation in assembly, for example, surface mounting technology (SMT) for
printed circuit board assembly unit.
Acquire computer controlled machines, such as CNC or DNC.
Use automated guided vehicle (AGV) for material transportation.
Manufacturing strategy:
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resources development people. It establishes policy, plans and directs the program and
meets usually once in a month.
Co-ordinator: Co-ordinator may be a Personnel or Administrative officer who coordinates and supervises the work of the facilitators and administers the programme.
Facilitator: Facilitator may be a senior supervisory officer. He /She co-ordiates the
works of several quality circles through the Circle leaders.
Circle leader: Leaders may be from lowest level workers or Supervisors. A Circle leader
organises and conducts Circle activities.
Circle members: They may be staff workers. Without circle members the porgramme
cannot exist. They are the lifeblood of quality circles
Methodology:
The methodology of quality circles involves a set of sequential steps as mentioned below:
Brain storming
Pareto Diagrams
Cause & Effect Analysis
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Histograms
Scattergrams
Benefits & Limitations of QC:
A variety of benefits have been attributed to Quality Circles, including higher quality, improved
productivity, greater upward flow of information, broader improved worker attitudes, job
enrichment, and greater teamwork.
Limitations include lack of management commitment and support, resistance by middle
management, resentment by non participants, inadequate training, lack of clear objectives and
failure to get solutions implemented.