Operations Management – OMGT2199

Week 9

1. To

2. A manager wants to determine the number of containers to use for incoming parts for a kanban
system to be installed next month. The process will have a usage rate of 80 pieces per hour. Because
the process is new, the manager has assigned an inefficiency factor of .35. Each container holds 45
pieces, and it takes an average of 75 minutes to complete a cycle. How many containers should be
used? As the system improves, will more or fewer containers be required? Why?

Solution
D = 80 pieces per hour
C = 45 pieces per container
T = 75 minutes
X = .35

Determine the number of containers:

Convert T to hours so that both D and T use the same units:
T = 75/60 = 1.25 hours

DT ( 1+ X ) 80 ( 1.25 ) (1+.35)
N= = =3
C 45
As the system improves, the number of containers will decrease due a decrease in the average time
to complete a cycle and a decrease in the inefficiency factor.

3. Determine the number of cycles per day and the production quantity per cycle for this set of
vehicles:
Daily
Product Quantity
A 21
B 12
C 3
D 15

Solution
Given:
Daily
Product Quantity
A 21
B 12
C 3
D 15
Use the sequence A-B-C-D.

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 Solution
Determine the number of cycles per day and the production quantity per cycle:

Step 1:
Determine the smallest integer that can be divided evenly into each model’s daily quantity.
Each value is divisible evenly by 3. There will be 3 cycles per day.

Step 2:
Determine the production plan:

Daily Units per

Product Quantity Cycle
A 21 21/3 = 7
B 12 12/3 = 4
C 3 3/3 = 1
D 15 15/3 = 5

Pattern each cycle:

A(7), B(4), C(1), D(5).

4. Determine the number of cycles per day and a production quantity per cycle for this set of products
that achieves fairly level production:
Daily
Product Quantity
F 9
G 8
H 5
K 6

Assume the production sequence will be F-G-H-K.

Solution
Processing order = F-G-H-K.
Daily
Product Quantity
F 9
G 8
H 5
K 6

The smallest daily quantity is 5. However, none of the other daily quantities are divisible by 5. Using
5 cycles and producing 1 unit of each product per cycle would leave some products, as shown in the
following table. Hence, if 5 cycles are used, some extra units will have to be made in some cycles.
Daily Units per
Product quantity Cycle
F 9 9/5 = 1.8
G 8 8/5 = 1.6
H 5 5/5 = 1
K 6 6/5 = 1.2
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 One possibility would be:
Cycle 1 2 3 4 5
Pattern F(2)–G–H–K(2) F(2)-G(2)-H-K F(2)-G(2)-H-K F(2)-G-H-K F-G(2)-H-K
Extra units(s) F, K F, G F, G F G

5. Compute the takt time for a system where the total time per shift is 480 minutes, there is one shift,
and workers are given two 15-minute breaks and 45 minutes for lunch. Daily demand is 300 units.
Solution:
Total time per shift = 480 minutes.
There is 1 shift and workers are given two 15-minute breaks and 45 minutes for lunch.
Daily demand is 300 units.

Step 1:
Compute net time available per shift.

Net available time = 480 – (15 + 15 + 45) = 405 minutes/shift.

Step 2:
Compute the net time available per day.

405 minutes/shift x 1 shift/day = 405 minutes/day.

Step 3:
Compute the takt time.

Net time available per day 405 minutes /day

Takt time= = =1.35 minutes/unit
Daily demand 300units /day

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