Name –Samruddhi S Ghatkar.

Roll no.-2k191014

Sub-OSCM

Assignment 3

Q.1 What are the various dimension of Quality? Define Quality from Customers view

and Manufacturer’s view. Explain concept of TQM.

Ans :

Dimension of Quality : The definition of quality is often a hotly debated topic. While it may

seem intuitive, when we get right down to it, “quality” is a difficult concept to define with any

precision.

The most fundamental definition of a quality product is one that meets the expectations of the

customer. However, even this definition is too high level to be considered adequate.

In order to develop a more complete definition of quality, we must consider some of the key

dimensions of a quality product or service.

Dimension 1: Performance

Does the product or service do what it is supposed to do, within its defined tolerances?

Performance is often a source of contention between customers and suppliers, particularly

when deliverables are not adequately defined within specifications. The performance of a

product often influences profitability or reputation of the end-user. As such, many contracts or

specifications include damages related to inadequate performance.

Dimension 2: Features

Does the product or services possess all of the features specified, or required for its intended

purpose? While this dimension may seem obvious, performance specifications rarely define the

features required in a product. Thus, it’s important that suppliers designing product or services

from performance specifications are familiar with its intended uses, and maintain close

relationships with the end-users.

Dimension 3: Reliability
Will the product consistently perform within specifications? Reliability may be closely related to

performance. For instance, a product specification may define parameters for up-time, or

acceptable failure rates. Reliability is a major contributor to brand or company image, and is

considered a fundamental dimension of quality by most end-users.

Dimension 4: Conformance

Does the product or service conform to the specification? If it’s developed based on a

performance specification, does it perform as specified? If it’s developed based on a design

specification, does it possess all of the features defined?

Dimension 5: Durability

How long will the product perform or last, and under what conditions? Durability is closely

related to warranty. Requirements for product durability are often included within procurement

contracts and specifications. For instance, fighter aircraft procured to operate from aircraft

carriers include design criteria intended to improve their durability in the demanding naval

environment.

Dimension 6: Serviceability

Is the product relatively easy to maintain and repair? As end users become more focused on

Total Cost of Ownership than simple procurement costs, serviceability (as well as reliability) is

becoming an increasingly important dimension of quality and criteria for product selection.

Dimension 7: Aesthetics

The way a product looks is important to end-users. The aesthetic properties of a product

contribute to a company’s or brand’s identity. Faults or defects in a product that diminish its

aesthetic properties, even those that do not reduce or alter other dimensions of quality, are

often cause for rejection.

Dimension 8: Perception

Perception is reality. The product or service may possess adequate or even superior

dimensions of quality, but still fall victim to negative customer or public perceptions. As an

example, a high quality product may get the reputation for being low quality based on poor
service by installation or field technicians. If the product is not installed or maintained properly,

and fails as a result, the failure is often associated with the product’s quality rather than the

quality of the service it receives.

Views of Quality : Meeting requirements is a producer’s view of quality. This is the view of the

organization responsible for the project and processes, and the products and services acquired,

developed, and maintained by those processes. Meeting requirements means that the person

building the product does so in accordance with the requirements. Requirements can be very

complete or they can be simple, but they must be defined in a measurable format, so it can be
determined whether they have been met. The producer’s view of quality has these four

characteristics:

● Doing the right thing

● Doing it the right way

● Doing it right the first time

● Doing it on time without exceeding cost

Being fit for use is the customer’s definition. The customer is the end user of the products or

services. Fit for use means that the product or service meets the customer’s needs regardless

of the product requirements. Of the two definitions of quality, fit for use, is the more important.

The customer’s view of quality has these characteristics:

● Receiving the right product for their use

● Being satisfied that their needs have been met

● Meeting their expectations

● Being treated with integrity, courtesy and respect

Most Information Technology (IT) groups have two quality gaps: the producer gap and the

customer gap. The producer gap is the difference between what is specified (the documented

requirements and internal standards) versus what is delivered (what is actually built). The

customer gap is the difference between what the producers actually delivered versus what the

customer wanted.

In addition to the producer and customer views of quality, the organizational infrastructure also
includes a provider and a supplier view. These views are as follows:

● Provider view – This is the perspective of the organization that delivers the products and

services to the customer.

● Supplier view – This is the perspective of the organization (that may be external to the

producer’s company, such as an independent vendor) that provides either the producer

and/or the provider with products and services needed to meet the requirements of the

customer.

Total Quality Management :

Total Quality management is defined as a continuous effort by the management as well as

employees of a particular organization to ensure long term customer loyalty and customer

satisfaction. Remember, one happy and satisfied customer brings ten new customers along with

him whereas one disappointed individual will spread bad word of mouth and spoil several of

your existing as well as potential customers.

You need to give something extra to your customers to expect loyalty in return. Quality can be

measured in terms of durability, reliability, usage and so on. Total quality management is a

structured effort by employees to continuously improve the quality of their products and services

through proper feedbacks and research. Ensuring superior quality of a product or service is not

the responsibility of a single member.

Every individual who receives his/her paycheck from the organization has to contribute equally

to design foolproof processes and systems which would eventually ensure superior quality of

products and services. Total Quality management is indeed a joint effort of management, staff

members, workforce, suppliers in order to meet and exceed customer satisfaction level. You

can’t just blame one person for not adhering to quality measures. The responsibility lies on the

shoulder of everyone who is even remotely associated with the organization.

Q.2 Write down characteristics of Batch Production with suitable example.

Ans :

Batch production is one of manufacturing methods where limited quantity of each type of
product is authorized for manufacture at a time. It is characterized by the manufacture of a

limited number of products produced at periodic intervals and stocked in warehouses as

finished goods awaiting sales. Typical examples of such batch production are process industries

such as pharmaceuticals, paints, chemicals, medium and heavy engineering industry engaged

in the manufacture of electric motors, switch gear, heave motor vehicles, internal combustion

engines; manufacturer of readymade garments etc.

Characteristics of Batch Production :

1. Short Runs : Short production runs and frequent changes of setup also characterize

batch production. The equipment and the assembly setup is used for a limited number of parts

or assemblies and is then changes to make a different product. The production is generally

made to stock. In project production, each project has a definite beginning and a definite end.

2. Skilled labor in specific trades : The labor force is expected to possess skill in one

specific manufacturing process: turning, milling, drilling, welding, grinding, hobbling, fitting etc.

The operator may perform simpler machine setups but the separate machine tool setter

performs those involving complex operations. Requirement of resources for a project production

is not uniform. Generally resource requirement (men, materials, money etc) in the beginning of

the project is low, which builds up fast with the progress of project as more and more resources

are absorbed, then it levels off until there is gradual cutback as the project approaches

completion.

3. Supervisor to possess knowledge of a specific process : The supervisors have

considerable knowledge of a specific process. Supervisor in the grinding section for example,

may not expert in turning and drilling work but is expected to possess knowledge of different types
of grinding operations. Similarly, a supervisor in the gear shop is expected to have sound

knowledge in working of different types of gear cutting machines.

4. Limited span of control : The amount of supervision required in batch production is

lower than that of jobbing production. The ration of direct workmen to supervisors is more or

less a function of batch size. The smaller the batch, the lower is ration of direct workers to

supervisors, and vice-versa. This is because smaller lots require each supervisor to spend a
great deal of his time in allocating new work, giving instructions, follow up on the shop floor for

proper movement of materials, identifying delays and interruptions and arranging, in

consultation with planning, work load in his section to keep his men busy. In project production

layout is fixed. Where the output of a project is a product, such products are generally

characterized by immobility during transformation. Operations on such products are carried out

in fixed position assembly type of layout, which can be observed in production of ships,

locomotive, aircraft, construction of roads/ buildings etc.

5. General-purpose machines and process type of layout : Plant and equipment is

procured and arranged to obtain maximum flexibility. General-purpose machines and handling

equipment capable of performing variety of operations with minimum setup times are installed in

lieu of variety of products. The machines are arranged to give process layout by function.

Similar machines capable of doing similar types of operations are grouped together and kept at

one place. Presses, for example, are put together and kept at one place; gear-cutting machines

are located at the fourth place and so on. Each group of machines is usually designated as a

work center or a section or a shop.

6. Manual materials handling : Materials handling in batch production as compared to

jobbing production is small. Individual components and parts are placed in trolleys or trays and

are transported as unit loads. Materials handling may be mechanized by deploying power driven

trucks.

7. Manufacturing cycle time affected due to queues : The manufacturing cycle time is

smaller than jobbing production but is much more than mass and flow production. The batches

of work tend to queue up at different machines due to differing cycle times, batch sizes and

sequence of operations.

8. Large work-in-progress : Work in progress is large due to varying work content of

different components, imbalance in manufacturing times, formation of queues between the

machines.

9. Flexibility of production schedules : Disruptions due to machine breakdowns or

absenteeism do not seriously affect production as job can be shifted to another machine or

another operator. In project production, cost of overruns is high. Often delays take place in the

completion of the projects. Such delays are generally very expensive due to escalation in the

cost of factors of production and incident of penalties .

10. Need to have production planning and control : Functions of production planning and

control in batch production unit are more complex than those in jobbing production or mass

production:

1. Materials control and tools control functions are important. Some kind of replenishment

system needs to be used to ensure routine replenishment.

2. Detailed operational layouts and route sheets are prepared for each part of the product.

3. Loading and scheduling needs to be detailed and more sophisticated since every

machine requires to be individually scheduled.

4. Progressing function is very important to collect information on progress of work. A

separate progress card to be maintained to record progress of each component.

5. Expediting is generally necessary since quite often jobs, due to imbalances in work

contents, tend to lag behind.

In batch production because of large number of activities, involvement of different agencies and

strict precedence requirements, scheduling and control assumes great importance. Some

network planning techniques like PERT and CPM have been found useful to overcome the

problems.

Batch Production Examples :

● Baked goods

● Clothing

● Computer chips

● Computer software

● Die- or mold-making

● Electrical goods
● Flat-pack furniture

● Jet engine production

● Jig and fixture production

● Machine tool manufacturing

● Material coating

● Newspapers/magazines

Q.3 Being a PPC manager of Manufacturing plant, what will be your functions to

manage smooth production flow in the plant?

Ans :

Production planning and control is a predetermined process that plans, manages and controls

the allocation of human resource, raw material, and machinery to achieve maximum efficiency.

Production planning is a sequence of steps that empower manufacturers to work smarter and

optimize their production process in the best possible manner. This helps manufacturers work

smarter by efficiently managing internal resources to meet customer demand.

Objectives of Production Planning and Control (PPC)

Having a reliable Production Planning and Control software in your company makes it easy to:

● Ensure cost-efficient production process

● Promote timely delivery of goods

● Minimize production time

● Improve customer satisfaction

● Coordinate with departments about production, to ensure things are on the same page

● Ensure the right man is assigned the right work

Production planning is the core of any manufacturing unit. It includes material forecasting,

master production scheduling, long term planning, demand management and more. The PPC

process kicks off with demand forecasting of a product, and thereafter designing the production

plan according to the demand to move it forward.

Production planning is a strategy to plan a chain of operations that supports manufacturers to

be at the right place, at the right time so that they can achieve the maximum efficiency from their

resources.

Now, let’s straightway talk about the steps involved in Production Planning and Control. As per

the British Standards Institute, there are four stages or essential elements in the process of

production planning and control. These are as follows:

1. Routing

Routing determines the path from which the raw materials flow within the factory. Once, the

sequence is followed, raw materials are transformed into finished goods.

Setting up time for every step is important to measure the overall duration of the production

process. Simply saying, routing in manufacturing states the sequence of work and operations.

Routing throws light on the quantity and quality of materials to be used, resources involved

(men, machine, and material), the series of operations and place of production.

Routing manages “How”, “What”, “How much”, & “Where” to produce in a manufacturing

company. It systematizes the process and nurtures optimum utilization of resources to get the

best results.

2. Scheduling

Scheduling is the second step that emphasizes on “When” the operation will be completed. It

aims to make the most of the time given for completion of the operation.

Organizations use different types of schedules to manage the time element. These include

Master Schedule, Operation Schedule, Daily Schedule and more.

3. Dispatching

The third step ensures that operations are done successfully and everything is loaded on the

software. Dispatching includes the release of orders, in accordance with the scheduled charts.

Here are the points that encapsulate “Dispatching”

● Issue of materials or fixtures that are important for the production

● Issue of orders or drawings for initiating the work

● Maintain the records from start to end

● Initiate the control procedure

● Cascade the work from one process to another

4. Follow-up

Also known as expediting, follow-up is the final step that finds faults or defects, bottlenecks and

loopholes in the entire production process. In this step, the team measures the actual

performance from start till the end and then compares it with the expected one.

Expediters or stock chasers are responsible for performing follow-up process. It is quite obvious

that any of the processes may undergo break-downs or machine failure. Follow-up promotes

smooth production by eliminating these defects.