Q&A Hero

Q: Which of the following statements regarding a pull system is true? A) Large lots are pulled from upstream stations. B) Work is pulled to the downstream stations before it is actually needed. C) Manufacturing cycle time is increased. D) Problems become more obvious. E) None of the above is true of a pull system.

Q: Which of the following is specifically characterized by continuous and forced problem solving through a focus on throughput and reduced inventory? A) Just-in-time (JIT) B) Toyota Production System (TPS) C) Lean operations D) Material requirements planning (MRP) E) kanban

Q: Which of the following is specifically characterized by a focus on continuous improvement, respect for people, and standard work practices? A) Just-in-time (JIT) B) Toyota Production System (TPS) C) Lean operations D) Material requirements planning (MRP) E) kanban

Q: Which of the following is not a reason for variability? A) Employees, machines, and suppliers produce units late. B) Customer demand is unknown. C) Employees, machines, and suppliers produce units that conform to standards. D) Engineering drawings are inaccurate. E) Drawings or specifications are incomplete.

Q: Which of the following is generally found in most JIT environments? A) a push or pull system, depending upon the rate of demand B) a push system for high margin items and a pull system for low margin items C) a push system for purchased parts and a pull system for manufactured parts D) push systems E) pull systems

Q: What does TPS stand for? A) Total Production Streamlining B) Toyota Production System C) Taguchi's Production S's D) Total Process Simplification E) None of the above

Q: Because most services cannot be inventoried, there is little place for JIT to help service organizations achieve competitive advantage.

Q: When implemented as a comprehensive manufacturing strategy, JIT, TPS, and lean systems sustain competitive advantage and result in increased overall returns.

Q: The 5Sssort/segregate, simplify/straighten, shine/sweep, standardize, and sustain/self disciplineare important to lean production because they act as a means to reduce waste.

Q: The Toyota Production System requires that activities have built-in, automatic tests so that gaps between expectations and actuality are immediately evident.

Q: Employee empowerment is unnecessary in the Toyota Production System, because automation and powerful information systems reduce the need for employee creativity and decision making.

Q: The quality management tool called poka-yoke is not relevant to JIT systems.

Q: Inventory has only one positive aspect, which is availability; inventory has several negatives, including increased material handling, obsolescence, and damage.

Q: A kanban system requires little variability in lead time because shortages have their impact on the entire productive system.

Q: The number of kanbans decreases as safety stock is increased.

Q: With level schedules, a few large batches, rather than frequent small batches, are processed.

Q: Level scheduling means producing at a constant rate, regardless of customer demands.

Q: The first step in reducing setup times is the separation of setup into preparation activities and actual setup, so that as much work as possible can be done while the machine or process is operating.

Q: A scheduler may find that freezing the portion of the schedule closest to the due dates allows the production system to function and the schedule to be met.

Q: If setup times and costs can be reduced enough, the JIT ideal of "Lot Size = 1" can be achieved.

Q: Lower average inventory is feasible only if setup times are short.

Q: Hidden problems are generally uncovered during the process of reducing inventory.

Q: JIT systems carry inventory just in case something goes wrong.

Q: Cross-training is a common JIT tactic to improve flexibility.

Q: Reducing distance is a common JIT goal.

Q: JIT suppliers have concerns that the JIT firm's demands for small lot sizes are simply a way of transferring holding cost from manufacturer firm to the supplier firm.

Q: Many suppliers feel that having a variety of customers is better than being tied to long-term contracts with one customer.

Q: One goal of JIT partnerships is the removal of in-plant inventory by delivery in small lots directly to the using department as needed.

Q: JIT brings about competitive advantage by faster response to the customer regardless of cost.

Q: Increasing inventory exposes variability in production processes.

Q: Waste is anything that does not add value, such as storage or inspection of items; waste also includes any activity that does not add value from the consumer's perspective.

Q: A push system means providing the next station with exactly what is needed when it is needed.

Q: Variability in manufacturing can occur because engineering drawings or specifications are incomplete or inaccurate.

Q: Customer demand will always remain an unknown, so it is not considered a source of variation.

Q: In a JIT system, product inspection adds value by identifying defective items.

Q: Product storage is an example of waste, in the sense that no value is added.

Q: TPS stands for Total Production Streamlining.

Q: TPS stands for Toyota Production System.

Q: A bakery uses 5 containers that hold 3 cakes. Daily demand is 10 cakes and safety stock is 5 cakes. What is the lead time?

Q: A bakery uses 6 containers that each hold 4 cakes. If safety stock is 2 cakes and lead time is 11 days, determine daily demand.

Q: A bakery uses 5 containers that each hold 5 cakes. If daily demand is 20 cakes and lead time is 1 day determine the safety stock.

Q: Daily demand is half of daily production. If setup and holding costs are equal, determine how Q and D are related.

Q: Labor cost for set-up is $500/hour. If the plant plans on level material use and operates 50 days per year, determine the time it takes to setup. Annual demand 5000 Daily production 1000 Lot size 700 Holding cost $25

Q: A repetitive manufacturing firm is planning on level material use. The following information has been collected. Currently, the firm operates 250 days per year. Annual demand 22,000 Daily demand 88 Daily production 250 Desired lot size (2 hours of production) 63 Holding cost per unit per year $50 a. What is the setup cost, based on the desired lot size? b. What is the setup time, based on $40 per hour setup labor?

Q: A certain product has been effectively managed in the past, according to its managers. The previous technique used the economic production quantity model, and resulted in an optimum lot size of 100. For this product, setup time is directly proportional to setup cost, and setup time is currently 40 minutes per batch. How much must setup time decline in order for the lot size to fall to 50 units? 25 units? 10 units?

Q: Daily usage of a part is 20 in a facility that operates 250 days of the year. Setup cost is $20 and annualized carrying cost is $210. Production of this part occurs at the rate of 50 per day when production of the part is underway. Lead time is 1 day; safety stock is 1/2 day's production. What is the optimum kanban size, and number of kanbans?

Q: Daily usage of an assembly is 100 in a facility that operates 300 days of the year. Setup cost is $5 and annualized carrying cost is $160. Production of this assembly occurs at the rate of 400 per day when production of the assembly is underway. Lead time is 3 days; safety stock is 1/2 day's production. What is the optimum kanban size, and number of kanbans?

Q: Daily usage of a product is 10 in a facility that operates every day of the year. Setup cost is $68 and annualized carrying cost is $100. Daily production of this product is 20. Lead time is 14 days; safety stock is one day's production. What is the optimum kanban size, and number of kanbans?

Q: You have read that in JIT and lean production the optimum lot size is one, with some exceptions for packaging and physical limitations. If a product currently has a lot size of 25, what must happen to setup time for the lot size to truly fall to one? Data for this problem are D=100 units, S=$75 based on setup time of 50 minutes at $1.50 per minute, and H=$40 per unit per year.

Q: Weekly usage of a product is 8 units. Since the plant operates 50 weeks per year, this leads to annual usage of 400 units. Setup cost is $40 and annualized carrying cost is $80. Weekly production of this product is 12 units. Lead time is four weeks, and safety stock is one week's production. What is optimal kanban size? What is the optimal number of kanbans?

Q: Identify JIT policies for and expectations of suppliers.

Q: Identify Ohno's Seven Wastes. Which one of these deals most directly with distance reductions?

Q: What are the 5Ss? Why does the list of the 5Ss sometimes have seven elements?

Q: How are lean operations and the Toyota Production System (TPS) alike? How are they different?

Q: Explain how JIT works in services. After all, how does "small lot size" and "reduce setup cost" make sense in services? Supply examples to support your work.

Q: Identify some of the signals that kanban systems use.

Q: Identify JIT scheduling tactics.

Q: Describe level schedules. What purpose do they serve?

Q: What is a kanban?

Q: Identify the inventory tactics appropriate for a JIT environment.

Q: Identify the layout tactics appropriate for a JIT environment.

Q: What are the five reasons given by suppliers for their reluctance to enter into JIT systems? Elaborate on one of these, of your choosing.

Q: Compare and contrast throughput with manufacturing cycle time.

Q: What are the goals of JIT partnerships?

Q: What three things does the Toyota Production System (TPS) emphasize?

Q: Identify sources of variability.

Q: Define manufacturing cycle time in the context of JIT systems.

Q: Differentiate between a push and a pull system.

Q: Define variability within the context of JIT.

Q: What does TPS stand for?

Q: Handling material more than once is an example of the waste called __________.

Q: The 5S term __________ includes analysis to improve workflow and reduce wasted motion.

Q: TPS stands for __________.

Q: __________ involves scheduling products so that each day's production meets the demand for that day.

Q: __________ gets suppliers to accept responsibility for satisfying end customer needs.

Q: The main focus of JIT efforts to reduce investment in inventory requires __________.

Q: __________ allows manufacturing work cells and offices to be easily rearranged.

Q: The __________ is the time between the arrival of raw materials and the shipping of finished products.

Q: A(n) __________ is a JIT concept that results in material being produced only when requested and moved to where it is needed just as it is needed.

Q: __________ is any deviation from the optimum process that delivers perfect product on time, every time.