Q&A Hero

Q: When suppliers are encouraged to locate near manufacturing plants, the goal of the JIT partnership is to reduce __________ inventory.

Q: __________ is the Japanese word for card that has come to mean "signal."

Q: __________ is the minimum inventory necessary to keep a perfect system running.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding JIT in services is true? A) Restaurants do not use JIT layouts because they interfere with creation of a good servicescape. B) Excess customer demand in services such as air travel is met by dipping into safety stocks. C) All of the JIT techniques for dealing with suppliers, layout, inventory, and scheduling are used in services. D) Scheduling is not relevant to effective use of JIT in services. E) All of the above are false.

Q: Excess bags of basic commodities such as flour and sugar that are stored in a restaurants kitchen represent which of the following wastes? A) overproduction B) queues C) transportation D) inventory E) defective product

Q: A manufacturer took the following actions to reduce inventory. Which of these is generally not accepted as a JIT action? A) It used a pull system to move inventory. B) It produced in ever smaller lots. C) It required deliveries directly to the point of use. D) It picked the supplier that offered the lowest price based on quantity discounts. E) It worked to reduce the company's in-transit inventory.

Q: Which one of the following is an example of JIT being used for competitive advantage? A) Jones Company has decreased the number of job classifications to just a few. B) Lafourche Metals increases the number of its suppliers to be less dependent on just a few. C) Houma Fabricators is proud to announce that incoming goods are inspected. D) Acme Company tells its maintenance department to intervene only if a machine breaks down. E) Caro Specialty Metals, Inc. has built a new, huge warehouse to store inventory.

Q: Great Lakes Barge and Baggage Company makes, among other things, battery-operated bilge pumps. Which of the following activities is not part of JIT? They A) communicate their schedules to suppliers B) produce in long production runs to reduce the impact of setup costs C) use a pull system to move inventory D) continuously work on reducing setup time E) produce in small lots

Q: Which one of the following is not a requirement of JIT systems? A) quality deliveries on time B) low setup time C) training support D) strong job specialization E) employee empowerment

Q: Which one of the following does not exemplify JIT used for competitive advantage? A) Acme Foods decides to decrease the number of its suppliers to just a few. B) Ajax, Inc. is proud to announce that incoming goods are delivered directly to the point of use. C) Ardoyne Builders has a scheduled preventive maintenance program. D) Cheramie Trucking trains workers to specialize and become very efficient in one job. E) Cajun Contractors has reduced the amount of space for inventory.

Q: In the quest for competitive advantage, which of the following is a JIT requirement? A) small number of job classifications B) reduced number of vendors C) reduced space for inventory D) quality by suppliers E) All of the above are JIT requirements.

Q: Which of the following is characteristic of lean operations? A) long lead times B) easy, mindless jobs C) specialty workers with no cross-training D) low space requirements E) no supplier partnerships

Q: Lean operations are known for their A) employee development B) supplier education C) supplier partnerships D) challenging jobs E) All of the above are attributes of lean operations.

Q: Which of the following is not an attribute of lean operations? A) eliminating almost all inventory through just-in-time techniques B) minimizing space requirements by reducing the distance a part travels C) pushing responsibility to the highest level possible through centralized decision making D) educating suppliers to accept responsibility for helping meet customer needs E) All of the above are attributes of lean operations.

Q: Which of the following is not characteristic of a TPS employee? A) knowledgeable B) strict job classifications C) know more about their job than anyone else D) empowered E) All of the above characterize a TPS employee.

Q: Which of the following is an illustration of employee empowerment? A) UPS drivers are trained to perform several motions smoothly and efficiently. B) Unionization of the work place brings better morale and therefore better quality. C) "No one knows the job better than those who do it." D) all of the above E) none of the above

Q: JIT makes quality cheaper because A) the cost of low quality can be hidden as inventory cost B) JIT adds more buffers to the system C) JIT prevents long runs of defects D) B and C E) A, B and C

Q: Which of the following is false regarding the links between JIT and quality? A) Inventory hides bad quality; JIT immediately exposes it. B) JIT reduces the number of potential sources of error by shrinking queues and lead times. C) As quality improves, fewer inventory buffers are needed; in turn, JIT performs better. D) If consistent quality exists, JIT allows firms to reduce all costs associated with inventory. E) All of the above are true.

Q: A grocery store is attempting to implement a kanban system. Which of the following would not be an application of kanbans? A) An empty doughnut tray signaling the bakery to produce 2 dozen glazed doughnuts. B) A line of 5 people in the Chinese department signaling the department to heat 5 Crab Rangoon. C) A red light on top of the cashier's lane signals that the cashier needs additional change replenished. D) The meat department stocking up on turkeys before Thanksgiving. E) All of the above are kanban applications.

Q: Lead time for computers is 5 days with daily demand of 25 and safety stock of 5 computers. If management wants to use 10 kanbans how many computers should each one hold? A) not enough information B) 1 C) 5 D) 10 E) 13

Q: Lead time for computers is 7 days with daily demand of 5 computers and a safety stock of 1 day. Each kanban holds 8 computers. What is the correct number of kanbans? A) not enough information B) 1 C) 5 D) 7 E) 8

Q: The cook in a fast-food restaurant knows that 2 hamburger patties and an order of fries should be started for each car that is waiting in line. This is best an example of A) Lead time B) Kanban C) Push production D) Kaizen E) EOQ

Q: Lead time for cakes is 2 days with daily demand of 10 cakes and a safety stock of a day. Each container (kanban) holds 1 cake. What is the correct number of kanbans? A) not enough information B) 1 C) 5 D) 10 E) 25

Q: The number of kanbans should be equal to A) one B) the ratio of (demand during lead time + safety stock) to container size C) of the EOQ D) one full days production divided by the EOQ E) none of the above

Q: If a casual-dining restaurant is attempting to practice JIT and lean operations, which of the following would not be present? A) close relationship with the restaurant's suppliers of food, utensils, and equipment B) food preparation in large batches C) a kitchen set up to minimize wasteful movements D) lean inventories of food E) All of the above should be present.

Q: Which one of the following scenarios represents the use of a kanban to reduce inventories? A) A supervisor tells the operators to stay busy and start producing parts for next month. B) A "supplier" work center signals the downstream workstation that a batch has been completed. C) A supervisor signals to several work centers that the production rate should be changed. D) A "customer" work center signals to the "supplier" workstation that more parts are needed. E) An operator asks the next station's operator to help him fix his machine.

Q: The word "kanban" means A) low inventory B) employee empowerment C) card D) continuous improvement E) lot size of one

Q: Kanban is associated with all of the following except A) small lot sizes B) signals, such as cards, lights, or flags C) moving inventory only as needed D) increased material handling E) reductions in inventory

Q: Which one of the following statements is true about the kanban system? A) The quantities in the containers are usually large to reduce setup costs. B) It is associated with a push system. C) It is useful to smooth operations when numerous quality problems occur. D) The supplier workstation signals the customer workstation as soon as a batch is completed. E) The customer workstation signals to the supplier workstation when production is needed.

Q: The technique known as level schedules A) requires that schedules be met without variation B) processes many small batches rather than one large one C) is known as "jelly bean" scheduling D) is based on meeting one day's demand with that day's production E) All of the above are true regarding level scheduling.

Q: Factory X is trying to use level use scheduling. If their first target were to cut the current lot size in half, by what proportion must setup cost change? A) Setup cost must be cut to one fourth its current value. B) Setup cost must also be cut in half from its current value. C) Setup cost must double from its current value. D) cannot be determined E) none of the above

Q: Which of the following is true regarding the steps to reducing setup times? A) The first step involves performing as much setup preparation as possible while the process/machine is operating. B) The cycle of steps is repeated until setup time is reduced to under a minute. C) The standardization of both tooling and work procedures is advantageous to setup time reduction. D) Improved material handling and move material closer are done before operator training. E) All of the above are true.

Q: A product has annual demand of 100,000 units. The plant manager wants production to follow a four-hour cycle. Based on the following data, what setup cost will enable the desired production cycle? d=400 per day (250 days per year), p=4000 units per day, H=$40 per unit per year, and Q=200 (demand for four hours, half a day). A) $2.00 B) $7.20 C) $18.00 D) $64.00 E) $1,036.80

Q: A firm wants to develop a level material use schedule based on the following data. What should be the setup cost? Desired lot size: 60 Annual demand: 40,000 Holding cost: $20 per unit per year Daily production rate: 320 Work days per year: 250 A) $0.45 B) $4.50 C) $45 D) $450 E) $500

Q: Which one of the following statements is true regarding JIT inventory? A) It exists just in case something goes wrong. B) It is the minimum inventory necessary to keep a perfect system running. C) It hides variability. D) It is minimized with large lot production. E) It increases if setup costs decrease.

Q: Which of the following is the author of the phrase "Inventory is evil"? A) Poka Yoke B) Pat "Keiretsu" Morita C) Kanban Polka D) Shigeo Shingo E) none of the above

Q: Which one of the following is not a layout tactic in a JIT environment? A) work cells for families of products B) fixed equipment C) minimizing distance D) little space for inventory E) poka-yoke devices

Q: Just-in-time systems make demands on layouts, including A) distance reduction B) increased flexibility C) reduced space and inventory D) cross-trained, flexible employees E) All of the above are JIT influences on layout.

Q: Which of the following is not a concern of suppliers as they prepare to enter into JIT partnerships? A) Suppliers feel that they would be less at risk if they contracted with more than one customer. B) Suppliers are concerned that customers will present frequent engineering changes with inadequate lead time to deal with them. C) Suppliers feel that their processes are suited for larger lot sizes than the customer wants. D) Suppliers are concerned that frequent delivery of small quantities is economically prohibitive. E) All of the above represent JIT supplier concerns.

Q: In JIT partnerships, suppliers have several concerns. Which of the following is not such a concern? A) desire for diversification B) poor customer scheduling C) small lot sizes D) producing high enough quality levels E) customers' infrequent engineering changes

Q: Reduction of in-transit inventory can be encouraged through use of A) supplier location near plants B) low setup costs C) low carrying costs D) use of trains, not trucks E) low-cost, global suppliers

Q: Which one of the following is a concern expressed by suppliers? A) having too many customers B) delivery to the point of use C) having limited ability to respond to changes in product and quality D) large lot sizes E) customers' infrequent engineering changes

Q: Which of the following is not a goal of JIT partnerships? A) removal of unnecessary activities B) removal of in-plant inventory C) removal of in-transit inventory D) obtain improved quality and reliability E) All of the above are goals of JIT partnerships.

Q: A characteristic of JIT partnerships with respect to quality is to A) help suppliers meet quality requirement B) inspect all incoming parts C) maintain a steady output rate D) impose maximum product specifications on the supplier E) draw up strict contracts ensuring that all defectives will be immediately replaced

Q: Which of the following is not a goal of JIT partnerships? A) removal of unnecessary activities B) removal of in-plant inventory C) removal of in-transit inventory D) removal of engineering changes E) All of the above are goals of JIT partnerships.

Q: Characteristics of just-in-time partnerships do not include A) removal of in-transit inventory B) large lot sizes to save on setup costs and to gain quantity discounts C) long-term contracts D) few suppliers E) buyer helps supplier to meet the quality requirements

Q: Characteristics of JIT partnerships with respect to suppliers include A) competitive bidding encouraged B) buyer plant pursues vertical integration to reduce the number of suppliers C) support suppliers so they become or remain price competitive D) most suppliers at considerable distance from purchasing organization E) All of the above are characteristics of JIT partnerships.

Q: Which one of the following is a characteristic of a JIT partnership? A) large number of suppliers B) maximal product specifications imposed on supplier C) active pursuit of vertical integration D) removal of incoming inspection E) frequent deliveries in large lot quantities

Q: If the goals of JIT partnerships are met, which of the following is a result? A) For incoming goods, receiving activity and inspection are outsourced. B) In-transit inventory falls as suppliers are located closer to facilities. C) The number of suppliers increases. D) In-plant inventory replaces in-transit inventory. E) All of the above are consequences of meeting the JIT partnership goals.

Q: Which one of the following is not a benefit of the implementation of JIT? A) cost reduction B) variability increase C) rapid throughput D) quality improvement E) rework reduction

Q: Concerning relationships with suppliers, which of the following combinations is critical to the success of JIT? A) close relationships with trust B) close relationships with skepticism C) distant relationships with trust D) distant relationships with skepticism E) none of the above

Q: The list of 5S's, although it looks like a housekeeping directive, supports lean production by A) identifying non-value items and removing them, in the "sort/segregate" item B) reducing inventory, in the "standardize" item C) increasing variability through standardized procedures, in the "standardize" item D) eliminating wasted motion through ergonomic studies, in the "support" item E) building good safety practices, in the "shine/sweep" item

Q: Complete the table, find average lateness, find average completion time, and average number of jobs in the system. Assume all durations are in days and that the jobs are processed at the shop in the order that they arrive (A then B then C then D). Job Process Time Flow Time Due Date Lateness A 5 B 3 9 C 2 12 D 5 4 Sum (Average) 15 (3.75) XXXXX

Q: Given the following chart of jobs assigned with Johnson's rule suppose that all the jobs (A, B, C, etc) could be evenly divided into two tasks (such as A1 and A2, B1 and B2, etc). Suppose job D is split into two equivalently sized sections, D1 and D2, each with a body work time of 1.5 hours and a paint time of 2 hours (D1 and D2 sum to 3 hours of body work and 4 hours of paint which is equivalent to D). How much is makespan reduced by this splitting of D?

Q: Given the following chart of jobs assigned with Johnson's rule suppose that all the jobs (A, B, C, etc) could be evenly divided into two tasks (such as A1 and A2, B1 and B2, etc). Suppose job B is divided into jobs B1 and B2, each with a body work time of 4.5 hours and a paint time of 2 hours. How much is makespan reduced by this splitting of B?

Q: Find the sequence for the priority rules of a. FCFS b. SPT c. EDD d. LPT Given the table below and the fact that today is the 1st Job Process Time Due Date A 6 10 B 4 2 C 8 5 D 9 16

Q: There are 5 jobs (A, B, C, D, E) that need to be completed in a work center. The due dates are the 10th, 13th, 8th, 20th, and 15th respectively with process times of 7, 12, 7, 20, and 10 respectively as well. If today is the 1st of the month calculate the critical ratio for each and use this value to sequence the jobs in the order they should be started.

Q: Use Johnson's rule to determine the optimal sequencing for the five jobs to be processed on two machines in a fixed order (Machine 1 before Machine 2). The processing times in hours are given in the table below. a. What is the optimal sequence? b. What is the total flow time for this sequence? c. Which job is the first to be scheduled? Is it scheduled to be the first job or the last? Explain. Job Machine 1 Machine 2 A 10 11 B 8 17 C 14 10 D 13 7 E 10 8 F 25 9 G 6 15

Q: A firm that specializes in desktop publishing for local charities has agreed to take on the following jobs. The firm has not decided which dispatching rule to apply in order to prioritize the jobs and fix them into the schedule. All dates are specified as days from Today. Time Due Date Job 1 20 25 Job 2 15 20 Job 3 7 16 Job 4 25 50 Job 5 31 33 Job 6 43 55 a. Complete the following table. Show your supporting calculations below. b. Which dispatching rule has the best score for flow time? c. Which dispatching rule has the best score for work-in-process (jobs in the system)? d. Which dispatching rule has the best score for lateness? Dispatching Rule Job Sequence Average Flow Time Average Number of Jobs Average Lateness FCFS EDD SPT LPT

Q: Machines A, B, C, and D have been in use for several years, while machine E is new. The following table provides data on the value of production of each job when performed on a specific machine. a. Determine the set of assignments that maximizes production value. b. What is the total production value of your assignments? c. Which machine should be retired (i.e., gets no assignment)? d. If they do retire one machine, will they be as profitable without it as with it? Explain. Machine Job A B C D E 1 27 29 28 30 40 2 30 32 31 34 46 3 33 25 29 26 37 4 29 31 24 28 28

Q: Bob Dresser operates a major appliance warranty service center. His operation has two check stations that are required at the end of every repair task performed by his appliance repair staff. These are the Functionality Review (FR) and the Overall Scan (OS). The FR must be performed successfully before the OS is begun. On Friday morning, six repair jobs are completed, awaiting these two inspection activities. Processing times are given in minutes. Job FR OS A 50 30 B 35 55 C 25 20 D 20 35 E 15 10 F 10 25 a. What is the optimal sequence of jobs for the objective of minimizing the total flow time? b. Show your work, and document the sequence. c. Chart the solution to this problem. d. What jobs are being processed at time period 90? e. What is the total flow time of this problem? FR OS 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

Q: A manufacturer has the following jobs waiting on a single work center. The firm has not decided which dispatching rule to apply in order to prioritize the jobs and fix them into the schedule. Processing time in 15-minute time blocks and due date for each job are in the table below. Time Due Date Job 1 5 17 Job 2 4 20 Job 3 3 16 Job 4 7 9 Job 5 3 6 Job 6 5 7 a. Complete the following table. Show your supporting calculations below. b. Which dispatching rule has the best score for flow time? for work in process (jobs in the system)? for lateness? c. Is there ANY sequence that can avoid all lateness? Explain or provide an example. Dispatching Rule Job Sequence Average Flow Time Average Number of Jobs Average Lateness EDD SPT LPT

Q: Use Johnson's rule to determine the optimal sequencing for the five jobs to be processed on two machines in a fixed order (Machine 1 before Machine 2). The processing times are given in the table below. a. What is the optimal sequence? b. What is the total flow time for this sequence? Job Machine 1 Machine 2 L 10 11 M 8 17 N 14 9 O 13 7 P 10 8

Q: At Morgan's Transformer Rebuilding, five jobs are ready now for dispatching to a machine center. The processing times and due dates for the jobs are given below. Use earliest due date to sequence the jobs, and calculate the average completion time, the average job lateness, and the average number of jobs in the machine center. Job Work Time (days) Due Date (days) A 15 38 B 13 28 C 7 20 D 18 50 E 9 15

Q: At Morgan's Transformer Rebuilding, a set of five jobs is ready for dispatching to a machine center. The processing times and due dates for the jobs are given in the table below. Use shortest processing time to sequence the jobs, and calculate the average completion time, the average job lateness, and the average number of jobs in the machine center. Job Work Time (days) Due Date (days) A 15 38 B 13 28 C 7 20 D 18 50 E 9 15

Q: Lockport Marine Services, Inc. wishes to assign a set of jobs to a set of machines. The following table provides data on the cost of production of each job when performed on a specific machine. a. Determine the set of assignments that maximizes production value. b. What is the total production value of your assignments? Machine Job A B C D 1 27 29 28 30 2 30 29 27 26 3 31 25 29 26 4 29 31 25 28

Q: The following jobs are waiting to be processed at your work center, which cleans valve body castings. Job numbers are assigned sequentially upon arrival in the facility (a missing number means that job does not require your work center). All dates are specified as days from Today. Job Due Date Duration (days) 101 43 10 102 34 12 104 37 11 107 32 7 108 37 15 a. In what sequence should the jobs be processed according to the FCFS scheduling rule? b. In what sequence should the jobs be processed according to the EDD scheduling rule? c. In what sequence should the jobs be processed according to the SPT scheduling rule? d. In what sequence should the jobs be processed according to the LPT scheduling rule? e. In what sequence should the jobs be processed according to the critical ratio scheduling rule?

Q: The president of a consulting firm wants to minimize the total number of hours it will take to complete four projects for a new client. Accordingly, she has estimated the time it should take for each of her top consultants -- Charlie, Gerald, Johnny, and Rick -- to complete any of the four projects, as follows: Project Hours Consultant A B C D Charlie 13 16 11 18 Gerald 13 15 10 12 Johnny 15 11 20 15 Rick 17 17 12 22 a. In how many different ways can she assign these consultants to these projects? b. What is the total number of hours required by the following arbitrary assignment? Charlieu2192B; Geraldu2192A; Johnnyu2192D; Ricku2192C c. What is the optimal assignment of consultants to projects? (Use the assignment method; SHOW YOUR WORK!) d. For the optimal schedule, what is the total number of hours it will take these consultants to complete these projects? e. What is the significance, if any, of the fact that Gerald is the best performer at all four projects?

Q: The operations manager of a body and paint shop has five cars to schedule for repair. He would like to minimize the throughput time (makespan) to complete all work on these cars. Each car requires body work prior to painting. The estimates of the times required to do the body and paint work on each are as follows: Car Body Work (Hours) Paint (Hours) A 8 7 B 9 4 C 7 9 D 3 4 E 12 5 a. Chart the progress of these five jobs through the two centers on the basis of the arbitrary order Au2192Bu2192Cu2192Du2192E. b. After how many hours will all jobs be completed? Body Work Paint 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 c. Use Johnson's rule to sequence these five jobs for minimum total duration. Show your work in determining the job sequence. d. The optimal sequence is __________. e. Chart the progress of the five jobs in this optimal sequence. f. After how many hours will all jobs be completed?

Q: Jack's Refrigeration Repair is under contract to repair, recondition, and/or refurbish commercial and industrial icemakers from restaurants, seafood processors, and similar organizations. Jack currently has five jobs to be scheduled, shown in the order in which they arrived. Job Processing Time (hours) Due (hours) V 20 50 W 10 35 X 50 90 Y 15 35 Z 55 75 a. Complete the following table. (Show your supporting calculations below). b. Which dispatching rule has the best score for flow time? c. Which dispatching rule has the best score for work-in-process (jobs in the system)? d. Which dispatching rule has the best score for lateness? e. What dispatching rule would you select? Support your decision. Dispatching Rule Job Sequence Average Flow Time Average Number of Jobs Average Lateness FCFS SPT EDD CR

Q: The emergency room at a hospital estimates the following requirements for registered nurses (RNs) for the late night shift each week. Nurses work four consecutive days, then have off three days. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 3 4 2 2 3 6 4 Perform cyclical scheduling on the data. (Note that you must identify three-day patterns of minimum requirements). How many RNs are required? How much extra capacity is required?

Q: A practitioner of family medicine begins her day with five patients needing urgent care. She does a very brief assessment of what each patient appears to need and estimates the time required of each. None of the cases is life-threatening, and so she determines to take the five in the order that they arrived at the clinic. The data for these patients, in the order they arrived, is Patient A, 30 minutes; Patient B, 40 minutes; Patient C, 10 minutes; Patient D, 50 minutes; and Patient E, 15 minutes.a. If it is now 8:00 a.m., at what time will the doctor be finished with all five of these emergencies?b. How much time will the five patients have collectively spent waiting?c. How much less time would have been spent waiting if the doctor had taken the patients according to shortest processing time?

Q: Identify some scheduling optimization systems that are used at retail stores. Describe what these systems do.

Q: In what ways does the problem of scheduling service systems differ from that of scheduling manufacturing systems?

Q: Explain, in your own words, what is meant by "level material use." In what types of facilities is it appropriate? Explain.

Q: In repetitive manufacturing, what are the advantages of level material use? Does level material use have any role in intermittent process facilities?

Q: Describe finite capacity scheduling in a sentence or two. What is its role in short-term scheduling?

Q: What are some limitations of rule-based scheduling systems? What alternatives are there to rules-based scheduling systems?

Q: What are the criteria by which we evaluate sequencing rules?

Q: Consider the arrival of patients into a public health clinic. Some patients are ill; some are injured; some are elderly; and some are very young. Some cases may be life-threatening, while others are inconsequential. How do the basic dispatch rules fall short in this situation? Design a dispatch rule for scheduling these patients.