Planning at gulf— A case study: Part I—Early developments of planning models

In this first part of the case study the authors introduced the background to the development of the planning models used by the Gulf Company. Both the Linear Programming model and the Sensitivity model are described, with discussion regarding the inter-relationship of these models and the discrete and mutual objectives behind their use.     

Computer-aided design and manufacturing—a manager's guide

Computer-aided design and manufacturing are key elements in shaping our future, and smaller and more flexible systems are now becoming available for the smaller firm. This paper has been prepared to guide the manager through the systems now being developed which could be of value to the small to medium-size company.     

A pro-active and collaborative approach to reverse logistics—a case study

Reverse logistics is considered to be the key for re-manufacturing and sustainable development. It has gained increasing attention in the last decade and has been a new frontier of strategic management. One of the driving forces for firms to adopt the reverse logistics practice is cost saving from reverse logistics activities. Another motivation to put reverse logistics forward is probably due to environmental impacts on non-returnable materials. Reverse logistics, however, may require cooperation of more than one company and hence it is generally poorly managed due to self-interest of different companies. Therefore, a pro-active and collaborative approach to reverse logistics is demanded. This paper reports a case study of using returnable packaging materials between a manufacturer and an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier. A cross-company team was established to pursue the goal of the reverse logistics project. Tangible and intangible benefits of reverse logistics from this case study are presented in this paper.     

Early involvement in the design chain—a case study from the computer industry

This work presents a case study of how a design chain, with more than three tiers of organisations (customer, manufacturer, and supplier), can involve its members in the early stages of the design and development process to meet their needs more effectively. A vertical design chain model, consisting of strategy, process and information levels, is adopted to elucidate how a computer company can provide for different customers and use various suppliers to create synergy within the design chain. The results of this study demonstrate that the re-engineering of cross organisation product design flow, product data management software applications and the integration of information from various parties are critical to the early involvement in a vertical design chain. Based on this case study, the proposed early involvement model can shorten the time taken to develop new products and considerably reduce the number of engineering changes for various manufacturers.     

Corporate planning for a town—a case history

Corporate planning is relatively new in U.K. local government. This article suggests the reasons behind this late development, and outlines the particular problems in local government and the approach adopted in one authority. The author's philosophy is that there is no blueprint for introducing corporate planning and that any approach must be evolutionary, reflecting local circumstances. The article covers the period from 1971 outlining the four main stages of development and includes the effects of local government reorganization in 1974. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the borough.     

Market research with the aid of a smartphone application – a case study

We discuss using the presumed ‘wisdom of the crowd’ to reduce the bullwhip effect in supply chains by enhancing the accuracy of demand forecast. Our case study describes a joint project of a leading European technology company (We chose RAGD as a pseudonym for the company throughout the study.) and the University of Kassel on a smartphone application for end customers to gather early information for this producer’s forecast. Our results confirm the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ hypothesis: A group of experts, in our case technicians who install and maintain RAGD-products, is capable of anticipating market fluctuations six weeks in advance. This only holds true if the ‘crowd’ of technicians is large enough. Our business climate index outperforms the company forecast in the first six months, when on average 22 technicians took part per week. We discuss successes and limitations of the cooperation and provide recommendations for similar projects.     

MRO inventory reduction—challenges and management: a case study of the Tennessee Valley Authority

Emphasis on maintenance, repair, and operations inventory (or MRO inventory) can lead to improved inventory control, reduced operational costs, enhanced productivity, and increased cost accounting accuracy. To review the benefits of MRO inventory reduction, as well as highlight the management challenges associated with the process, a case study of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is presented. TVA is a not-for-profit electric power generation entity. TVA standardised inventory policies and procedures. Their comprehensive five-year plan included employee training, changes in organisational structure and strategy, reduced MRO inventories and the establishment of new growth drivers. Net inventory reductions of $47 million were realised. Suggestions for future MRO inventory reductions as well as replication of the management involvement and improvement process in other organisations are included.     

Corporate planning in domestic airlines— An Indian case study

In this article the author considers the problems of planning in the airline industry, drawing specifically on experience in the domestic Indian airline. The article seeks to examine some of the strategic issues relevant to domestic airlines which, while related here to the Indian environment, may be seen to be pertinent in most developing countries.     

Waste paper—a case for government action

In this article, the author outlines many implications of waste paper management. He discusses supply and demand, current and potential usage and relates these to planning needs. In the final section, Mr. Whiting puts forward a personal view of the action which he considers necessary from the national viewpoint.     

Planning—Satisfaction and productivity

The areas of worker satisfaction and productivity have been of continual importance to managers of all types of organizations. Unfortunately, the analysis of these topics have usually been done in a segmented manner. This article attempts to develop a total conceptual scheme for planning to increase worker satisfaction and employee productivity. Both internal work and external environmental components are included in the models which examine social psychological, physical, and environmental components of the worker's life in a total system's approach.     

Data mining driven DMAIC framework for improving foundry quality – a case study

Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) methodology has been widely used across industries as the best systematic and data driven problem solving approach for quality improvement. Statistical Design of Experiment (DOE) is used in the ‘Improve’ stage for obtaining optimal process settings for significant variables contributing towards quality improvement. But, DOE is an offline activity requiring time and other resources for conducting experiments and analyses. Further, there are many small and medium scale enterprises that cannot afford to conduct DOE. Under such practical constraints, it is desirable to apply DMAIC using online process data under day-to-day production situations or with little changes in process settings without compromising production. In this article, we propose a DMAIC framework, driven by data mining techniques for defect diagnosis and quality improvement where historical and online process data can be effectively utilised. We have used two decision tree algorithms namely, Classification and Regression Tree and Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection in developing the proposed framework. The proposed approach is applied in an Indian grey iron foundry where conducting DOE is not a feasible option for the management. The result demonstrates a significant reduction in casting defect and validates the practical viability of this approach.     

Risk assessment based on a STPA–FMEA method: A case study of a sweeping robot

Despite rapid developments in the quality and safety of consumer products, the rise of intelligent household appliances, such as sweeping robots, has introduced new safety concerns. Considering “person–product–environment” elements and the complex systems of emerging consumer products, this study presents a new method of risk assessment for consumer products: systems theoretic process analysis (STPA)–failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). As a case study, this method is applied to the safety control of a sweeping robot. The results suggest that this method can identify all the possible failure modes and injury scenarios among the product components, and the safety constraints in the hierarchical control structure of the interactive system. Moreover, the STPA–FMEA method combines user and environmental factors with the value of product risk events, based on the risk priority number (RPN). This provides an accurate and orderly system to reduce or eliminate the root causes of accidents and injuries. Finally, analysis of unsafe control behavior and its causes can be used to suggest improved safety constraints, which can effectively reduce the risk of some injury scenarios. This paper presents a new method of risk assessment for consumer products and a general five-level complex index system.     

International collaborative ventures between higher education institutions: a British–Russian case study

The starting point for our research is a model of developmental space designed by Coenders. Developmental space in this model is a social space arising from interaction between people. Coenders states that this developmental space is conditional for the probability of success for groups working on innovation. This model is relevant and useful because it is increasingly common for groups in organizations to work on innovation. Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals, involved in organizational development, often facilitate these groups as a process consultant. The model of Coenders is not complete yet, and for analysing and influencing the developmental space, the model is too complex. In a developmental research, we refine and adjust the model of the developmental space. The goal of our study is to develop a model of the developmental space as a starting point for groups and HRD professionals to analyse and influence that space.     

Quality Function Deployment and operational design decisions – a healthcare infrastructure development case study

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how QFD can enhance a healthcare organisation’s strategic operational alignment, by synchronising the infrastructure design with the service intention. In this empirical paper, a case study of a £15 million infrastructure development has been used as the unique context to assess and test the experimental findings. QFD was utilised in order to capture and transform the requirements of decision-makers, providers, patients and local communities into both service and building design for Project K, a healthcare infrastructure, in the U.K. Two full iterations of the QFD results are presented. Using QFD generated effectiveness and efficiency by creating an information exchange platform and providing the stakeholders with a framework to optimise the decision-making. This paper makes a practical contribution by empirically testing the QFD modelling and providing evidence of its implementation within the complex, dynamic and evolving nature of the healthcare built environment sector.     

A modularised typology for flow design based on decoupling points – a holistic view on process industries and discrete manufacturing industries

Management of production activities covers a wide range of decisions. In this paper, a modularised approach is suggested that, through configuration, generates a case-specific flow design. The approach is based on identification of decision categories that are generic and fundamental in the flow design, covering both discrete manufacturing industries and process industries. Each decision category identifies a unique property of the flow which changes at a particular point: this is termed a ‘decoupling point’. A three-dimensional modularised typology is developed by combining three different decision categories. Cases from the steel industry and the tooling industry are used to illustrate how the typology can be applied. The modularised approach provides a typology for the application of both qualitative and quantitative methods for flow management, including planning, control and performance management.     

Planning for a new international economic order?

Many a familiar planning instrument seems buried in the hot desert of the Persian Gulf: extrapolations, forecasts and projections. The corporate planner is now highly environmentally oriented. If he has recovered from the energy crisis, is conversant with the food emergency, and resigned to persistent inflation—he is about to face a new and unfamiliar phenomenon. It is ambitiously called “the new international economic order” (for the sake of brevity: NIEO).     

Planning for banking—The Indian experience

Long Range Planning (LRP) as an integrated total planning system had been accepted by two major public sector banks in India. The system through its maiden cycle was confronted by many difficulties, particularly regarding the application of the model. The paucity of adequate environmental data, lack of appreciation of the purpose of internal appraisal, avoidance of sophisticated quantitative techniques were some of the major problems faced by the Corporate Planning Team. The author explains his experiences as the co-ordinator of Corporate Planning Team for implementation in one of these banks. Despite the hurdles, the system has taken roots in his bank.     

Towards an adapted lean system – a push-pull manufacturing strategy

Abstract

The direct transplantation or imitation of lean production has led to difficulties of applying a number of lean principles and practices. Thus diffusion of one of the main lean principles, just in time production, which refers to producing only “what is really needed, when it is needed, and in the amount needed”, seems to be limited. To date, some of the these companies produce more than their customers really need. This method of production enables them not only to amortize the high changeover costs over a large number of products, but also to benefit from commercial opportunities. However these companies are exposed to financial losses related to storage costs and risks of non-sale. To provide decision elements for determining the best production strategy, we have developed a model for calculating the optimal quantity to be produced. Moreover, we suggest using a fuzzy aggregation system to optimise the consideration of the risk of non-sale. This new approach defines the limits to not be exceed by taking into consideration the drawbacks linked to the risks of non-sale.     

An optimal run-mode scheduling for oil refinery production–a case study on Taiwan CPC Corporation

The refinery industries have been going through very difficult time from fierce competition and high price of crude oil. To increase compatibility, it is essential to increase efficiency in the inventory, production and transportation. Refineries start generating revenues while their products are sold in the market. This article examines the possible costs of additional inventories and recurrent times of refineries derived from early or late shipment in a continuous production system. Then, based on the developed mathematical programming model, an optimal production structure with the minimum total cost of production, inventory and start-up is proposed. Tolerance analysis is conducted to cope with uncertain environment. A case study on applying the proposed model to perform scenario analysis for CPC Corporation, Taiwan is demonstrated. The results show that the developed model is able to provide useful information towards developing cost-effective oil refinery strategies.