Manufacturing cycle time reduction using balance control in the semiconductor fabrication line

In semiconductor manufacturing, wafer fabrication is the most complicated and important process, and is composed of several hundred process steps and involves several hundred machines. The productivity of the manufacturing process depends mainly on controlling the balance of WIP (work-inprogress) flow to achieve maximum throughput under short manufacturing cycle times. This paper discusses how to determine the proper WIP level for operations, against which balance status can be measured. Balance measurement can be applied in mathematical modelling for bottleneck scheduling and operations management of the fabrication line. Performances are evaluated through computational experiments to show that balance driven management leads to 15-33% more production in 21% shorter manufacturing cycle time than production driven management.     

Acceptance of automation manufacturing technology in China: an examination of perceived norm and organizational efficacy

Abstract

With a shift to more automation technology, social acceptance of technology plays an important role in the manufacturing sector. To what extent this occurs, and affects the adoption of technology, has been less researched, but is important in deciding how such technology is introduced, and the nature of the shift from labour-intensive manufacturing to automation. This research applies the revised technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine the impact of social and individual antecedents on the acceptance of automation manufacturing technology. Survey data are collected from 258 Chinese manufacturers. Results suggest that perceived norms significantly affect organizational intention to use automation manufacturing technology both directly and via perceived usefulness; organizational efficacy explains the intention to use via mediating effect of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. This research is one of the first extending and applying TAM from individuals to organizations.     

Developing a manufacturing vision

The concept of a manufacturing vision is introduced as a company specific, commonly shared, holistic picture of the way in which future manufacturing in the company will function. First is presented what a manufacturing vision is, and then is presented a five-step framework in which such a manufacturing vision may be developed. A manufacturing vision is regarded as a bridge between the mission, goals, and strategies of an industrial enterprise and the detailed design of a manufacturing system. Such a bridge may ensure that manufacturing is able to make a relevant strategic contribution to developing and sustaining the competitiveness of the company and may serve as a guide for innovation and integration of the various elements of a manufacturing system. The paper rests on action research projects in more than ten industrial companies, and the experiences gained are discussed in a section on issues related to the development process including experimentation without fear of losing face, participation and involvement of managers and employees, and finally the outset for a manufacturing vision. To give an example of a manufacturing vision the paper also very briefly introduces a case of a medium-sized supplier of welded parts and equipment for a number of different industries.     

Lead factory operationalisation and challenges

Abstract

This paper deepens the understanding of the lead factory concept by examining how the lead factory role is operationalised and what challenges are associated with it. The research is based on an explorative case study of eight Swedish lead factories in the manufacturing industry. The empirical findings suggest that the understanding of the lead factory concept should be extended as it is not restricted to one type of set-up. The findings show a spectrum ranging from an entire manufacturing plant, parts of a plant, to a virtual plant considered to be the lead factory. The research also shows a broad range of challenges experienced by lead factories. Several of these are related to and originate from unclear role, responsibility and mandate of the lead factory. The lack of dedicated resources for lead factory activities, specifically long-term development and difficulties in measuring the benefits of the role, were other challenges faced.     

The social construction of the meaning of acute stressors: A qualitative study of the personal accounts of police officers using a stress counselling service

The police profession is one in which acute stressors are encountered more frequently than in other occupations. Using the personal accounts of 35 police officers attending an in-house stress counselling clinic, the aim of the present study was to provide a qualitative examination of how the institutional context of policing influenced the ways in which acute stressors signified to individual police officers experiencing felt distress. Using the framework of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy as an analytical tool, it is argued that beliefs contributing to the experience of felt distress are related to the way in which policing as both an identity and an activity is constructed through the police organizational culture. Not only do these constructions influence the ways in which officers perceive themselves and their environments, but they also operate at the collective level to 'normalize' some emotional responses and to 'pathologize' others which, it is argued, could impact upon the outcomes of interventions such as stress counselling.     

Creating and sustaining competitive advantage in collaborative systems: The what and the how

Initially this paper asks two questions: In order to create and sustain competitive advantage through collaborative systems WHAT should be managed? and HOW should it be managed? It introduces the competitive business structure and reviews some of the global trends in manufacturing and business, which leads to focus on manage processes, value propositions and extended business processes. It then goes on to develop a model of the collaborative architecture for extended enterprises and demonstrates the validity of this architecture through a case study. It concludes that, in order to create and sustain competitive advantage, collaborative systems should facilitate the management of: the collaborative architecture of the extended enterprise; the extended business processes and the value proposition for each extended enterprise through a meta level management process. It also identifies areas for further research, such as better understanding of: the exact nature and interaction of multiple strategies within an enterprise; how to manage people/teams working along extended business processes; and the nature and prerequisites of the manage processes     

An efficient generalized network-simplex-based algorithm for manufacturing network flows

Fang and Qi (Optim. Methods Softw. 18:143–165, 2003) introduced a new generalized network flow model called manufacturing network flow model for manufacturing process modeling. A key distinguishing feature of such models is the assembling of component raw-materials, in a given proportion, into an end-product. This assembling operation cannot be modeled using usual generalized networks (which allow gains and losses in flows), or using multi-commodity networks (which allow flows of multiple commodity types on a single arc). The authors developed a network-simplex-based algorithm to solve a minimum cost flow problem formulated on such a generalized network and indicated systems of linear equations that need to be solved during the course of the network-simplex-based solution procedure. In this paper, it is first shown how various steps of the network-simplex-based solution procedure can be performed efficiently using appropriate data structures. Further, it is also shown how the resulting system of linear equations can be solved directly on the generalized network.     

Engineering change: A theoretical assessment and a case study

The competitive playground where nowadays firms struggle to survive has rapidly become unforeseeable: product life cycle has shrunk, becoming even shorter than in the past, and world-wide market is suffering for a strong customer differentiation which led to an increasingly wide product mix. In this industrial environment, the engineering change process is getting more and more attention throughout the branches of industry, as it appears as a critical process which seeps into the operations management core, thus influencing the overall firm's performances. A brief state-of-the-art in the area of engineering change is firstly presented. Then a proposal of classification and a new methodology for an effective engineering change process management are suggested. The new proposed methodology has been successfully applied to a real-life manufacturing system and the related case study is reported at the end of the paper.     

Finding symbolons for cyberspace: Addressing the issues of trust in electronic commerce

E-commerce is growing rapidly, but a majority of the Internet users is still hesitant to become involved in it. One big hurdle is lack of trust. This paper deals with trust in ecommerce and measures to increase it. It discusses one particular so-called web assurance service for business-to-consumer commerce in detail. It also analyses if such services remain viable in an era of more mature e-commerce, and how they should be adjusted to the business-to-business environment.     

Modular design of integrated databases in production management systems

Abstract

Complexity is a serious problem with respect to the application of information technology in the field of production management. This paper presents an overview of the more fundamental problems encountered and proposes a solution for some of those problems in the form of modular decomposition of the conceptual database structure. It is argued that the complexity of information systems is closely connected to the complexity of the organization. Therefore a condition for the realization of integrated information systems for production management is a simplification of the organizational structure by way of defunctionalization and the forming of autonomous units.     

Responding to discontinuities in product-based service supply chains in the COVID-19 pandemic: Towards transilience

PurposeIn this study, we identify and characterise how organisations have responded, in ways ranging from restoration to radical change, to discontinuities in their product-based service (PBS) supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a theoretical approach that integrates transilience and panarchy theory as a response strategy in PBS supply chains, our qualitative study involved collecting data through 19 semi-structured interviews at six manufacturing firms during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., March to August 2020) and triangulating the findings with the secondary data and that from an industry workshop. Following an inductive approach, we performed thematic data analysis in Nvivo software package.FindingsThe findings suggest characterising discontinuities in PBS supply chains as unmanageable external supply-side, demand-side or interactional discontinuities or other manageable deliberate or forced organisational discontinuities. Following that characterisation, we developed a conceptual framework combing both resilience and transformation into new service opportunities.Research limitations/implicationsWe gained insights into the first-response abilities and ways of coping among manufacturing firms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though our findings capture a contemporary, eye-of-the-storm perspective on future directions, a longitudinal study on the pandemic could further validate and extend the modes of response that complement mitigation with the ability to accelerate change or innovation of internal process or external service offerings.Originality/valueCombining current literature with lessons learned from the firms' immediate responses, this paper's overview and characterisation of discontinuities following the COVID-19 outbreak in PBS supply chains demonstrate how manufacturing firms can foster transilience. As such, it integrates product-based supply chain discontinuities into the domain of service-based supply chains.     

Plasma level of catecholamines and lipids when speaking before an audience

Abstract

The movement of some women into self employment is considered in this paper. It is argued that if this movement is to be successful, and thus have any influence on the equality of employment opportunities, then it is necessary for the business ventures involved to be run strategically rather than operationally. It is also argued that there must be greater scope and encouragement for innovation in this area, otherwise there is a danger of mirroring, in new business formation, the structure of inequality that applies to the formal, and declining, structure of current employment. Finally, the paper examines the need for women's entrepreneurial ventures to be better accepted by and integrated into the wider social fabric. The potential sources of stress and of satisfaction in women's self employment are noted.     

The Development of Green Infrastructure Policy in the North West Region of the UK 2005–2010

ABSTRACT

This article examines the development of green infrastructure policy-making in the North West region of the UK 2005–2010, through the articulation of three phases. Drawing on a conceptualisation of discourse coalitions, it is argued that this instance of the green infrastructure policy-making process became a way of bringing together various stakeholders around a shared goal. The activities that took place and how green infrastructure was conceptualized ensured that a range of policy interests was represented, and consequently, a stable discourse coalition was formed around economic priorities.     

Implementation of continuous flow manufacturing (CFM) system

In a world of global competition and demanding customers, putting production requirements ahead of customer's needs inevitably leads to manufacturing inefficiencies, higher inventories, and poor quality goods and services. In continuous flow manufacturing (CFM) system, the manufacturer makes how much and what is needed, and also when it is needed. A leading multinational company in oral care products produces toothbrushes through contract manufacturers (CMs). The contract manufacturer makes different stock-keeping units (SKUs) under two options: (i) the contract manufacturing option, in which CM supplies the finished products; (ii) the labour contract, in which CM is responsible only for conversion. Competitive pressure in the market pressures the company to change the operating system from the push system to CFM for CMs also. Moving from the push system with its high level of inventories to continuous flow manufacturing system enables the achievement of improved customer responsiveness, greater efficiencies, lower inventories and lower operating costs. This paper describes the way in which one such contract manufacturer was moved towards the CFM system and the benefits achieved through it.     

Aspects of manufacturing strategy

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly important for manufacturing organizations to articulate clear and coherent manufacturing strategies that support their long term business objectives. In particular, manufacturing strategy should take conscious account of the competitive posture adopted by the organization in each of the product/market segments in which it has decided to participate. This paper discusses the various ways in which a systemic manufacturing strategy can contribute to an organization's competitiveness, and the processes by which such a strategy can be developed. Some important and often neglected issues concerning the development of the individual components of a manufacturing strategy are examined and the problems and issues of strategy implementation are discussed.     

How emerging digital technologies affect operations management through co-creation. Empirical evidence from the maritime industry

Abstract

Globalization, variation in customer expectations, and the developments connected to Information & Communication Technology are usually considered as the main drivers of changes in Operations Management (OM) strategies by firms in both manufacturing and service industries. Emerging digital technologies, such as Internet of Things or Cloud Computing, represents a novel paradigm that is rapidly affecting on several aspects of everyday-life of private and business users. This paper contributes to extant literature about the relationship between emerging digital technologies and OM, by stressing the value co-creation issue. Specifically, we investigate how emerging digital technologies affect OM through value co-creation in the maritime industry. Our study reports the case of FairWind project, an open technology marine service and graphic user interface enabling sailors to personalize their experience on board through 3rd party boat applications. The case of Fair Wind points out how emerging digital technologies contribute to OM within both organizations and, more in general, maritime industry, as well as the critical role of user’s co-creation in defining and managing on-board operations.     

Integration of CAD/CAM and production control in sheet metal manufacturing — an application area of operations research

Abstract

This paper describes a process planning system for sheet metal parts. This system has capabilities to deliver process planning data just in time. The change of tools, processes and even machines for manufacturing of the parts is possible at the shop door after design has been finished.

The sequence of the production planning steps carried out can be changed. In this way the system can be adapted to the requirements of different sheet metal manufacturing companies.

More detailed information is given about the methods used for nesting of the workpieces on the sheets to be produced.     

Simulation-based production schedule generation

Abstract

While simulation has been used in manufacturing for many years, predominantly for facility design, it is within the last few years, that simulation languages have been developed to a point where they can be used on a day-to-day basis to generate schedules and predict their performance. This paper describes our use of different modelling techniques to develop a production schedule generation system. An example describing a system for a small- to medium-sized order producing company using SIMAN/CINEMA is included. While addressing the shortcomings of existing scheduling systems it is shown how the approach taken is a feasible way of creating a dynamic goal-driven simulation-based production scheduler. The paper does not aim to describe an ‘off the shelf’ scheduling system product, but rather to give an overview to methods, techniques and experiences which enable us rapidly to tailor a simulation-based scheduling system to the specific needs of a company.