OPTIMAL SCHEDULING FOR INVESTMENT OF EXCESS CASH

A method is presented for the scheduling of a company's investments of its predictable, short-term, excess cash. The problem is structured in a way that leads to a fairly simple dynamic programming algorithm. The method is very flexible with regard to the type of investments considered; no structural properties of rates of return or availability are made except that they are predictable. The method allows the choice of holding to maturity or not and the choice can differ for different types of investments. A bank constraint, which fixes the average bank balance over the planning period, is added and the method of solution obtained.     

A DECISION THEORY APPROACH TO PRIORITY DISPATCHING FOR JOB SHOP SCHEDULING

Recent developments in the design of job shop scheduling systems have inspired a new approach to priority dispatching. The basis for the approach is in elementary decision theory: at each decision juncture define the alternative courses of action, evaluate the consequences of each alternative according to a given criterion, and choose the best alternative. The experimental results of a simulated single machine queueing system reinforce earlier findings that a decision theory approach represents a significant advance over conventional priority dispatching.     

COMPUTER-INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING: A TAXONOMY OF INTEGRATION AND RESEARCH ISSUES

The past decade has seen an upsurgence in the number of manufacturing companies that are attempting to transform into computer-integrated enterprises. However, much of the computer-based integration efforts in these manufacturing organizations have been limited in scope and localized within certain areas of the organization (particularly, technology-intensive areas such as the shop floor). Such compartmentalized and myopic approaches to the development of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems undermine the ability of these systems to reach their fullest potential. CIM is much larger in scope and can impact an organization along various dimensions and at various levels. The fact that no completely integrated manufacturing enterprise has been developed to date can be attributed, in part, to a lack of understanding of the scope and implications of CIM. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, twofold. First, the paper presents a meta-schema (called TRIAD) for multidimensional and multilevel integration of a manufacturing system. Second, on the basis of the proposed meta-schema, the paper develops a taxonomical framework for defining key integration issues in CIM system design and discusses critical research needs that exist in this area. It is hoped that this paper will serve as a road map for research efforts that will enable the emergence of comprehensive CIM systems.     

AN ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE OPTIMIZED PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE AND ITS USE

During the 19805 much attention, both pro and con, was directed toward optimized production technology (OPT). Criticism was directed at the proprietary nature of the scheduling algorithms within the software. Despite these criticisms, many large companies installed OPT. Little has been written on how the software is constructed and operates. This article introduces the software, provides a discussion of how it interfaces with management, and how various algorithms are imbedded in the software function. Last, a survey of companies that had implemented the software revealed that the major users are in the automotive industry.