Production planning and control systems (PPCs) are tools that have a major effect on the performance of manufacturing companies. An inappropriate determination of the applicability of PPCs could ...seriously jeopardise the ability to achieve competitive priorities. This mistake can be expensive for any company, but proper implementation is particularly critical for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are characterised by limited access to financial resources. Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope (S-DBR) is a PPC control approach that is characterised by minimum detail in the planning stage and a primary emphasis on the control of execution. Therefore, this approach is a suitable choice for the highly variable context of SMEs. This study aims to explore the practical issues related to S-DBR implementation in four Ecuadorian SMEs through case study research. The case analysis within this study first identifies the choices made in the implementation process design within the four companies according to process and product characteristics. We then conduct a cross-case analysis to explore the effects of the S-DBR implementation process designs on a group of performance measures. Our research findings provide new insights into the S-DBR implementation process in the context of SMEs, and the effects of this approach on performance measures.
Manufacturing companies often complain about the difficulties they face in meeting their customers' logistic requirements. Many blame the perceived inadequacies of their production planning and ...control (PPC) software for their performance deficits. The paper illustrates why this is only a partial view of the causes of the shortcomings. PPC software is just one of six configuration aspects of the entire PPC system. The authors argue that the configuration of the PPC aspects objectives, processes, objects, functions, responsibilities and tools has to be carried out methodically and consistently in order for the PPC system to function properly. The analysis of examples of so-called 'stumbling blocks' of PPC, inadequate configurations of one or several of the aspects, supports this claim. The paper closes with the proposal of a checklist that the authors suggest as a first approach to ensure the consistent configuration of PPC systems.
Production planning and control (PPC) systems and operations performance measures are topics that students generally find both boring and difficult to understand. In the article, the authors present ...a production line game that they have found to be an effective tool to increase student interest in the topics as well as student comprehension. The game demonstrates the interactions of four basic PPC systems with various operations performance measures. Evidence of increased student comprehension and interest is provided.
The demands of the market for short delivery periods makes planning and control of multi-stage, customer order-oriented production difficult and complex. This is true especially for the semi-finished ...products industry as aluminium, cupper and steel. So far, neither rough scheduling PPC (Production Planning and Control)-systems nor disjoint local control stations have been able to manage the enormous coordination effort for planning multi-stage linked production. Thus, the objective is to develop an integrated system from globally coordinated planning and short-term production control with distributed cooperative local control stations. In the past few years, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) has developed a system architecture named TOPAZ which meets these demands taking event oriented simulation for the global harmonisation and genetic algorithms in the local day-to-day order sequencing. Unlike existing systems the whole architecture of TOPAZ is fully object-oriented which enables an event-oriented data exchange between the different local planning areas. A former prototype is currently being used successfully in industrial processes.
Several efforts for industrializing construction have been made in different countries, and there has been a growing demand for engineer-to-order (ETO) industrialized building systems. In this ...context, products are unique for specific clients, as customer orders are placed at the design stage. There are many challenges for planning and controlling those building systems, due to the high level of complexity involved. The aim of this research is to propose a set of core requirements for production planning and control systems in ETO industrialized building systems. The methodological approach adopted in this investigation was design science research. It was based on a literature review on different planning and control models, and also on an empirical study carried out in a steel fabricator company. The proposed set of requirements is aligned with the management-as-organizing approach, challenging some traditional project management assumptions, including the use of metrics and practices that are not suitable for the high degree of complexity that exists in ETO environments. As a practical contribution, the requirements can be used by ETO construction supplier companies to support the conception and development of planning and control systems.
This paper proposes the 'Mapping Tool for Make-To-Order companies' (2MTO), a new approach to map, analyse and achieve lean benefits in high-variety-low-volume job shops. The focus is, mainly, on the ...transitional phase from push to pull, when there is a compelling need to acquire a deep understanding of the current state of the system under analysis. Sometimes, in this initial phase, a pure pull approach cannot be developed and a job shop configuration must be maintained. If so, 2MTO allows selecting a suitable hybrid Production Planning and Control system to control Work-In-Process and to limit lead times, so as to quickly achieve lean benefits, without significantly altering the original layout. 2MTO is fully explained making reference to an Italian precision mechanic company, where the application of the method led to a successful implementation of a Workload Control system.
Production planning and controlling (PPC) plays an important role in modern production enterprises. Current production management systems consider resources such as material, labour and production ...capacity and their respective costs, but neglect the role of energy and possibilities for cost savings. To develop sustainable production (in terms of economic and environmental aspects), the system must be extended; energy aspects, such as energy demand and available renewable energy, must be included in planning and monitoring the production. The paper presents a procedure for generating a basis for PPC systems to schedule the production related to energy demands and available renewable energy, for evaluating the planning errors and for indicating problems in the production based on the energy plan.
Agile production planning and control system (APPCS) is a system for planning, scheduling, procurement, and production control. APPCS plays an important role in the competitive environments, such as ...make-to-order industries, because it excels in immediate uncertainty processing and then guarantees feasibility of the production plan. The uncertainty is often caused by customers who make a change in the order or by suppliers who change their promised items. The customers or suppliers can notify of the change before it really happens. Upon receipt of the change, APPCS responds immediately to achieve higher service level of performance, better resource utilization, and less material loss.
This paper provides a UML model of APPCS. The proposed model concretely defines the APPCS and makes the immediate planning and scheduling possible. In order to testify the model, both instance of the model and its implementation in a simulator are shown.
The system adopted by Piaggio V.E. to run the production of 'Minivan' aims at conciliating the manufacturing philosophy 'just-in-time' JIT with the creation of a wide range of end-product codes. Some ...general assumptions for a JIT production, with small lot sizes, are described together with their implementation in the operationorganizing system adopted by Piaggio V.E. for the 'Minivan' assembly line. The strategy pursued by Piaggio V.E. for the Minivan focuses on the quality of the product and the level of service in the form of fast order cycle and a high number of options offered on catalogue. According to the logic of an ATO production system, the customer orders a customized product and the manufacturer does not keep any finished inventory, but aims at effective management of the information flows.
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