Multilayer analysis of supply chain strategies’ impact on sustainability

Integrating lean, green and resilient strategies into Supply Chain (SC) decisions is a key success factor for transformation toward sustainability. These strategies are increasingly common in the SC, although their implementation and results are not the same across different SC levels (Tier 1, 2 and 3 suppliers and the focal company). In spite of this, earlier studies have not explored in detail their effects on environmental, economic and social sustainability dimensions nor differentiated between SC levels and therefore implementation strategies overlook the difference between these levels. Accordingly, a novel multilevel analysis of the aerospace manufacturing SC based on Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) is carried out. This approach allows exploring the effects of combining lean, green and resilient strategies on specific sustainability performance measures in the aerospace manufacturing SC. The findings reveal differences between SC levels on the effects of lean, green and resilient strategies on the different sustainability dimensions. Additionally, Tiers 2 and 3 show a higher resistance or lower implication in the development of lean, green and resilient strategies than the focal company and Tier 1 companies. Final ISM models become a useful tool for managers to specifically establish coordinated long-term SC sustainability programs for each SC level.     

The influence of the Industrial Internet of Things on business models of established manufacturing companies – A business level perspective

The emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) poses a large impact on established business models of manufacturing companies. This study aims at analyzing the influence of the IIoT on these business models from a business level perspective. In particular, it focuses on the interrelationships between business model component changes. While the sparse body of extant management literature examines just a subset of business model elements as affected by the IIoT, a framework comprising an entire set of elements is provided. Besides, their direct and indirect interrelationships, and the most important changes in each of the elements, are investigated. For this purpose, an exploratory multiple case study approach is employed, which is based on relevant IIoT-related experiences of 76 German manufacturing companies. By triangulating data from semi-structured expert interviews and archival company material, the study provides in-depth insights and a better understanding of IIoT-driven effects on manufacturing business models. It contributes to extant management literature by revealing the value proposition, internal infrastructure management, and customer relationships predominantly influenced by the IIoT. Moreover, it is shown that IIoT-triggered business model changes are offer-driven, particularly by production and process optimization within customers' production systems. These value proposition changes result in subsequent modifications of the remaining business model elements.     

Capacity planning techniques for manufacturing control systems: Information requirements and operational features

Substantial interest has been focused on techniques that determine the amount and timing of work center capacity to satisfy the master production schedule. Although several techniques have been developed for preparing work center capacity plans, very little analysis of the operational features and the application of these techniques has been reported. Four techniques, capacity planning using overall factors (CPOF), capacity bills, resource profiles, and capacity requirements planning (CRP), vary substantially in their complexity and the level of detail required to plan work center capacities. All four procedures require the use of the master production schedule to develop a capacity plan, but some have much more demanding data requirements. Important differences are the means by which capacity requirements are estimated by the techniques and the manner in which the bill of material, manufacturing lead time and inventory status information are incorporated into the capacity plan. The purpose of this paper is to describe the operational features of the four capacity planning techniques, the underlying data base requirements, and some key managerial issues in choosing among these techniques.     

ERP系统在离散制造企业应用与评价

ERP系统经过多年的发展,在各领域已逐步普及,在细分各领域中离散制造企业应用效果差,一直是ERP系统应用的短板.本文从国内、外ERP系统差异开始分析,精要分析一典型离散制造企业信息化建设需求,满足科研生产业务管理,采用信息化技术实现高效、精准的业务管理.通过围绕核心业务展开ERP系统搭建和应用,为生产制造、采购、物资、...     

蓄电池制造业的MRP实施关键点分析与研究

目的是探究一种适合蓄电池制造企业运行MRP的方法,并且推广成功的经验。只有把MRP作为反映业务数据及时性和准确性的重要考量标准,才能从根本上做好蓄电池制造业的信息化。其中使用了MRP相关的理论：安全库存、订货点法、产能计算等等。在成功实施了MRP之后,大幅提高了企业的运作能力,降低了成本。这些都说明,使用MRP来协调企业内部供应链,的确能给企业带来很大的效益,并从根本上提高企业的竞争力。     

The effects of workforce strategies on manufacturing operations

This paper tests the effects of three workforce strategies on a multistage, multiproduct manufacturing system under various operating conditions. These three strategies are those that are predominant in today's world economics. One type is a chase strategy, often used by firms that employ low skilled workers and faced with seasonal product demands, where workforce levels fluctuate according to increases and decreases in production requirements. A level-flexible strategy, commonly called the Toyota system, keeps the aggregate workforce at a constant size but by having flexibly trained workers it can allow transfers of workers between various departments and processes as production requirements dictate. The third major type is a level-inflexible strategy, such as that used on mass-assembly lines employed by American automobile manufacturers. Under this strategy, the number of workers remains constant in each department as well as at the aggregate level regardless of short term changes in the production requirements. The manufacturing system is envisioned as a sequential planning process with interrelated decisions made at the levels of aggregate planning, master production scheduling, and departmental planning. This process is modeled as a zero-one mixed integer program. The operating conditions under which the strategies are tested are the variability of demand, the level of service, and the degree of inventory investment. The strategies are statistically tested as to their effects on five criteria: average weekly workforce size, average quarterly inventory investment, average weekly overtime, total setups and the average weekly ratio of departmental load to capacity.Using four different products and an experimental manufacturing environment described within the paper, we tested for any statistical differences between the three strategies. We found that none of the strategies had significantly different workforce sizes. Also, the chase strategy had the smallest average quarterly inventory investment. This implies that the “Japanese” level-inflexible strategy does not have the smallest workforce or lowest inventory as claimed by some.We also tested the effects of the operating conditions on the workforce strategies. The level-flexible strategy was most insulated from the seasonality, inventory restrictions, and service level. Thus again the claims made for the level-inflexible strategy about being insulated from its environment were not substantiated. It was found that the seasonality of demand had the greatest impact on the three workforce strategies. Also, the level of service greatly affected the utilization of labor resources.The major overall conclusion is that the level-flexible strategy which is associated with some Japanese manufacturing firms does not achieve the claims that some of its adherents have made for it. It does not have the smallest workforce or the lowest inventory nor is it best insulated from its environment. Furthermore, the seasonality of demand and the level of service do effect this strategy.     

Just-in-time: maximizing its success potential

The effective implementation and use of JIT manufacturing practices depends largely on the education, training, and commitment of all levels of management to a fundamental quality-first policy. Management must transfer and demonstrate that commitment to every level and extension of the manufacturing endeavor. As a company establishes and reaches toward that goal, the move to JIT manufacturing practices becomes rational and justifiable. Failing to establish and commit to a quality directive greatly diminishes the potential benefits of JIT. If all levels of manufacturing participate in the JIT planning, implementing, and maintenance procedure, the realization of positive change and improvement drives the process. Total participation makes the task of JIT implementation not only possible, but practical. Enhanced mutual respect for all concerned is a likely consequence, advancing the productive environment.     

Using decision modeling to examine management consensus: A study of a maintenance management control system

Using a decision modeling approach, this research examined differences across levels of management in a large construction company concerning the criteria for a maintenance management control system. The six criteria were cost efficiency, productivity improvement, materials management, unification of work control, planning and scheduling, and information and retrieval. A decision-making exercise was constructed that asked the respondent to make recommendations concerning the approval or disapproval of 32 hypothetical maintenance management systems. Among the 60 managers who completed the exercise, there was evidence of significant differences across levels of management concerning the criteria for a maintenance management control system. Additionally, distortions were observed between what the managers said was important and what their decisions indicated. These data demonstrate that the decision modeling approach presented can be effectively used to examine the degree of consensus within an organization.     

Time out! When slowing down can be the quickest way

Proxima, a leading manufacturer of desktop projection devices, formed a team to select and implement a new manufacturing resource planning II system. Although standard implementation methods were employed throughout the process, the implementation was plagued by software problems, systems operating problems, and team dysfunction and was halted after the first year. This article examines how and why the implementation effort failed, what the company learned from the experience, and what changes were made that allowed the company to succeed on its second attempt.     

BRITISH EMPLOYEES: RESPONDING TO JAPANESE MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHIES

Japan's industrial success has opened new opportunities in the area of business research and has generated particular interest in 'the Japanese way of doing things'. One specific area of concern has been that of job satisfaction and its relation to productive achievement. The study carried out in the United Kingdom involving one American, two ideally-matched Japanese subsidiaries and one British company, all involved in television manufacturing, refutes certain stereotypes about Japanese management. First, the study revealed that the two Japanese companies employed distinct personnel policies which were reflected in the differences in job satisfaction registered by their employees. Second, it showed that the paternalistic personnel policies instituted by one Japanese company were not preconditions for its high productive achievement but, selectively applied, generated appreciative feelings among its British work-force.     

国内外大型企业集团安全管理模式现状研究

本文根据对大型企业集团和安全管理模式等概念的界定,并且对各个企业的安全模式进行的详细的介绍,并且分析了这些大型企业成熟的安全管理模式,同时还分析了国外公司的安全管理模式。通过对比国内外公司的管理模式,概括总结出他们的相同点和不同点,从中找出了国内公司安全管理方面的欠缺和不足,为以后我国的公司建设完善的安全管理体系提出了新的途径,也为建设新型的安全管理模式提供了相应的参考,为推动我国企业的安全管理起到了积极的作用。     

服务型制造转型——陕鼓的案例研究

服务型制造是新兴的制造模式,是基于制造的服务、面向服务的制造。文章在理论分析的基础上,从战略转变、需求管理、能力管理、企业网络、风险管理五个方面,详细分析了陕西鼓风机集团的服务转型过程。通过对“服务型制造”在陕鼓实际应用的全面解析,对服务型制造在企业成功实施的要点进行了总结,为制造企业进行服务型制造转型提供了可靠借鉴和...     

Production and supply management strategies in Nordic paper mills

The traditional production management strategy in paper manufacturing is based on a volume-intensive approach. This involves the measurement of overall performance or productivity, while aiming at a high level of capacity utilisation and minimum waste levels. This approach has proved successful in mills producing high volumes with a limited and standardised product range. The situation changes radically when paper and board products are being tailored to customer-specified dimensions and quantities. The volume-based approach is no longer appropriate, and production has to be controlled by an approach that considers inventory performance along the full length of the supply chains. This paper presents five empirical examples to illustrate the use of the two strategies. The detailed analyses of production cycles, the logistical solutions applied and the inventory levels at various stages of the supply chain, show that the Nordic paper industry is slow, with average lead times of 79 days to market. When production cycles are reduced and logistical alternatives are fully exploited, it can be seen that 30% of the inventories can be regarded as slack. The summary of the cases shows that speedier operations easily generate direct cost savings amounting to 2–5% of annual turnover. All these results can be achieved without additional investment; all that is required is a change in production planning principles and logistical control procedures. The paper concludes with a challenge to the Nordic paper industry to be the first in its field to achieve the higher level of productivity that faster operations can generate.     

Value stream mapping in project management: A case study

This article describes the application of value stream mapping to analyze and redesign the way of managing the materials procurement stage of a project. A framework based on integrated definition (IDEF) methodology, the stream analysis approach, activity‐based costing, and discrete event simulation is presented. The stream analysis approach is used to analyze, diagnose, and manage process changes represented using an IDEF model. A dynamic simulation is used to evaluate the impact of the changes considered, to support the analysis of the process, and to model the performance of the proposed process. The overall methodology is demonstrated by applying it to a company whose core business is the design and construction of offshore oil rigs. The company specializes in engineering, procurement, and construction projects and has an annual portfolio of about six projects. Many of these projects have common features in terms of design and components, and they are all also characterized by a short “time to delivery.” For this reason, this study was aimed at assessing the possible effects that the application of new materials management policies could have on reducing both project completion time and the resources required.     

企业成本预算管理信息系统设计与实现

该文阐述关于公司成本预算管理信息系统的构思与设计。系统采取了基于.NET Framework的三层B/S架构。数据由数据库集中进行管理,由Web应用程序进行存取、运算,并将信息发送到客户端浏览器中。最终实现一个面向成本预算管理的,生产计划与成本计划、生产运行与成本运行、生产分析与成本分析相结合的,各部门相互配合、信息共享的,信息分层、管理分级、职责明确的统一内部管理平台。     

Product waste in the automotive industry: Technology and environmental management

In this article the changes in technology and industry structure forced by waste management in the automotive industry are explored. The analysis is based on (1) a characterisation of corporate response to environmental issues, and (2) the management of technology applied to the car manufacturing industry. It is argued that a more elaborate view of company reactions to governmental regulation of environmental issues has developed in recent years. Companies respond with pro-active strategies. Because of this active attitude environmental concerns influence other aspects of company policy, such as the management of technology. New strategies emerge which are not only a response to environmental problems, but might also influence the industrial structure for the future. The analysis is not only relevant for the automotive industry, but for other manufacturing industries as well. Government action puts waste management issues on the agenda of an increasing number of manufacturing firms that have to develop solutions for these in close cooperation with their suppliers and customers.     

中小企业成长性与企业战略关系研究——以创业板为例

本文以创业板上市公司为研究样本,以企业的净资产收益率解释企业的成长性,以企业的战略规划水平为解释变量,通过实证分析发现企业的战略规划水平与企业的绩效具有显著的相关性,表明企业战略规划对企业的成长有显著的作用。     

Assemble-to-order manufacturing: Implications for materials management

A company's manufacturing is often characterized as either make-to-stock (MTS), make-to-order (MTO), or assemble-to-order (ATO). This classification relates to the degree of interaction between the technological core and the market, with MTS involving the least amount of interaction and MTO the highest degree of contact. ATO represents a hybrid manufacturing strategy for which parts and subassemblies are made according to forecasts while the final assembly of the products is delayed until customer orders have been received. It is evident that each manufacturing philosophy has strategic as well as operational implications.This paper focuses on ATO manufacturing and, in particular, on the design and operation of the manufacturing planning and control system. The relative differences between MTO, ATO, and MTS strategies, and the reasons why a company may decide to be an ATO manufacturer, are discussed first. Several problem areas, which must be addressed by a company that chooses this form of manufacturing, are then identified. It is found that the ATO philosophy requires special system design considerations, particularly in the areas of master scheduling, bills of material structuring, order entry/order promising, final assembly scheduling, and buffering against demand uncertainty. Examples of important issues discussed are the selection of appropriate master schedule units and the associated consequences for the structuring of the bills of material; the choice of efficient procedures for reliable order booking using the combined information from forecasts, confirmed orders, and the master schedule; the relationship between the final assembly schedule and the master schedule; and various techniques that can be used to counter the effects of forecast errors related to the demand for customer options.Following the discussion of all the issues raised above and the presentation of some common solutions, actual industry applications taken from several companies are used to illustrate various aspects of ATO manufacturing. These case illustrations complement the other material since many of them were chosen to reflect alternative procedural approaches to some ATO-related problems. Finally, areas for future research into the design and operation of ATO manufacturing systems are suggested. It is particularly noted that few normative models for systems design exist in this area.     

Assessing supply chain risks with the analytic hierarchy process: Providing decision support for the offshoring decision by a US manufacturing company

This paper reports the process used by a US manufacturing company to assess supply chain risks within the context of an offshore sourcing decision. The case study company was faced with the objective of finding a new supplier for two of its major product lines. Five alternatives were considered: (1) sourcing finished goods from Mexico; (2) sourcing finished goods from China; (3) sourcing parts from China and assembly in the US; (4) sourcing parts from China, assembly in a Maquiladora in Mexico with investment; and (5) sourcing parts from China, assembly in a Maquiladora in Mexico with no investment in the venture. To find the best solution, action research methodology was combined with the application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Through iterative and structured discussions, 17 risk factors were identified, which were subsequently grouped into main and sub objectives. AHP was then used to evaluate the importance of each risk factor, and to determine the best alternative. This study makes several contributions to the field of purchasing and supply management. First, it provides a comprehensive framework of empirically derived risk factors to be considered in an international sourcing context. Second, it shows how AHP can be used to assess these risk factors and alternatives as part of the framework to facilitate and support the final offshoring decision. And third, it illustrates the successful application of the approach by a US manufacturing company. As such, this paper contributes to the research streams of offshoring and risk management in purchasing and supply, as well as to decision-making under uncertainty and AHP. In addition, it serves as a practical methodology for firms in similar situations.     

Read my lips--no more late deliveries

Over 70,000 materiel requirements planning (MRP) and manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) systems have been implemented in this country in the last 20 to 30 years. Yet the question many of the companies who own these systems are asking is, "Was it worth it?" Less than a third of the companies are answering in the affirmative. Two key differences between the satisfied and the not-so-satisfied companies are (1) support to the user community and (2) management involvement in the day-to-day use of the system. Without these two items, the improvements brought about by an MRP or MRP II system will most likely be mediocre at best.