Coordinated supply chain scheduling

A mixed integer programming approach is proposed for a long-term, integrated scheduling of material manufacturing, material supply and product assembly in a customer driven supply chain. The supply chain consists of three distinct stages: manufacturer/supplier of product-specific materials (parts), producer where finished products are assembled according to customer orders and a set of customers who generate final demand for the products. The manufacturing stage consists of identical production lines in parallel and the producer stage is a flexible assembly line. The overall problem is how to coordinate manufacturing and supply of parts and assembly of products such that the total supply chain inventory holding cost and the production line start-up and parts shipping costs are minimized. A monolithic approach, where the manufacturing, supply and assembly schedules are determined simultaneously, is compared with a hierarchical approach. Numerical examples modeled after a real-world integrated scheduling in a customer driven supply chain in the electronics industry are presented and some computational results are reported.     

British Manufacturing Organization and Workplace Industrial Relations: Some Attributes of the New Flexible Firm

The characteristics of the largest British manufacturing firms are analysed in order to argue that the form of organization adopted at corporate and plant level by such firms is distinctive. The first part of the paper looks at the characteristic kinds and types of productive activities that the largest British firms undertake. It is then suggested that there is a distinctive pattern of organization for production at plant level, described as the 'new flexible firm', the features of which are formally set out. The new flexible firm have some key features which help to make sense of an emerging pattern of workplace industrial relations in manufacturing. The way this new form of organization at plant level utilizes labour contradicts rather than supports the expectations of some analysts about the importance of human resource management.     

为企业打造适合自己的柔性制造系统

介绍了柔性制造系统的产生、组成及其具有柔性和自动化的2个特点,一个理想的柔性制造系统应具备设备柔性、工艺柔性等8种柔性。介绍了柔性制造系统的5个级别:柔性制造模块、柔性制造单元、柔性制造系统、柔性制造生产线及柔性制造工厂。企业实施柔性制造系统,必须结合本企业的实际情况,避免盲目追求。     

Design of the optimal feeding policy in an assembly system

This paper describes an innovative and integrated approach to component management optimization within a production/assembly system. In a mixed-models assembly process the handling of parts and components for each work station represents a substantial variable that can greatly affect job duration and efficiency. This paper is strictly related to Assembly to Order/Manufacturing to Order (ATO and MTO) systems, where lead time has to be very short and flexibility is at its maximum level. In Assembly to Order (ATO) or Make to Order (MTO) systems, the production is increasingly getting more customized in response to the demand, thanks to the progresses reached in both manufacturing and information technologies. It is becoming increasingly possible to assemble or make products specifically in response to the requests of either end customers or retailers. As a consequence of such customization, the design of the whole system must take into direct account several elements: parts warehouses location, feeding policies and feeding systems. In some cases the collection of parts and components required picking activities, in other the movement of entire units load.In several instances experts have analyzed the problems about material centralization/decentralization, storage policies and assembly feeding problem in different and independent ways, while the problem needs an integrated approach. While many researches regarding components allocation problems in ATO and MTO systems, did not consider feeding policies, material picking, packing activities and vehicles optimization, this paper cover focuses on filling such gap using an integrated framework that considers both aspects of the problem: the centralization/decentralization of components in order to minimize the total storage costs and the right feeding policies.Feeding problems in assembly lines are some of the most important aspects to consider during the analysis and design of an assembly system, to allow the maximization of efficiency and flexibility. To reach such goals, a multi-factorial analysis has been carried out during this experiment and will validate the introduced framework. An industrial application of the introduced framework is illustrated to explain its real significant production implication.     

The economics of flexible integrated circuit manufacturing technology

An economic frameword for evaluting flexible integrated circuit manufacturing technologies is developed as an alternative to the capacity races that appear to have played a major role in the decline of the U.S. IC industry. Economic advantages of flexible IC manufacturing technologies (such as cluster tools and multiprocessors) may include reductions in units costs at low output volumes, inexpensive increases in the diversity of IC products manufactured, and acceleration of the speed of new product introduction. The consequences of these developments for semiconductor equipment producers, IC manufacturers, and electronic system producers are examined.     

Multiple part-type scheduling in flexible robotic cells

This paper considers the scheduling problem arising in two-machine manufacturing cells which repeatedly produce a set of multiple part-types, and where transportation of the parts between the machines is performed by a robot. The cycle time of the cell depends on the robot move sequence as well as the processing times of the parts on the machines. For highly flexible CNC machines, the processing times can be adjusted. To this end, this study tries to find the robot move sequence as well as the processing times of the parts on each machine that jointly minimize the cycle time. The problem of determining the best cycle in a 2-machine cell is first modeled as a traveling salesman problem. Then, an efficient 2-stage heuristic algorithm is constructed and compared with the most common heuristic approach of longest processing time (LPT).     

Technology Choice and Market Structure: strategic aspects of flexible manufacturing

This paper shows that the adoption of flexible manufacturing techniques by firms leads to a tougher price regime. However, consumers may not benefit since the tougher regime deters entry. Flexible manufacturing's ability to deter entry is moderated by two factors: non-prohibitive costs of re-anchoring flexible manufacturing processes and the possibility that entrants choose to produce niche products using designated technologies rather than adopt flexible manufacturing. Market preemption that deters entry will be characterized by excessive product variety. Alternatively, flexible manufacturers may prefer to accommodate entry by small-scale, niche firms. Moreover, ownership matters in determining equilibrium product configurations.     

Flexibility Value as a Tool for Improving Decision-Making in Flexible Automation

To narrow the discrepancy between the benefits of investment in flexible automation of manufacturing systems promised by financial evaluation tools and the benefits realized in practice, we distinguish the potential flexibility of a system from its realizable flexibility. A classification is given of the realizable flexibility in automated manufacturing systems in mass, mid-variety and mid-volume, and multi-variety and small-volume production systems. A systematic procedure for quantifying the realizable flexibility in monetary terms and integrating this value into a Financial evaluation model is proposed and applied to a test case with significant results. Comparisons are also made with typical previous studies.     

A review of: “ENGINEERING RELIABILITY: FUNDAMENTALS AND APPLICATIONS”by R. RAMKUMAR Prentice Hall,Englewood Cliffs,New Jersey 1993, xiii + 482 pp. ISBN: 0-13-1767597. List: $70.00.

This paper presents a Real Tune Computer Aided Process Planning (RTCAPP) system which can serve as a support tool for economic decision making during design activities. The system is capable of providing the information about manufacturing implication of each added design feature to the designer during the design process of prismatic parts. A knowledge-based system using a bierarchical planning scheme and a multi-bank rule base is developed to generate near-optimal process plans in real time. The planning process is supported by an optimization module which uses dynamic programming to minimize manufacturing costs. The incremental planning mechanism utilizes as much of the existing plan information as is necessary to generate a new process plan, whenever the design is updated. The system serves as an effective concurrent engineering tool that can be used to provide real time feedback on the manufacturing cost consequences to the designer     

The adoption of flexible manufacturing systems in British and German companies

This article discusses the results of a research project that has examined the reasons for the comparative lag which exists in the United Kingdom in the introduction of a new manufacturing technology (the flexible manufacturing system (FMS). This technology offers considerable advantages to companies which produce items in medium to large batch sizes where there are frequent changes in manufacturing requirements, involving changes in components. Failure to introduce this technology means that British companies in certain sectors have become less competitive than some of their overseas counterparts.     

Optimally locating in-house logistics areas to facilitate JIT-supply of mixed-model assembly lines

In modern-day production systems, ever-rising product variety poses a great challenge for the internal logistics systems used to feed mixed-model assembly lines with the required parts. As an answer to this challenge many manufacturers especially from automobile industries have identified the supermarket-concept as a promising part feeding strategy to enable flexible small-lot deliveries at low cost. In this context, supermarkets are decentralized in-house logistics areas in the direct vicinity of the final assembly line, which serve as intermediary stores for parts. Small tow trains are loaded with material in a supermarket and deliver parts Just-in-Time to the stations lying on their fixed route. This paper discusses the general pros and cons of the supermarket-concept and treats the decision problem of determining the optimal number and placement of supermarkets on the shop floor. A mathematical model is proposed, an exact dynamic programming algorithm presented, and the validity of the proposed approach for practical purposes as well as the trade-off resulting from fixed installation and maintenance cost is investigated in a comprehensive computational study.     

Flexibility and Standardization: Test of a Contingency Model of Product Design–Manufacturing Integration

This article proposes and tests a contingency model of system integration of product design and manufacturing among producers of goods involving tooling development. The model predicts which combinations of organizational and technical practices will be most effective under conditions of high and low design newness. The results, based on data from 74 firms, largely support the model. Differentiating mechanisms, such as a tall hierarchy and job specialization, are negatively associated with design–manufacturing integration, particularly for new designs. Socio-integrative mechanisms, including such flexible practices as cross-functional teaming and collocation, are positively related to design–manufacturing integration for new designs only. However, the use of in-process design controls is positively related to design–manufacturing integration regardless of design newness, which suggests that some modes of standardization may be beneficial even for new designs.     

An Options Approach to Valuing Expansion Flexibility in Flexible Manufacturing System Investments

Flexibility in manufacturing processes provides an ability to change or even reverse the decisions made in earlier periods. The traditional economic evaluation methods of investments in flexible manufacturing systems ignore the value of flexibility, which should be one of the key issues in the justification process. Options approach appears as a means of overcoming the limitations of conventional discounted cash flow methods. In this work, a methodology for valuing expansion flexibility of flexible manufacturing systems is presented. Expansion flexibility in a phased manufacturing investment can be valued by viewing an initial investment as being analogous to purchasing an option to exchange one risky asset for another risky asset within a time period from the initial investment. While keeping the option to expand is of value, a thorough analysis requires that the opportunity cost of delaying expansion be taken into account. In this paper, an analytic approximation methodology for valuing sequential American exchange options on dividend paying stocks is employed for valuing expansion flexibility. A comprehensive numerical example is presented to illustrate the approach, and sensitivity analyses are performed.     

Market orientation, interdepartmental integration, and product development performance

Various research studies have shown that a market orientation and interdepartmental integration can positively influence product development performance. Addressed in this article is whether market orientation and interdepartmental integration both equally influence product development performance, whether one of these constructs is more influential than the other, and whether such influence is dependent on the type of department being examined? Analyzing survey data from 156 marketing, manufacturing, and R&D managers, the tentative results suggest that a market orientation and interdepartmental integration correlate to improved product development and product management performance in varying degrees across these three manager sets. It appears that a positive relationship between market orientation and product development petformance is likely to be reflected by the marketing department, while marketing and manufacturing departments are likely to reflect a positive relationship between the general construct of market orientation and product management performance. Manufacturing managers also reflect a positive relationship between interdepartmental integration and product development and product management performance. Further analyses involving the elements of a market orientation and interdepartmental integration find that a customer orientation appears important to performance in the case of marketing managers, and that collaboration is important to performance in the case of manufacturing managers. R&D managers did not reflect any statistically significant relationships between market orientation, interdepartmental integration, their constructs, and performance. These results should not be taken as refuting the claim of an important relationship between market orientation and product development performance, however. The present results refine our understanding of market orientation to consider department‐specific effects, as well as temper the claims that implementing a market orientation will readily lead to improved product development performance across all departments in an organization. This may or may not be the case, depending on the focal department.     

摩托车单向器自动装配机气动系统设计

针对当前摩托车单向器组件主要采用手工装配、装配效率低、随机性大、无法对装配过程实现有效管理控制的情况,为了易于对零件装配过程进行实时监测和提高生产效率,开发了一种智能摩托车单向器自动装配机。介绍了摩托车单向器自动装配机的上料系统、装配系统、检测系统和落料系统的机械结构,重点阐述了设备的气动系统设计,并进行了实验研究。结果表明,该设备可实现组成单向器的5种零件自动上料和装配,同时降低了操作人员的劳动强度,生产效率提高约50%。其气动系统噪音小、工作可靠,可应用于摩托车单向器的大批量生产。研究结果可为其他相似异形零件自动装配机的开发提供参考。     

制造企业管理模式:国际发展趋势与我国创新状况

制造企业的管理现代化水平，对中国能否实现从制造业大国到制造业强国的转变具有决定性的影响。在满足高质量、低成本的目标前提下最大程度地提高企业的灵活性和速度，是世界制造企业管理模式创新与发展的基本趋势。改革开放以来，虽然我国制造企业管理创新取得了显著的成就，但我国制造企业管理正处于由传统管理模式向现代管理模式转变的阶段，我国制造企业的管理水平离作为现代世界制造中心所应具有的企业管理现代化水平还有相当大的差距。为此，我国要适应世界管理发展趋势，探索自己的制造企业管理模式；强化意识，加大投入，提高制造企业管理信息化水平；创造各种公共支撑平台，全方位优化制造企业外部环境。     

Inter-organizational relationships and strategy quality in green supply chains — Moderated by opportunistic behavior and dysfunctional conflict

This paper presents a new research model to examine the factors influencing the quality of strategies developed and implementation in inter-organizational relationships in a green supply chain. In this study, we examine how attitude toward relationship orientation affects inter-organizational strategy quality, and how this association is affected by the opportunistic behavior and dysfunctional conflict. Relationship orientation, measured by relational benefits, relational proclivity, and connectedness, refers to the desire to develop and maintain relationships with green supply chain partners. Data are collected from 451 manufacturing firms that are among the top 1000 Taiwanese manufacturing firms of 2010 listed by Business Weekly. Relationship orientation, or the desire to develop and maintain relationships with collaborative partners, was found to be positively associated with the strategy quality. Our results show that opportunistic behavior and dysfunctional conflict decrease the willingness and damage efforts to establish relationships to enhance the strategy quality for the green supply chain.     

Antecedents and consequences of the strategic orientations in new product development: The case of Chinese manufacturers

The objective of the present study is to advance the understanding of the role of the strategic orientation of the firm for successful new product development (NPD), in the context of Chinese manufacturing firms. Through field research accompanied by a review of the related literature, this study identifies customer orientation and technology orientation as crucial strategic components that are important to successful new product development. This research proposes a conceptual model of strategic orientations, in which firm-internal (organizational support) and -external (environmental turbulence) factors are expected to influence strategic orientations, which, in turn, impact NPD performance. The model is tested using data collected from a large-scale survey of 232 manufacturing firms in China. The results largely support the hypotheses derived from the conceptual model. First, organizational support and environmental turbulence have a positive influence on the implementation of strategic orientations. Second, the two strategic orientations show a different pattern of performance implications.     

基于MES的工件加工及尺寸检测工位控制系统

为了加速传统汽车企业的转型升级,提高汽车产品生产效率和生产质量,节约产品生产时间,根据作业要求,针对工业4.0智能工厂中的工件加工及尺寸检测工位,设计一款汽车发动机零件加工及搬运控制系统。以MES为基础,结合可编程控制器控制机器人、RFID、气动元件相关组件,搭建出工件加工及尺寸检测工位控制系统,对生产现场进行信息化管控,加工完成后,通过视觉检测系统对零件孔径进行检测。结果表明,控制系统运行稳定,能够顺利完成汽车零件的自动搬运与加工,所加工产品满足生产计划要求,产品合格率及生产效率得到大幅度提升,对制造企业的数字化改造具有一定的参考价值。     

A mathematical programming approach to evaluating alternative machine clusters in cellular manufacturing

Cellular manufacturing systems achieve the economies of scope and scale approaching that of flexible and high-volume production when the machine/part clusters are totally independent of each other. However, most real systems contain bottleneck machines and exceptional parts (exceptional elements) that reduce these economies. Many grouping methods have been proposed for creating the initial machine/part cells where the presence of exceptional elements may greatly affect their performance. Furthermore, multiple alternative solutions are often possible for a given grouping algorithm. In this paper, the previous work dealing with exceptional elements is reviewed. A mathematical programming model used for comprehensively dealing with exceptional elements is investigated. The effect of alternative initial machine/part clusters on the total cost is evaluated. It is demonstrated that the mathematical programming model can provide useful information in making trade-off decisions when exceptional elements are present.