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M.S.-05

Management of Machines and Materials

ASSIGNMENT SOLUTIONS GUIDE (2013-2014)
Disclaimer / Special Note: These are just the sample of the Answers/Solutions to some of the Questions given in the Assignments. These Sample Answers/Solutions are prepared by Tutor for the help of the student to get an idea of how he/she can answer the questions of the Assignments. Sample answers may be Seen as the Guide/Reference Book/Assignment Guide. Any Omission or Error is highly regretted though every care has been taken while preparing these Sample Answers/Solutions. Please consult you Teacher / Tutor before you prepare a Particular Answer.
Q. 1. Explain Product design. How does it influence the Process design? Ans. Before the selected product is given for production the entire characteristics of the product needs to be enlisted in detail so that the operations process can be designed accordingly. Included in the product design will be the physical characteristics of the product if the product is tangible. The weight, the length, the breadth, the thickness, the shape, the colours, the accessories, the material, should all to be specified. If the product consists of many parts then the physical characteristics of each part should be mentioned separately. The product design will also include the varieties of the product so as to provide more options to the consumers. For example, a car may be ac or non-ac with different fuel options. The performance criteria such as speed, wattage etc. of the product should be specified. Products can also be differentiated on the basis of the various performance criteria. The design of the product would determine the design of the processing system. The machinery and equipments, the layout must all be planned to achieve the product design specifications. To counter the opposing forces in the external environment such as competition, technological obsolescence organizations may need to continuously innovate their output. Since a lot of resources are required to produce output organizations need to ensure the maximum success of the output before going in for commercial production. Many a times organizations may be under pressure to go in for commercial production as they may be in shortage of resources required for research. Research is concerned with the generation and refinement of ideas whereas development is concerned with the modifications in the output in the light of better information. Many ideas may need to be reworked or dropped. For example, if we take the case of the chemical products industry, the average time period for commercialising a product is six years after the research process commences. Commercialization also takes long periods in the case of automobile industry, aviation industry etc. In contrast food, restaurants, apparels businesses take much lesser time to commercialize. Q. 2. Define Job Design. Identify the important factors and their influences in designing the Job. Ans. While work design is centred on the work; job design is concerned with designing each job keeping the individual worker in focus. Job design attempts to minimise, if not eliminate all the harmful and negative effects inherent in the work environment and to create a conducive work environment which is safe and has a positive effect on the performance and satisfaction of the individual. The harmful or negative effects inherent in the work environment can be due to design, environmental and organizational factors. A social change in the industrial revolution era which demanded the respect of all citizens and downfall of dictatorship gave birth to classical and behavioural schools of thought that identified factors which motivated people to work. The classical school of thought focused on the technical and scientific aspects while the behavioural school of thought was concerned with the effect of operations on human behaviour. The application of socio-technical method of job design has been recognised as good management practice. Socio-technical approach to job design involves the application of both scientific and technical methods as well as behavioural methods and aims to increase productivity as well as worker satisfaction. Organisations are themselves realizing the significance of socio-technical approach or are being made to realise the same by the various pressure groups and government bodies. The factors can be design, environmental and organizational factors. The various design factors are enlisted in the table below:

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Design Factors Layout of Equipment and Seating

Importance The layout of equipment and seating should be designed keeping in focus the concerns of the worker. Several scientific studies conducted on body positions, blood flow, muscular activities, vision, provide inputs in aptly designing the layout of equipment and seating. Several instruments are used by workers to serve various purposes. Scientific studies have brought out several designs which are suited to the various purposes served by the various designs. For example, the apt display designs for instruments required for checking readings would be moving pointer. Warning devices have auditory signals attached to them. Instruments should be designed in a manner such as to aid in fulfilment of the purpose for which the instrument is required. Appropriate indicators also need to be included. The operation of various equipments should be compatible with the natural movements of the body parts. For example, it is easier to follow readings from top to bottom or left to right than vice versa, the natural eye movement is from left to right or top to bottom; instruments such as reading devices should be designed keeping this factor in mind. Importance Various control devices are required during operations. The design of the control devices should be selected keeping in mind the type of control required. For example, for fine tuning a knob would be an effective control device.

Instrument Display Design

Compatibility with Natural Body Movements

Design Factors Control Design Characteristics

Environmental Factors: The various environmental factors to be taken into consideration while designing the job are enlisted in the table below: Environmental Factors Importance Temperature and Humidity Work environment should be taken into consideration the effect of temperature and humidity on work performance. Several scientific studies and experiments conducted on the generation of heat and humidity and effect of temperature and humidity on work performance provide inputs regarding maintenance of apt temperature and humidity within the work environment. Vibration is to and fro motion at very high speed. Vibration is measured in cycles per second. If one comes into contact with any vibrating object one gets subject to vibration also. In the workplace many things are always getting moved, hammered, being landed etc. All these activities and many more are sources of vibration. Excessive vibration can cause harm to the human body. Fatigue and sensation of numbness are few of the harmful effects of vibration on the human body. Scientists have classified vibrations according to high, medium and low frequencies. Work environment managers should try to keep vibration as minimum as possible. The harmful and distracting effects of noise are known to everyone. In the work place all noise should be avoided as far as possible. Unavoidable noise can be blocked from entering the ears by use of ear plugs etc. Noise can be prevented from going out or entering inside the work place by use of soundproof devices. Noise caused by machines should be absorbed by sound absorbing devices. As far as possible noiseless machineries and equipments should be preferred.

Vibration

Noise

Visual Environment

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The design of the visual environment includes the use of proper lighting and colours. The design of visual environment should be done in consultation with experts who are aware of the scientific aspects of illumination. The illumination level in the work place should enable the maximum performance. The level of illumination should neither be lower or higher than this level. Different works require different level of illumination. Appropriate colour schemes benefitting the characteristics of work environment should be applied. For example, bluish and greenish shades benefit the working environment of a hospital.

Organizational Factors: Organizational factors of job design are concerned with how to organize the work and rest periods.

Scientists have calculated the average level of energy that can be used by the human body is 5 K calories per minute. Too much energy expenditure can be harmful for the human body. According to medical experts work should be stopped at the point of time when the level of lactic acid starts increasing in the body. Scientific and medical experiments carried out regarding work and rest periods enlist the various categories of work against the energy required per unit time and frequency and duration of rest periods. Works requiring greater expenditure of energy per unit time should have more frequent and longer duration rest and nourishment periods. Works which are repetitive and require lesser expenditure of energy can be monotonous and hence should be designed in a manner such as to include more variety. Q. 3. What do you mean by Production Planning and Control (PPC)? Explain the role of aggregate planning in PPC. Ans. Whenever an organization needs any tangible or intangible product, it can either buy it or produce the product itself. The decision to produce the product or to buy the product would depend on the demand for the product vis-a-vis the costs involved and several specific organisational characteristics and environ-mental factors. Products can be produced in huge volumes, in batches or in units. Generally, it is desirable to opt for batch production when the variety is more relative to the volume, and the organisation is able to predict a fair amount of demand, as it may be uneconomic to set-up dedicated production lines for each or a combination of product variety. In a batch production system present demand is met out of stocked inventories as it is not possible to produce as and when the demand arises. Following are the major concerns of a batch production system: (i) Determination of the optimal batch size. (ii) Developing an aggregate production plan. (iii) Disaggregation of the aggregate production plan. (iv) Planning for the materials required for production (Materials Requirement Planning). (v) Control of the production process (Line of Balance Method). Aggregate Production Planning Each organisation has to set for itself certain production targets for meeting the demand and achieving its objectives. Aggregate production plan gives details regarding how the production targets will be achieved for a given time period. The aggregate production plan consists of details regarding man hours and workforce required. All activities are sequenced and scheduled. Each individual product has a detailed plan as to how the targetted production quantities will have to be achieved. The plan for each individual product is derived from the aggregate plan and is called disaggregation to a master schedule. There are several methods to determine the aggregate production plan. One such method is the graphical method which enables the evaluation and modification of production plan vis-a-vis costs, inventory etc. In this method the cumulative demand and cumulative output for the proposed output plan is plotted on a cumulative productive days (horizontal axis) vis-a-vis cumulative units of output (vertical axis) graph. The expected demand and proposed output is compared and modifications are made. Other methods comprise mathematical programming which can be linear or non-linear, linear decision rules, management coefficients model and computer search. In mathematical programming method a total cost function is developed which has to be minimised while considering the constraints. In linear decision rules a mathematical model identifies a set of equations to aid in determining the optimum work force, output rate and inventory level. Management Coefficients Models involves using multiple regression techniques to find regression equations that fit past data. Computer search methods comprise a set of directions which is used by the computer to evaluate the alternative output plans. Q. 4. What is value Engineering and Analysis. Explain how to organize value engineering function in shoe manufacturing organization. Ans. Basic Concepts in Value Engineering Better for lesser. The quote captures the essence of value engineering. Value engineering is concerned with conducting a full fledged and in-depth analysis to identify costs which are unnecessary and do not contribute any value to the output. Elimination of such items of costs, by applying value engineering methods would have no effect on the demanded output characteristics. Demanded output characteristics of a product or service are those output characteristics which are valued and demanded by customers. On the other hand application of value engineering methods can even better the output characteristics. Value analysis, value management and value assurance are other alternative terms of Value Engineering. Value Engineering Job Plan Value Engineering Process: Value engineering has several phases of implementation. Value engineering methods such as Job Plan by Mudge, DARSIRI and FAST (Function Analysis System Technique) have identified these stages which may differ in terminology but resemble in the concept. The phases given by Mudge has been widely acknowledged and other plans are also based on similar classification of phases but only with different names. The phases given by Mudge are: General Phase, Information Phase, Function Phase, Creation Phase, Evaluation Phase, Investigation Phase and Recommendation Phase. These phases are described as below: General Phase: Value engineering requires the involvement of people from several functional areas. Value engineering is also a change process and change always faces resistance from already established forces. In the general phase acceptance and approval is sought, resistance is overcomed and team work is encouraged. The information communicated should be specific

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and not general and drawn from reliable sources. People implementing value engineering should have good business acumen, should act on facts and not on personal opinions, be resourceful, and should encourage pursuance of new knowledge. Information Phase: In this phase maximum information regarding product or products is secured. The total and accurate costs associated with cost related aspects of the product/products are worked out and appropriate costs are assigned to the various aspects such as costs of different specifications or costs of the various requirements met by the product/products. Information is sought mainly regarding the following aspects: The technical specifications of the products. Technical specifications would include the quality, grades, appearance, dimensions etc. Specifications related to the environment. Engineering sketches. Sample of production. Production related data such as details of conversion process, time required in production, quantity produced, inventory levels etc. Specifications related to work such as layout of work place, standards of performance, etc. Customer preferences. Records pertaining to product development, testing and servicing. The value of scrap material. Function Phase: In this phase definitions of functions of the products which are already being performed or is required to be performed is developed and the several functions are then compared with each other to determine their relative importance. The function definition uses only a noun and a verb which can aptly and precisely describe the function. The noun and the verb provides an answer to the products need for its users. The noun represents the object which is subjected to a certain action represented by the verb. Comparative verbs such as improvise, optimise etc. are avoided. For example, the function of a bowl can be expressed as holds substance. Large lists of such paired definitions are developed and then the most apt pair is selected from the list. Evaluation of Function Relationship: Evaluation of function relationship brings out the relative importance of the functions by method of paired comparison method. This method enables the identification of the primary and secondary functions of the product. Primary functions carry higher weights and secondary functions carry lower weights. After the primary and secondary functions have been identified, the value index that is the cost/worth of each function (generally such an analysis is carried on the primary or basic functions) can be determined. Functions with high value index that is functions with high cost and low worth are of low value. For such functions and components, ways of decreasing costs and or enhancing worth can be identified. The weights of the functions are obtained by comparing pair-wise each part with another and mentioning the degree of importance one holds over the other as a number. The degree is expressed as a number and when all the numbers (representing the comparisons) are summed the weight of the function is obtained. For example, if Function A is three times more important than B, then it is written as 3B.If there are n number of functions then by combination formula there will be nC2 or n(n 1)/2 comparisons. Components of a product can be parts, assemblies or subassemblies. Identifying Secondary and Basic Functions: Let us suppose a product comprises of components A, B, C and D. Quantity 1 Description A

3 4

C D

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Function X Part Assembly Basic * * Secondary Basic Y Z U V W L M P Q * * * * *

Secondary

* *

Calculating Value Associated with Functions (Considering Basic Functions): Compare each function in row with each function in coloumn. Entries are made only if coloumn function is more important than row function. Weights or worth of each function is totalled row-wise. Weights are adjusted if total weights for any function works out to be nill. Weights and costs are expressed as percentages to obtain a common denominator.
X Y U W L We i g h t s Adjusted We i g h t s % We i g h t s % Costs Value Index = Costs/Worth .60 .52 1.4 2.5 2.1 Low value Low value Low value

X Y U W L Total

1 -

2 2 -

3 -

2 3 -

1 1 2 1 -

6 3 5 2 0

7 4 6 3 1 21

33.33 19.05 28.58 14.29 4.76

20 10 40 35 10

Q. 5. Explain with the help of block diagram the purchasing decision making process in an engineering organization. Briefly discuss the process of vendor rating. Ans. PURCHASING DECISIONS The decisions included when purchasing a certain item of requirement generally pertains to What to Purchase? Covered under this decision are quality considerations and other features such as services, benefits, value additions and the costs associated with the purchase. Where to Purchase? This decision mainly pertains to supplier selection. Supplier selection depends on various factors such as price, service quality location, supplier personal, terms of payment etc. When to Purchase? This decisions is regarding the time of the purchase. The time by which a product is required is mentioned in the requisition form. Market forces of demand and supply can also influence this decision. For example, larger quantity of repetive items can be purchased if there are indications of price hike. How much to Purchase? This decision will be influenced by inventory management decisions and inventory carrying capacity and cost optimisation. After making the required purchasing related decisions which includes selecting the supplier the supplier is issued a purchase order which is a formal and legal document. The supplier has to supply the required items mentioned in the purchase order as per the terms and conditions mentioned in the order. PURCHASE ORDER Purchase Order No. ____________________ Date _________________________________ To (Name and address of supplier) Dated Ref: Quotation No S.N. Description

Total Payment Terms Delivery Terms

Terms related to Sales Tax

Copy to all concerned departments Purchase Officer Responsibility of Purchase Department and Stores: (i) To check the requisition form thoroughly and seek classifications if any and provide feedback pertaining to specifications, costs, substitutes, market conditions etc. to the concerned departments (ii) To issue purchase order to vendor complete in all respects.

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Quantity Required Unit Rate

Amount

Information Flow Diagram between Purchasing and Various Other Departments Organization Purchase Dpt. Purchase Clasifications/feedback in requisitions Requistions Purchase order inspection and receipt copy
C opy of Purchase Order

All Other Departments Finance & Accounts

HR

Marketing

Inspection-A Receipt Report

Purchase Order

Stores

To follow-up with vendors To receive and inspect delivered items To reorder unaccepted items from vendor To store and manage inventory To coordinate with accounts department regarding payment. To maintain various records and reports pertaining to Pending orders Closed orders List of vendors with contact details Purchase value Budget for purchases and allocations. Responsibility of Accounts Department (i) To thoroughly check purchase order (ii) Make timely payment and adhere to payment terms Responsibility of Other Departments (i) To clearly fill the requisition form mentioning all the details asked for. (ii) To specify the item correctly, if required ask assistance from purchase department. (iii) To allow appropriate time for the requirement to be fulfilled or time the requisition appropriately. Q. 6. Write short notes on: (a) Capacity Planning Ans. Process for Capacity Planning The process of capacity planning involves a proper analysis and scanning of the business environment and analysing future trends and also assessing what implications the future trends can have on the physical aspects of capacity planning. Several capacity plans can then be generated taking into account the existing capacity and the required capacity. The several capacity plans can then be evaluated against various criteria such as cost minimization, risk minimization, revenue maximization etc. The capacity plan with the highest weighted score can then be selected out of the several capacity plans and put be up for further recommen-dation and action. The other non-selected plans can be saved in the operations information system, for any future reference in the event of any shortfall etc. The process for capacity planning involves qualitative as well as quantitative analysis and the quantitative analysis complements the qualitative analysis. Capacity planning involves the following steps: Assessment of external business environment in order to gauge the future demands. Assessment of organisations strengths and weaknesses in order to gauge organization potential. Preparing a detailed description of present capacity of organisation. Preparing a detailed description of future capacity requirements taking into consideration all the above points. Generating alternate capacity plans. Conducting economic analysis of all the alternate capacity plans (Quantitative).

(iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii)

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Goods

Operations

MIS

Conducting risk analysis of alternate capacity plans (Qualitative). Assessing impact of alternate capacity plans (Qualitative). Deciding upon a single capacity plan. Implementing the selected capacity plan. (b) Work Sampling Ans. Work sampling is a technique of work measurement which utilises the concept of sampling. The entire work is assessed on the basis of random work samples. Work sampling technique can be applied both on people as well as machines and equipments. For analysing non-repetitive and long cycle jobs. For highlighting activities which require detailed observation. For providing inputs for improving performance or designing new work method. For developing job content for job evaluation and employment purposes. For better time management. For performance appraisal purposes. For developing performance standards. For exercising control on manpower, material, or machines. (c) Line Balancing Ans. Line Balancing Methods There are two well known methods of line balancing: The Kilbridge and Wester Method and Helgeson and Birnie Method. Both these methods are discussed in the table below:

Line Balancing Method Kilbridge and Wester Method

Concept (i) First of all the tasks are grouped according to the precedence requirements and a precedence diagram is constructed. Tasks which need not be preceded by any other tasks are listed in column I. There after the tasks which can only commence after certain task(s) in column I have been completed, are listed in column II. Likewise higher columns will consist of tasks which have preceding work elements contained in the preceding columns. (ii) Next a suitable cycle time is decided which is greater or equal to the maximum work element time, but less than or equal to the sum of all the work element time. (iii) The work elements are then assigned to the work stations on minimum precedence requirement basis that is the work elements which require the minimum precedence are assigned first. Also while assigning the work elements to the various work stations care should be taken to maintain the precedence requirements. Work elements should be assigned to work stations in a way such that the total work station time does not exceed the predetermined cycle time. (i) In this method also first of all the precedence diagram is constructed. The method requires the calculation of positional weights for each work element. In the precedence diagram, various work elements occupy various positions. To calculate the positional weight of a particular work element, the work element time is first noted. From that particular work element in the precedence diagram several paths lead to the final work element in the diagram. The time taken by each work element in these several paths is noted. The path which gives the maximum sum of work element time is selected and added to the work element time for which the positional weight is being calculated. (ii) The work elements are ranked in descending order of positional weight values. While assigning work elements to the various work stations, work elements with higher positional weights are prioritised, the work element with the highest positional weight being assigned first, followed by the work element with the next highest positional weight. (iii) While assigning the work elements to the various work stations care should be taken to follow the precedence order and ascertaining that the work station time is less than the cycle time.

Helgeson and Bernie Method

(d) Acceptance Sampling Ans. Acceptance Sampling When outputs are produced in batches of large volumes, checking each and every unit of output becomes costly and time consuming. Hence, to check the quality of an entire batch of output a sample from the batch is taken out. If the quality of the

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sample is acceptable then the whole batch is accepted. For example, if there are 100 units of output in a batch then a sample of 10 units can be drawn out from the batch. To generalize, we can say a sample if n units can be drawn from a batch of N units. Generally, a single sample is drawn out but more than one sample from the same batch can be taken out without replacement. This is called multiple sampling. The characteristics of an entire batch of output are judged by the sample using statistical methods. Accept or reject decisions are being made based on the number of defective units found in the entire sample. If the sample consists of defective unit which are more than an acceptable level, then the entire batch is rejected. Accept or reject decisions are based on statistical probability (Binomial Distribution) methods. Probability methods only suggest the chance of occurrence. If a sample is found unacceptable using statistical probability methods then it suggests that there are high chances of the entire batch being below the accepted level of quality. There are two types of errors associated with accept or reject decisions. The first error is rejecting a good batch of output (Type I error) and the second error is accepting a below quality batch of output (Type II error). The first error is called producers risk and the second error is called the consumers risk. One error can only be reduced at the cost of increasing the other error. The decision to reduce a certain error would depend upon the costs associated with committing the error. If the costs associated with committing a particular error is high then it is attempted to reduce or even remove the error. For example, if a certain chemical solution becomes harmful, if a certain constituent is added above a specified level of quantity then not even a single unit of that output can be accepted. But in the case of various food items of any ingredient is above or below a specified level of quantity, in a unit of sample, the whole batch need not be rejected. Acceptance sampling is generally used by organisations to check the quality of material delivered by suppliers. Unaccepted bacthes can be sent back to the suppliers for rectification and replacement of poor quality units. Care should be taken to draw out the sample. The samples should be representative of the population and drawn out randomly. For an appropriate sample design operating characteristic curve. Thorndike chart can be referred to. (e) Waste Management Ans. A system is any entity which takes inputs from its environment and transforms these inputs into outputs after processing the inputs. Organizations and departments within the organization can also be compared to a system. Wastes are undesirable, non- useful or harmful outputs produced by the system during the process of conversion. Wastes can be reduced by adopting a conversion process which can maximise the use of resources and extract recyclable wastes and use them as inputs and dispose non useful-wastes suitably. Both waste management as well as resource management aim for increase in productivity. Hence, the goals of both waste management and resource management are the same, but the approach is different. Waste management is concerned with reducing wastes and making wastes reutiliable, whereas resource management is concerned with optimum usage of the resources.

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