ASSIGNMENT MBA 2nd Sem Subject Code: MB0044 (4 credits) Set 1 SUBJECT: PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Marks 60

Note: Each Question carries 10 marks Q1. Explain Quality Circles and its importance? Explain how CAD and CIM aid in reducing the concept to market time. Answer: Quality Circles Kaoru Ishikawa is generally considered to have promoted the concept of Quality Circles. It is well known that he is the originator of fishbone diagrams to identify the root cause of any problem. The causes for the existence of a problem are classified as pertaining to the material, processes or method or any factor that goes into production. The matter is further investigated and pursued till the exact cause is determined. Quality circles use these principles in solving problems. The teams select projects selected on the above basis and implement actions to achieve improvement in the processes with a view to improve quality. Since these activities are carried out without affecting the regular day to day work and involve little involvement of the managers, team work gets reinforced and results in continuous improvement in methods and quality. The capital deployed is minimal, if at all, and therefore productivity is enhanced. Quality circles are very efficient in incorporating low cost and nonintrusive methods of improving productivity and quality throughout the organisation. They seek to involve all persons who are actually involved in the production system and the information they elicit and bring about improvements highly cost effective. They unveil creativity and encourage team work and bring about improvements almost on a day to day basis. They do not bring about dramatic changes, but continuous incremental changes in a harmonious way. They also tend to encourage identification of possible failures and seek methods of preventing things going wrong. Designers of products are increasingly depending on Computer Aided Design. The software aids in creating or modifying an existing design. The images can be maneuvered on the screen. Images of different components can be seen as assembled sections taken and relative positions can be checked to great accuracies. Views can bee made seen from different angles and positions, so that the visualization process of the designed component/product helps the designer to suggest alternatives to the customer and the production department. The drawings can be sent via intranet or internet to the concerned persons and their opinions taken. Corrections and incorporations can be made very quickly. The database can be prepared, updated continuously and their access to executive. The efficiency of designers increases by nearly 5 times The

software can generate the volume, weights of components as also other engineering parameters like centre of gravity, deflections under estimated loads, and various other design parameters on complicate forms either single components or assemblies Laborious mechanical drawings need not be drawn. nor complicated calculations done. This aids in reducing the time required to make a design or modify a product and thus concept market period gets drastically cut. Integration occurs when a broad range of manufacturing and supporting activities are linked. Activities include engineering design, production planning, shop control, order processing, material control, distribution etc. Information flow across all functions takes place with the help of computers. Transmission, processing, distribution and feed back happen almost in real time so that intended activities are conducted rapidly. This process helps in rapid production and also reduce indirect costs. As response times decrease, customer satisfaction increases resulting in better business. CIM helps in avoiding accumulation of materials resulting in better throughput and better utilization of space. Bar coded labels that accompany materials contain instructions for processing them which are read by sensing devices and display the status on monitors. This information is available to all concerned personnel responsible in planning, marketing etc. so that they will be aware of the status of any order and if expediting is needed to meet deadlines, they will be able to seek intervention. Identifying shortages, ensuring faster deliveries becomes easy with CIM.

Q2. What is Differentiation Strategies? Briefly explain tools used for implementation of Operations. Answer: Differentiation Strategies Differentiation is a process by which a company distinguishes itself from its competitors and their offerings. The process includes adding a set of differentiators which are meaningful and adds value for the customer. The differences should be perceived by the customer as important, distinctive, superior and affordable. Nonetheless, they have to make the companys offerings i.e the products and services profitable. To derive competitive advantage the study of the processes to adapt innovations which should be of such nature as being preemptive is important. Here, we are not considering the situation of an entirely new product but those which are already contributing to the company revenues and the threat of competitors has to be met. According to Miland Lele (Miland M.Lele, Creating Strategic Leverage: New York, John Wiley 1992) companies have different potential in terms of maneuverability along with target market, place(channels), promotion and price. These are affected by the companys position in the market, the industry structure. BCG has classified ( Philip Kotler) four types of industries and the approaches available, depending on the cell the particular industry fits into.

Tools for implementation of Operations All functions in the organisation including administration, finance, materials,

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Q3. Differentiate between Automated flow line and Automated assembly line with example. Write a note on Rapid Prototyping. Answer: Automated flow lines : When several automated machines are linked by a transfer system which moves the parts by using handling machines which are also automated, we have an automated flow line. After completing an operation on a machine, the semifinished parts are moved to the next machine in the sequence determined by the process requirements a flow line is established. The parts at various stages from raw material to ready for fitment or assembly are processed continuously to attain the required shapes or acquire special properties to enable them to perform desired functions. The materials need to be moved, held, rotated, lifted, positioned etc. for completing different operations. Sometimes, a few of the operations can be done on a single machine with a number of attachments. They are moved further to other machines for performing further operations. Human intervention may be needed to verify that the operations are taking place according to standards. When these can be achieved with the help of automation and the processes are conducted with self regulation, we will have automated flow lines established. One important consideration is to balance times that different machines take to complete the operations assigned to them. It is necessary to design the machines in such a way that the operation times are the same throughout the sequence in the flow of the martial. In fixed automation or hard automation, where one component is manufactured using several operations and machines it is possible to achieve this condition or very nearly. We assume that product life cycles are sufficiently stable to invest heavily on the automated flow lines

to achieve reduced cost per unit. The global trends are favouring flexibility in the manufacturing systems. The costs involved in changing the set up of automated flow lines are high. So, automated flow lines are considered only when the product is required to be made in high volumes over a relatively long period. Designers now incorporate flexibility in the machines which will take care of small changes in dimensions by making adjustments or minor changes in the existing machine or layout. The change in movements needed can be achieved by programming the machines. Provision for extra pallets or tool holders or conveyors are made in the original design to accommodate anticipated changes. The logic to be followed is to find out whether the reduction in cost per piece justifies the costs of designing, manufacturing and setting up automated flow lines. Group Technology, Cellular Manufacturing along with conventional Product and Process Layouts are still resorted to as they allow flexibility for the production system. With methodologies of JIT and Lean Manufacturing finding importance and relevance in the competitive field of manufacturing, many companies have found that well designed flow lines suit their purpose well. Flow lines compel engineers to put in place equipments that balance their production rates. It is not possible to think of inventories (Work In Process) in a flow line. Bottlenecks cannot be permitted. By necessity, every bottleneck gets focused upon and solutions found to ease them. Production managers see every bottleneck as an opportunity to hasten the flow and reduce inventories. However, it is important to note that setting up automated flow lines will not be suitable for many industries Automated Assembly Lines : All equipments needed to make a finished product are laid out in such a way as to follow the sequence in which the parts or subassemblies are put together and fitted. Usually, a frame, body, base will be the starting point of an assembly. The frame itself consists of a construction made up of several components and would have been assembled or fabricated in a separate bay or plant and brought to the assembly line. All parts or subassemblies are fitted to enable the product to be in readiness to perform the function it was designed to. This process is called assembly. Methodologies of achieving the final result may vary, but the basic principle is to fit all parts together and ensure linkages so that their functions are integrated and give out the desired output. Product Layouts are designed so that the assembly tasks are performed in the sequence they are designed. You will note that the same task gets repeated at each station continuously. The finished item comes out at the end of the line

The material goes from station 1 to 5 sequentially. Operation 2 takes longer time,

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Q4. Explain the different factors influencing plant location. Write a brief note on Product layout with an example. Answer: Factors influencing Plant Location can be broadly divided into two types namely General Factors and Special Factors. General Factors : 1. Availability of land Our plans, calculations and forecasts suggest a particular area as the best, but availability of land may be in question. Many times we will have to choose the second best location on this count. 2. Availability of inputs labour, raw materials. 3. Closeness to market places 4. Communication facilities 5. Infrastructure power, water 6. Transport 7. Government support subsidies etc 8. Housing and recreation educational facilities Special Factors: 1. Economic stability outside investments 2. Cultural factors 3. Wages 4. Joint ventures support of big time players The various factors have their relative importance and therefore ranking them and giving weightage for them is one of the ways of determining the location. We study some models to determine the most likely location. A. Rating Plan Method to evaluate Major Factors for Plant Location. In this Method the various factors are given rating depending upon the perception of the management. The location which gets the maximum rating, considering all the factors is chosen for locating the plant. It can be seen that not all factors are considered. And the value attached to each factor may vary from manager to manager. A sample of such valuation is given below.

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Q5. Write a brief note on PDCA cycle, Jurans Quality Trilogy and Crosbys Absolutes of Quality. List all the Quality Tools. Answer: The PlanDoCheckAct (PDCA) cycle of a quality cycle. They are not just a onetime event. In this context, act on recommendations from previous projects plan to capture data about project do continuous improvement check on how you are doing with a retrospective analysis. Do periodic project reviews that will trigger midproject corrections. Conduct immediate, informal retrospective after solving unexpected obstacles. Understand any impact on the remainder of the project. Recognize people for extra efforts and noteworthy contributions.

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