All Posts in the Category "Operations Management"...
Double-CIick to Schedule
Schedulers have been a part of enterprise resources planning (ERP) and manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) software systems for many years. Recently, new technology is offering increasingly sophisticated systems that apply advanced logic to the scheduling process. However, many companies still find their systems are unable to come up with a schedule that maximizes use and efficiency while ensuring that all work is completed on time.
Thinking Small
April 2013 Consulting.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
The assumption that bigger is better has been with us for many years and is built into many of our management systems and assumptions.
Accountability and Motivations
March 2013.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
One key aspect of S&OP is that it is the mechanism for connecting the demand side (forecasting and demand management) with the supply side (production).
Distinguish Yourself as a Supply Chain Expert
Five week APICS CSCP study program: January 28 – February 25, 2012.
With the APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) program, you can take your career and organization in a new and exciting direction.
WIP in Flow Production
February 2013.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
Traditional (discontinuous or batch) production management is mostly a matter traffic control. The key to reducing WIP is managing work flow and paying attention to input/output balance.
Alternative Attitudes
Publicity and promotion are all about getting attention. It’s distressing that hyperbole can plant seeds of doubt in the minds of operations professionals and turn them away from systems and approaches that could be of great benefit. While ERP products aren’t the perfect answer to every manufacturing challenge, they are powerful and useful tools for many companies.
A Time-Tested Technique
Material requirements planning (MRP) is the calculation of potential shortages and replenishment activity from the master schedule using the bill of material and inventory availability data. Developed in the early 1950s, the basic approach still is at the center of every enterprise resources planning (ERP) system more than half a century later.
Resolutions for 2013
December 2012.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
Since this will be our last newsletter for 2012, I thought I’d share a few resolutions that you might consider for 2013.
Too Much or Not Enough?
Supply chain and operations management professionals have a love-hate relationship with inventory. In production, there’s nothing worse than getting ready to start a job and discovering that parts are unavailable. Likewise, from a customer service perspective, it’s impossible to fulfill customer demand without the right amount of the right inventory at the right time. People in our profession love having parts and products when we need them, but hate any amount of inventory that ties up company money; takes up space; and causes extra, non-value adding work to handle, store, count, and manage.
Are Lean and ERP incompatible?
October 2012.
Advice for Manufacturers.
In the earlier days of the spread of Lean Manufacturing, there was a perception among many that you have to make a choice – Lean or ERP.
