Basic Factory Physics

Prof. Hyun Chung

Mar. 17 2015

Definitions

Manufacturing system: A manufacturing

system is an objective-oriented network of
processes through which entities flow.

GT revisited

Classification: arranging items into groups

according to some principles or system where
by similar things are brought together by
virtue of their similarities and then
separated according to their differences

GT revisited

Code: A system of symbol (alpha-numeric)

used in information processing in which a
combination of numbers and letters have a
certain meaning

Applying GT
Direct Clustering Algorithm

Similarity Index

Dendrogram

McAuleys single linkage cluster analysis

Definitions
Workstation: A workstation is a collection of
one or more machines or manual stations
that perform (essentially) identical functions.

Synonyms: station, workcenter, process
center

Definitions
Part: A part is a piece of raw material, a
component, a subassembly, or an assembly
that is worked on at the worstations in a
plant

Synonyms: intermediate product, interim
product

Definitions
End item: A part that is sold directly to a
customer

Synonyms: product

The relationship between end items and their
constituent parts (raw materials, components,
and subassemblies) is maintained in the bill
of materials (BOM)

Definitions
Consumable: for the most part, consumables
are materials such as bits, chemicals, gases,
and lubricants that are used at workstations
but do not become part of a product.

What about glue and solder?

Definitions
Routing: A routing describes the sequence of
workstations passed through by a part.

Order: A customer order is a request from a
customer for a particular part number, in a
particular quantity, to be delivered on a
particular time

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Definitions
Job: A job refers to a set of physical
materials that traverses a routing, along
with the associated logical information (e.g.,
drawings, BOM)

Every job is triggered by

an actual customer order

anticipation of a customer order
(forecasted demand)

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Definitions
Throughput: The average output of a
production process (machine, workstation,
line, plant) per unit time

can be defined at various levels

Synonyms: throughput rate

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Definitions

Capacity: An upper limit on the throughput

of a production process

Raw material inventory (RMI): the physical
inputs at the start of a production process

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Definitions

Finished goods inventory (FGI): The stock

point at the end of a routing

used to gather different parts within the
plant before further processing or assembly

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Definitions

Work in process (WIP): the inventory

between the start and end points of
production routing

Synonyms: inventory

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Definitions
Inventory turns: a commonly used measure
of the efficiency with which inventory is
used

Synonyms: turnover ratio = the ratio of
throughput to average inventory

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Definitions
Cycle time: The cycle time of a given routing
is the average time from release of a job at
the beginning of the routing until it reaches
an inventory point at the end of the routing

Synonyms: average cycle time, flow time,
throughput time, sojourn time

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Definitions

Lead time: the lead time of a given routing

is the time allotted for production of part on
that routing

Synonyms: build time

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Definitions
Utilization: the utilization of a workstation is
the fraction of time it is not idle for lack of
parts.

includes the fraction of time that
workstation is working on parts or has parts
waiting and is uable to work on them due to
a machine failure, setup, or other detractor.

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Parameters

Bottleneck rate: the bottleneck rate of the

line is the rate (part per unit time or jobs
per unit time)of the workstation having the
highest long-term utilization

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Parameters

Raw process time: the raw process time of

the line is the sum of the long-term average
process time of each workstation in the line.

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Parameters
Critical WIP: the critical WIP of the line is
the WIP level for which a line with given
value of bottleneck rate and raw process
time but having no variability achieves
maximum throughput with minimum cycle
time.

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