What Really Makes Factories Flexible

Introduction In this literature, What really inquires factories waxy? the author brought out the topic for pulverization malleableness, which de amercements as a point of intersectionionfacilityorganizedtorespond to customer orders quickly in order to provideafulland varied turn tailofoperationsorservices, across manyproduct lines with very shortchange all over times and may introduce naked products of similar range fairly easy. For example, more or less modernautomobile coifsare designed asflexiblefactories to build various models.Having acknowledged the importance of tractableness, how would manufacturing managers in a broad array of industries find pathways to rectify the process? What are the difficulties of defining flexibility of a plant and how do they tone flexibility in terms of plant productivity? What measurements are inevitable to show improvement of the process? The author performed a research in a study of sixty- ane factories in North America that m anufacture fine radical to find out the answer.Define the problem Unlike most other industries in which divers(prenominal) plants make different products, the paper industrys products are more comparable across plants since paper are liftd by very similar process. There are a few characteristics for the paper industries to be the right open firedidate. In paper industry, the qualities of products by grades are straightforward numbers which can be able to be thrifty by the author.These numbers enabled the author to develop both the range of paper a plant could produce and how much time it needed for a plant to switch from making one kind of paper to making another. By using these numbers the author was be able to define the operational flexibility for manufacturing plants needed to measure and find the ways to improve the processes. Defining the problem is the first thing needed by each manager. What is flexibility? Managers are having hard times to define as the term may mean very different for different people.At plant direct, it is about the top executive to change over or adapt new dodging, however, specifying and characterizing this ability is not an easy task. As one manager may talk about the flexibility to produce the types of production from up and down depending on what the market needfully another manager may talks about the flexibility to change over from making one type of paper to another with less time and money. In the authors point of view, flexibility should be show in determining by its competitive environment.The measurement of flexibility can be based on a) product range in different things as a plant can have the ability to produce a small number of products that are very different from one another b) mobility for a plant to change over from making one product to another and c) uniformity of performance as a flexible plant can perform comparably well to make any product within a specified range. Once managers have defined the di fferent kinds of flexibility they are assay to develop, another set of issues had come up as how to measure the flexibility and improvement of flexibility.Also it is ofttimes un garner in which general features of a plant must be changed in order to make its operations flexible. The depth and wisdom of carry out managers have to be carefully assessing their strategies to define what kind of flexibility they are looking for before embarking on a flexibility program, or otherwise the resolvents can be disastrous. Implication and analytic thinking to pick out best alternatives By collecting production selective information, the author was able to measure the breadth of paper grades that each plant was capable of producing and the changeover time that each plant needful to switch between grades.There were additional measurements of flexibility such as workforce by length of service, the level of com siter integration (CIM), the change and break frequency, etc. Each plant may str ess in a whole range of factors from different quality and types of flexibility based on the managers, so end up there are large differences across plants. One major issue cover in this literature is that the degree of computer integration (CIM) does not really help on plant flexibility by increasing range of products produced or improving change over time level though large money was invested in it.Managers often have difficulty justifying CIM projects on the basis of represent savings or quality improvements therefore justify them on basis of improved flexibility CIM give provide. In this case, only the engineers or a few trained employees understand how the system works most of the plant operators are not trained to operate which create problems. Operators instead decide to perform manual-change over, which in a surprising findings the best manual change system operate much faster than computer.This result shows the serious problem from operators as they have no interest to ad apt the change to operate CIM. It pee-pee hard on the managers with thoughts being reluctant that they are doing something right, but actually they are wrong. Implement finding to change the system For successful manager to figure out the issues of CIM before implementing it in a plant, they should canvass building up skills for their operators. As the author denoted, Plants become more flexible when managers stress to workers the importance of flexibility. For example, a plant that wants to excel at customizing products will need to develop the capabilities to carry out large range of jobs in the plant. Managers then need to determine what type of workforce or equipment (ex CIM) needs to enhance flexibility. by and by that managers need to figure out different ways to measure the type of flexibility sought and accent the importance of the measures to the employees. Trainings should be added in the process to build up experienced workforce and eventually to inspect improvement in flexibility.For example, continuous learning problem such as operational excellence may help caution team in different level to control and nurse a flexible manufacturing plant. Evaluate the outcome By integrating the appropriate steps to a) defining the problem of flexibility, b) implication and analysis to select best alternatives and c) implement decision to change the system, the next step is to evaluate the outcome to render if there is any improvement or if not, further alterations will need to be made. Outcomes that need to be evaluated are not limited to employee training in different level.Employees training based on experience are critical for a manufacturing plant to increase flexibility. More experience workers are not will to adapting the new systems such as CIM comparing to less experience workers who are more willing to change. ratiocination A good manufacturing management team designs what is best way for its plant to run, and plants that are flexible in term s of mobility (in terms of change over time) and range (in terms of various productivity) tended to have a clear measures of what flexibility should be developed.Managers have to decide what benefits the plant, how the plant operate, what kind of flexibility they are looking for, select the right decision making tools such as CIM, training for the employees based on different levels of experience, analyzing the data and provide surveys for customers. Managers should provide people the support needed in order to achieve the goal for dismount the cost, decreasing change over time, increasing throughput and eventually make more money.Manager should never put too much faith in depending on CIM to complete the tasks in ease. CIM provides critical advantages to improve factory flexibility only if it can be implemented in the right way to fit the system. CIM more often than not needs experienced operators to control so trainings are critical for employees in different level. CIM could on ly be one of the alternative tools for managers to use. The flexibility of a plant depends much more on people (manager, field-supervisors, engineers and operators) than on any technical factor (automation, CIM).Managers should never only embraced in CIM as the solution to the growing need to forge new capabilities, instead managers should put more faith in the day to day management of people. Extended Research I read two other articles which were written within the last trinity years. It is obvious that both articles talk about how computer integration both software and hardware can help to improve process flow and flexibility of a plant. This is because a more mature CIM system has been established through studies from field experts and universities.In general, employees nowadays understand that continuous learning is the keys to maintain scrap in the job market. This doesnt mean that managers job are easier to do, but flexibilities in all level from a plant, a team, or just ind ividual are critical in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Reference 1. Manufacturing Flexibility Synchronizing the Shop Floor and Supply Chain by Aberdeen Group 2. Improving Plant Performance and Flexibility in Batch Process Manufacturing With an Example from the feed and Beverage Industry by Filippo Focacci