ADVANCED PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

Q1 What is work measurement? Discuss the various techniques of work

measurement.
Explanation of work measurement
Various techniques of work measurement
Answer:
Work measurement is is essential for planning and controlling the
operations of an orgtanisation following are the major objectives of work
measurement:

Improving the planning and controlling of operations

Making work handling more effective
Providing indices to measure labour performance
Enabling an organization to control its labour cost
Making the incentive schemes better

There are several other benefits of work measurement that are discussed
as follows:

Develop basis for comparing alternate methods developed in the method

study by establishing the work content in each method of doing the job
Prepare realistic work schedules by and accurate assessment of human work
Set a standard of performance for labour utilization by establishing the labour
standards for an element of work, operation or product under ordinary
working conditions
Compare actual time taken by a worker with the allowed time for a proper
control of labour
Provide information related to the estimation of tenders, fixation of selling
price and assessment of delivery schedule

The process of work measurement involves a number of steps that are as

follows:
1. Dividing the work into elements
2. Recording the time taken by each element to perform its work with the help
of work measurement techniques, such as time study, synthesis method and
analytical estimating
3. Setting a standard time for each element by extending observed time to
normal time by applying a rating method
4. Assessing the relaxation allowance for personal requirements and physical
and mental fatigue

5. Including the relaxation allowance in the normal time for every element to
determine the work content
6. Indentifying the repetition of an element in the job, mulitiplying the work
content with a number of times the element is repeated and adding the time
taken to determine the actual work content of a job
Various techniques of work measurement

Time study
Synthesis method
Analytical estimation
Predetermined motion time system

Time study: it is used to determine the amount of time required to perform a unit of
work. Main objectives of time study are as follows:

Identifying the time required by an individual to perform ajob

Establishing a basis for comparing operational effectiveness
Comparing different work methods to select the best one
Determining the standard cost
Providing a basis for setting incentive wages
Setting the completion schedules for individual operations

Standard time is the time allowed to an operator for carrying out a specified task
under specified conditions and defined level of performance. standard time may be
defines as the amount of time required to complete a unit of work. Thus, the basic
constituents of standard time are:

elemental time
performance rating
relaxation allowance
interference and contingency allowance
policy allowance

Synthesis methods: It is a technique in which the standard time to perform a job is

determined using either the pervious time studies conducted on similar jobs with
same elements or standard data.the following are the benefits of the synthesis
method:

Reduces the cost and time involved in determining the time required by an
element to complete its work
Helps in determining the labor time for preparing cost estimates for new jobs

The applications of synthesis method are as follows:

Determining standard time for new jobs

Estimating production time to decide the price of products to be sold

Aiding the preparation of incentive schemes

Analytical estimation: it is one of the important techniques of work measurement. It

is used to determine the time values of jobs that have long and non-repetitive
operations the process of analytical estimation involves a number of steps, which
are as follows.
1. Determine the job details, such as the dimensions of a job and standard
procedures and conditions for performing it
2. Divide the job into different elements
3. Identify the time values for as many elements as possible
4. Assess the time values for the remaining elements through past experience
5. Add the time values of all elements to get the total time
6. Add the relaxation allowance, which an range from 10% to 20% of the total
time, depending on the kind of job and its conditions
7. Add other allowances, if applicable, to obtain the standard time for
performing a job
Predetermined motion time system: it refers to a technique in which normal time
values are established for basic human motions. These time values are used to
determine the standard time for performing a job. The standard time determined
through PMTS is considered to be the standard data for a numer of human body
motion, such as move, reach and position, which are common in several industrial
operations.

Q 2. Explain the meaning and characteristics of a product.

Meaning of a Product
Characteristics of a Product
Answer: Meaning of a product: product is an asset of an organization and referred
to as the backbone of marketing mix
According to peter drucker, suppliers and especially manufacturers have market
power because they have information about a product or a service that the
customer does not and cannot have, and does not need if he can trust the brand.
This explains the profitability of brands.
Product is anything that is capable of satisfying a felt need. It is a physical and
tangible entity offered in the market for selling and consumption.
Characteristics of a product:

Functionality : It refers to one of thee most important characteristics

of a product. A product should have a predefined objective, which states its
functional scope or usage. For example, the main objective of a washing
machine is to wash clothes. Therefore, a customer should purchase a wising
machine with the predefined expectation that it would wash clothes properly.
Apart from the main objective, the manufacturer should also provide other
specifications to customers, such as how the machine works, how the drier
works and what should the timings be set for washing clothes. The design
and cost of the product is decided on the basis of its functions. If a product
involves large number of function, its design would be complex and cost
would be high and vice-versa

Operational aspect: this feature implies that a product should be wasy to

handle and simple to operate. In some cases, a product is customized
according to the customers requirements. With the increased customization,
the designing of a product has become a challenge for an organization. This
is because the organization needs to assemble different parts to manufacture
a customized product, which increases product complexity. A customer would
not be satisfied with a product that offers a lot of functions but is difficult to
operate. Thereof, an organization needs to design user-friendly products that
can be easily operated by all customers.

Durability and dependability: durability refers to the life of a product in

favorable conditions. It is not only associated with the selection of good
quality raw material by also depends on various other factors, such as the
nature of the product. For example, the durability of crackers and matchsticks
is very less. In this case, it does not imply that the raw material used in
crackers and matchsticks is of poor quality. Dependability is the ability of a
product to work effectively. Today, we all rely on a lot of gadgets and
electrical appliances. We use washing machines, refrigerators, television,
computers, and so on. Dependability of these products work ensures that
they are reliable and work efficaciously.

Aesthetic aspect: this feature refers to the physical appearance of a

product. The aesthetic aspect is concerned with providing a final shape to the
basic product. For example, the main parts of an ordinary passenger bus and
a luxury bus are same. However, the buses differ dramatically from each
other with respect to their designs.

Q3 Define the Process of Production Planning and Control

Process of Production Planning and Control
Answer: the process of production planning and control is a systematic approach
to enhance the overall production process of an organization.
Planning phase: planning is considered an efficient forecasting tool, which states
how the objectives can be achieved and how a particular requirement can be
fulfilled in the future. It has two categories of planning, namely the prior planning
and the active planning, which are describes as follows:

Product development and design are the processed of developing a new

product with all the features that are essential for effective use in the field. At
the desingn stage, one has to take into consideration several aspects of
design such as the design for selling, the design for manufacturing, and the
design for usage.
Forecasting is an estimate of demand that takes place in future. Proper care
must be taken while estimating it, because it is only an estimate based on
the past demand. If the sales forecast, factory capacity, aggregate inventory
levels, and size of the workforce are give, then the manager will be able to
decide the rate of production to operate the plant over an intermediate range
of planning.
Aggregate planning includes product-wise planning over the intermediate
range of planning. It does not include planning for all the products
collectively. In other words, every product follows different aggregate
planning and it is not the same for all product lines.
Material requirement planning is a technique used to determine the quantity
and timing for the acquisition of the material needed to satisfy the master
production schedule

Active planning: active planning inclused the following modules:

Process planning and routing: this refers to determination of the specific

technological process to produce the products as per the desired level of
quantity, quality, and cost. This process determines the method of
manufacturing a product, selects the tools and equipment, and analyses how
the manufacturing of the product will fit into the facilities.
Material planning: it is a process that determines the requirements of
various raw materials and sub-assemblies, after taking into consideration the
trade-off between various cost components such as the holding cost, ordering
cost, stock out cost, etc.

Tools planning: it holds the requirements of the different tools by

considering the process specifications, materials specifications, and
equipment specifications
Loading: it refers to the assigning of jobs to the different machines in a
manner that there is a balance of load between the achiness. This is a
complex task and can be managed by the help of efficient heuristic
procedures.
Scheduling: it refers to the determination of sequence of work, and fixes the
start and finish time for each job.

Action phase: this phase involves dispatching, which involves transition from the
planning phase to the action phase. Here, the order for the production are given to
the workers including the tasks of job orders, store issue order, tools order,
inspection order, etc. job order should be motioned in all the other reports. The
instructions for the stores to issue the materials for the manufacturing process are
motioned in the store issue order. The tool order gives instructions to the tool room
for issuing the tools required. The job order is the authorization to the shop floor to
start the production. The manufacturing of a product involves the moving of raw
materials and sub-assemblies in the form of a move order.
Control phase: the control phase has the following two major modules:

Progress reporting: in this phase, the data related to the progress of the
job is collected, which helps to compare the current performance with the
standard. Some of the important data are related to material rejection,
process variation, failure of equipment, efficiency of operator, absenteeism.
etc. These are collected and used to calculate the variance with, in turn,
helps to take corrective action.
Corrective action: these refer to the making of precisions for any
unexpected event that may take place in the due cause of production. These
may include schedule flexibilities, modifications, capacity modifications,
outsourcing, follow-up, etc. due to the occurrence of unexpected events, such
as machine breakdown, labour absenteeism, and over-rejection, there may be
substantial delays. In such cases, we can reschedule the product mix in order
to get a clear vision of the situation to progress further. Product mix is the
total number of product lines offered by an organization to its customers.

Q4 What do you understand by the term inventory? Explain various

types of inventories.
Meaning of Inventory
Types of Inventories

Answer:
Meaning of inventory: as we all know, we preserve eatables in the form of either
row materials or half cooked dishes, which can be cooked later. Come of these items
can be stored for longer time periods, whereas some of these are not that durable
and can only be stored for a relatively shorter period of time. The materials that can
be stored for future use are collectively known as inventory. The term inventory
refers to the physical stock of items kept by an organization for future use.
Gareth and silver (1973) defined inventory as an idle resource of any kind that
processes economic value. It includes physical goods, stock, pile of managerial and
personal information, cash and production equipment. It is a list or schedule of
articles, human or material resources that are needed in the production process
inventory can be classified into raw materials, work-in-progress and finished
products. Inventory management is all about supervising the activities involved in
maintaining inventory at a level so that the production and sales objectives of an
organisation can be met effectively.
Types of inventories:
Different organisations maintain different types of inventories. For example
manufacturing organisations maintain inventories of raw materials, spare parts and
other consumables required for production. On the other hand, organisations
involved in the distribution of products maintain inventory of finished products.
Based on its function, inventory is classified into three parts, which are as follows:
Raw materials: these include assemblies, sub-assemblies and components
required for producing finished products. An organisation generally purchases row
materials from suppliers.
Work-in progress: it refers to materials that have entered the production process
but are yet not finished products. In other words, work-in-progress are materials
that are partly manufactured.
Finished products: it refers to the inventory that is ready to be sold to customers.

Q5 Explain the Process of Quality Control.

Process of Quality Control
Answer :
Process of Quality Control : quality control is a systematic approach to control
various factors that affect the quality of products. The steps involved in the process
of quality control are discussed as follows:

1. Controlling engineering quality: it refers to the first step of quality

control, in which product specifications are developed. This step involves substeps, which are as follows:
a) Evaluating customer requirements to have a clear understanding of
product quality objectives
b) Reviewing product design documents for conforming to design
standards
c) Validating the accuracy of design proof tests
d) Auditing the release and distribution of design documents
e) Taking reference of how quality problems were handled in the past
2. Controlling purchased material quality: it refers to one of the most
crucial steps of quality control, in which an organisation verifies that the
purchased materials are of good quality. This step involves the following substeps:
a) Identifying potential suppliers
b) Checking the accuracy of purchase orders
c) Verifying that the purchased materials are in conformance to the
ordered materials
d) Taking corrective action, if materials are defective
3. Controlling manufacturing quality: it involves controlling the quality of
the overall manufacturing process. This step includes the following sub-steps:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Evaluating the quality of manufacturing equipment

Inspecting different production activities
Taking corrective action for out-of-control conditions
Conducting a follow-up for assuring that the corrective action is
accomplished in a timely manner

4. Taking action that supports after the manufacturing of products: it

involves checking the quality after the products have been manufactured.
This step involves the following sub-steps:
a) Ensuring that product service specifications are clear and correct
b) Ensuring that spare parts conform to the quality requirements
c) Ensuring that repairs are performed according to quality requirements.

Q6 Write short notes on the following:

a. Alfred Webers theory of industrial location
b. Influence of government on industry location

c. Objectives of an effective plant layout

d. Factors affecting a plant layout
Answer:
a. Alfred Webers theory of industrial location: Alfred Weber, a German
economist, attempted to analyse the factors that influence industrial location.
Before Weber, another German economist launhardy gave the simple
principle of industrial location based on minimum transport cost. Weber
followed Launhardts principle in this theory and made it more rigorous and
analystical. Ever since then, his theory is being used in practice.
Webers main interest was to construct a general the or of location which
could be applied to all industries at all times. He based his study on general
factors of locations relevant to the industries. The factors considered by him
were divided into two groups: those influencing inter-regional location of
industries and those influencing intra-regional location. He realized that raw
material, labour, and transportations were the regionally available factors.
Cased on the cost of these three factors, he gave the following assumptions:
1) Locations of raw materials including fuel are fixed
2) Situation and size of consuming centres are given
3) Fixed labour supply centres are available from where labours can be
supplied at a fixed wage rate.

b. . Influence of government on industry location: the influence of

government policies and programs on plant location is apparent in every
country, particularly in planned economies like India. In the name of a
balanced regional development, many backward regions in India have been
selected for the location of new industries, which would generate the regions
economy and on a larger canvas, the motional economy.
The establishments of sugar factories and distilleries in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil nadu,
Karnataka, and Maharashtra; steel rolling mills in Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala
and Bihar; and tyre and tube factories and electric lamp factories in Kerala are all
instances that new industries have been located in these economically backward
states. In the private sector, the main objective of every orgniasation is
maximization of profits. Therefore, an organisation generally prefers to establish its
base in an urban or developed region, which yields maximum profits. This practice
of organisations may result in the concentration of organisations in some selected
regions. This acts as a major constraint in the balanced regional development of
country. To restrict this practice, the government has launched various schemes and
policies. Some of these policies are explained as follows:

A licensing policy is used by the government to eliminate localization of

industries in some specific regions
Various incentives and rewards are announced periodically by the
government to motivate organisations for locating their units in
underdeveloped and backward areas.

c. Objectives of an effective plant layout: as discussed earlier, an

organisation needs to have a proper plant layout to carry out its production
processes smoothly. An effective plant layout strives to achieve the following
objectives:
Minimum material handling: it implies that in an effective plant layout,
machines and equipment are arranged in such a manner that minimum
handling is required. This ultimately reduces the material handling costs of an
organisation.
Elimination of bottlenecks: it states that a proper plant layout reduces
bottlenecks that are caused due to insufficient storage and machine capacity.
These bottlenecks lead to various issues, such as congestion, production
delays, improper utilizations of floor space, and accidents. An organisation
can prevent these issues by having a suitable plant layout.
Shorter production cycles: it implies that an effective plant layout shortens
production cycles by reducing the time spent on each production activity.
Reduction in production delays: a plant layout plays a significant role in the
timely execution of different activities. An effective plant layout reduces the
causes of delays in production. Such causes include shortage of space, long
distance movement of materials, and spoiled work.
Improved quality control: it implies that a plant layout provides a platform for
effective supervision of materials in an organisation. A good layout facilitates
inspection at various stages of production. Thus, is ensures that the output
generated is as per the desire quality.
Efficient utilization of labour: it implies that an efficient plant layout arrange
watch individual operation in such a way that the time of each worker in
effectively utilized.
Improved employee morale: an employee would be enthusiastic and cheerful
if the working environment of an organisation is positives.
d. Factors affecting a plant layout: the layout of the plant may be influenced
by the placement of materials, machinery, and men. Other factors such as
the type of product, the type of workers, and the type of industry and
management polices also influence the layout. Some of the factors that
influence the plant layout are explained as follows:
Materials: every factory should buy raw materials when they are readily and
cheaply available. The materials should be stored properly and moved
through production centres efficiently for manual or mechanical operations or

chemical processing. The storage and movement of raw materials require

properly placed storage rooms, smooth movement of materials, and
adequate handling of equipment.
Product: the type of product, that is, whether the product is heavy or light,
big or small, liquid or solid, and its position in relation to the plant location,
also influences the layout. In a majority of cases, the product moves form one
work station to another. In some cases, such as the manufacturing of
locomotives an ship-building, the product is stationary but men and
machinery are moved to the product.
Demand: this sale of a product also determines the layout of a plant in terms
of the quality and amount of the product.
Machinery: production is the combination and manipulation of men, material,
and machines. These elements may be combined in various ratios and in
various ways, in the course of the production activity.