Q1. Assume that there is only one worker in total for building bunk beds (i.e.
, one worker performs
each step). What is the capacity in beds per week for the process?
Ans:
Setu Run Capacity
p time(minutes/be Capacity(batches/we (beds/wee
Step time d) ek) k)
Cut 15 37.5 14.55 58.18
Plane 10 38.4 14.67 58.68
Router 10 48 11.88 47.52
Drill 10 28 19.67 78.69
Sand 25 24 19.83 79.34
Stain 15 12 38.10 152.38
Polyuretha
ne 45 90 5.93 23.70
Kit
assembly 0 40 15.00 60.00
Cleaning 0 15 40.00 160.00
Total 130 332.9 1.64 6.57
Since there is only one worker for the entire process, we can consider all steps as one single step.
The capacity in batchers per week is 1.64 therefore the total capacity in beds per week is 1.64*4 i.e.
6.57. Therefore, the capacity in beds per week is 7.
Q2. What is the capacity in beds per week for each step in the process? Which step is the bottleneck?
What is the overall capacity of the process?
Ans:
The capacity in beds for Cutting step is= 2400/(setup time+(Run time*4))*4. Therefore, the value
comes out to be 58.18. Similarly, we calculated the capacity in beds per week for other steps.
Capacity
(beds/wee
Step k)
Cut 58.18
Plane 58.68
Router 47.52
Drill 78.69
Sand 79.34
Stain 152.38
Polyuretha
ne 23.70
Kit
assembly 60.00
Cleaning 160.00
From the above table Polyurethane step has the lowest capacity, therefore it is the bottleneck. The
overall capacity is 23.70.
Q3. If the demand is 20 bunk beds per week, what is the capacity utilization for each step in the
process?
Ans:
Capacity utilization= Demand/ Capacity available.
The capacity utilization for each step is given below:
Capacity
utilizatio
Step n
Cut 34.38
Plane 34.08
Router 42.08
Drill 25.42
Sand 25.21
Stain 13.13
Polyurethan
e 84.38
Kit
assembly 33.33
Cleaning 12.50
Q4. How would capacity change if we increased the batch size to 8 bunk beds?
Ans:
Old
Capacity New
(beds/wee capacity(Beds/we
Step k) ek)
Cut 58.18 60.95
Plane 58.68 60.53
Router 47.52 48.73
Drill 78.69 82.05
Sand 79.34 88.48
Stain 152.38 172.97
Polyuretha
ne 23.70 25.10
Kit
assembly 60.00 60.00
Cleaning 160.00 160.00
If the batch size is increased from 4 to 8 the capacity for each step increases except for the Kit
assembly step and Cleaning step. Because the setup time for these processes is 0.
Q5. List three recommendations for increasing the capacity of the process. What are the potential
costs/difficulties of each recommendation?
Ans:
1. To minimize the bottle neck by Increasing the work hours
Potential difficulty: It will incur more labour cost, maintenance and repair cost and raw material cost.
2. Assign more workers in Step 7 to reduce run time
Potential difficulty: It will incur more labour cost and variable cost.
3. Decrease set-up time and Increase the number of labours per process to speed up the production
Potential difficulty: It will incur more machine cost as advanced machines will consume less setup
time. Apparently to operate these machines skilled labour is required so it will incur more labour cost.
Q6. If the demand is 20 bunk beds, how long does it take for 1 bunk bed to complete the entire
process, from start to finish?
Ans:
There are 9 steps and for each step there is 1 batch. There 8 inventories that lies before each step.
Therefore, the total number of batches is 17 between the boundaries of the process at any point of
time. Therefore, the total number of bunk beds in the inventory is 17*4(beds per batch), i.e. 68.
Inventory = 68 bunk beds
Demand= 20 bunk beds/week
T = I/R (Little’s law)
T = 68/20* 40 hours/week = 136 hours
Q7. List three recommendations for decreasing the throughput time of the process. What are the
potential costs/difficulties of each recommendation?
Ans:
1. Eliminate Throughput Bottlenecks
2. Reduce material handling time. The time taken to move materials from one step to other should be
optimized.
Potential difficulty: Instead of manual machinery handling we can use robotics or gravity conveyer
system which will optimise material handling activity. This will incur more cost.
3. Use of advanced machineries so that more than one operation can be performed during a single
process.
Potential difficulty: Advanced machinery will be expensive than traditional machinery. It will also
require skill labour to operate this machinery which will incur higher labour cost.
Q8. What is the maximum demand the process can meet (in beds per week) if there are only 5
workers with which to staff the line? What if there are only 4 workers? How should the process steps
be allocated among the workers?
Ans:
Since there are 5 workers and 9 steps, 4 workers will be allocated 2 steps each and the remaining
worker will be allocated one step, i.e. the bottleneck step to optimise the capacity of the process.
Setup Run Capacity(batches/week Capacity
Step time time(minutes/bed) ) (beds/week)
Cut 15 37.5 14.55 58.18
Plane 10 38.4 14.67 58.68
Worker 1 25 75.9 7.30 29.21
Router 10 48 11.88 47.52
Drill 10 28 19.67 78.69
Worker 2 20 76 7.41 29.63
Sand 25 24 19.83 79.34
Stain 15 12 38.10 152.38
Worker 3 40 36 13.04 52.17
Polyurethan
e 45 90 5.93 23.70
Worker 4 45 90 5.93 23.70
Kit assembly 0 40 15.00 60.00
Cleaning 0 15 40.00 160.00
Worker 5 0 55 10.91 43.64
Therefore, the maximum demand the process can meet if there are 5 workers is 23 beds.
Since there are 4 workers and 9 steps, 3 workers will be allocated 2 steps and 1 remaining worker will
be allocated 3 steps.
Setu Run Capacity
p time(minutes/be Capacity(batches/we (beds/wee
Step time d) ek) k)
Cut 15 37.5 14.55 58.18
Plane 10 38.4 14.67 58.68
Worker 1 25 75.9 7.30 29.21
Router 10 48 11.88 47.52
Drill 10 28 19.67 78.69
Worker 2 20 76 7.41 29.63
Sand 25 24 19.83 79.34
Stain 15 12 38.10 152.38
Polyuretha
ne 45 90 5.93 23.70
Worker 3 85 126 4.07 16.30
Kit
assembly 0 40 15.00 60.00
Cleaning 0 15 40.00 160.00
Worker 4 0 55 10.91 43.64
Therefore, the maximum demand the process can meet if there are 4 workers is 16.