Manufacturing Process

The first step in balancing an assembly line is to specify the precedence relationships among tasks to be performed on the line.

true

The focus in the make-to-stock environment is on providing finished goods where and when the customers want them

true

The objective of mixed-model line balancing is to meet the demand for a variety of products and avoid building high inventories.

true

The product-process matrix shows the relationship between process structures and product volume and variety characteristics.

true

The term "assembly line" refers to progressive assembly linked by some material handling device.

true

Workstation cycle time is the time between successive units coming off the end of the assembly line.

true

Assembling-to-order means moving the customer order decoupling point from finished goods to components.

truue

Using the assembly-line balancing procedure, which of the following is the required cycle time if the production time in minutes per day is 1440 and the required output per day in units is 2000? A. 0.72 B. 1.388 C. 250 D. 500 E. Cannot be determined from the information above Using equation 6.3, 1,440 minutes/2000 units = 0.72 minutes per unit.

A. 0.72

Using the assembly-line balancing procedure, which of the following is the theoretical minimum number of workstations if the task times for the six tasks that make up the job are 4, 6, 7, 2, 6, and 5 minutes, and the cycle time is 10 minutes? A. 3 B. 5 C. 6 D. 8 E. None of the above

A. 3

Which of the following is not a basic type of process structure? A. Product-process matrix B. Workcenter C. Manufacturing cell D. Assembly line E. Continuous process

A. Product-process matrix

A difference between project and continuous flow categories of process flow structures is which two of the following? A. The size and bulk of the product B. Discrete parts moving from workstation to workstation C. Degree of equipment specialization D. Being a "Virtual Factory" E. Profit per unit

A. The size and bulk of the product

In a workcenter, machine A has a ten minute set-up time per batch and a two minute per unit run time. Machine B performs the identical function but has a set-up time of thirty minutes and a one minute run time per unit. The workcenter makes products in batches ranging from one unit to one hundred units. Assuming capacity is not a limitation on either machine, on which batches should machine B be used? A. All batches should be run on machine B B. Batches of more than 20 units should be run on machine B C. Batches of fewer than 80 units should be run on machine B D. Batches with up to 50 units should be run on machine B E. No batches should be run on machine B

B.

You are hired as a consultant to decide if your client should purchase a new, highly specialized, piece of equipment. The product to be produced by this equipment is forecast to have a total worldwide demand of 15,000 units over the entire product life. The initial investment to acquire and install the equipment is $256,000. The variable cost to produce each unit will be $15 and the selling price for the finished product will be $30. Which of the following best describes the situation the firm is facing? A. The company will recover its initial investment B. The company's total margin will be less than its investment C. It is a good investment D. The break-even is lower than the 15,000 units that are expected to sell E. All of the above

B.

You have just determined the actual number of workstations that will be used on an assembly line to be 6 using the assembly-line balancing procedure. The cycle time of the line is 5 minutes and the sum of all that tasks required on the line is 25 minutes. Which of the following is the correct value for the resulting line's efficiency? A. 0.500 B. 0.833 C. 0.973 D. 0.990 E. None of the above

B. 0.833

According to Little's law, which of the following can be used to estimate work-in-process inventory? A. Process time/Cycle time B. Throughput rate times Flow time C. Process velocity/Flow time D. Set up time/Throughput rate E. Value added time/Process velocity

B. Throughput rate times Flow time

Which of the following basic types of process structures is one which similar equipment or functions are grouped together? A. Project B. Workcenter C. Manufacturing cell D. Assembly line E. Continuous process

B. Workcenter

Process selection refers to the strategic decision of selecting which kind of production processes to use to produce a product or provide a service.

True

You have just determined the actual number of workstations that will be used on an assembly line to be 8 using the assembly-line balancing procedure. The cycle time of the line is 10 minutes and the sum of all that tasks required on the line is 60 minutes. Which of the following is the correct value for the resulting line's efficiency? A. 0.500 B. 0.650 C. 0.750 D. 0.850 E. None of the above

C. 0.75

Using the assembly-line balancing procedure, which of the following is the required cycle time in minutes per unit if the daily production time is 480 minutes and the required daily output is 50 units? A. 0.104 B. 50 C. 9.6 D. 480 E. Cannot be determined from the information above

C. 9.6

The term "assembly line" refers to progressive assembly linked by some material handling device.

True

Which of the following basic types of process structures is one which equipment or work processes are arranged according to the progressive steps by which the product is made? A. Project B. Workcenter C. Manufacturing cell D. Assembly line E. Continuous process

D. Assembly line

Which of the following is not a step in developing a manufacturing cell layout? A. Grouping parts into families that follow a common sequence of steps B. Identifying dominant flow patterns of parts families as a basis for location of processes C. Physically grouping machines and processes into cells D. Disposing of left-over machinery and outsourcing ungrouped processes E. None of the above

D. Disposing of left-over machinery and outsourcing ungrouped processes

Which of the following is not considered a major work flow structure? A. Work Center B. Project C. Assembly line D. Fabrication E. Continuous Flow

D. Fabrication

According to Little's Law, which of the following ratios is used to find throughput rate? A. Cycle time/Process time B. Throughput time/Process velocity C. Process velocity/Throughput time D. Inventory/Flow time E. Value added time/Process velocity

D. Inventory/Flow time

When balancing an assembly line, which of the following is not a way to reduce the longest task time below the required workstation cycle time? A. Upgrade the equipment B. Assign a roaming helper to support the line C. Split the task between two workstations D. Speed up the assembly line transfer mechanism E. Use a more skilled worker

D. Speed up the assembly line transfer mechanism

Which of the following is a basic type of process structure? A. Process flow diagram B. Product matrix C. Process matrix D. Workcenter E. Manual assembly

D. Workcenter

Assume a fixed cost for a process of $15,000. The variable cost to produce each unit of product is $10 and the selling price for the finished product is $25. Which of the following is the number of units that has to be produced and sold to break-even? A. 500 units B. 667 units C. 790 units D. 900 units E. 1,000 units

E. 1,000 units

The placement of which of the following is not determined by production process organization decisions? A. Departments B. Workgroups C. Workstations D. Machines E. Emergency exits

E. Emergency exits

The volume requirements for the product are one determinant of the choice of which process structure to select.

True

A continuous process indicates production of discrete parts moving from workstation to workstation at a controlled rate.

False

Break-Even Analysis can only be used in production equipment decision making when dealing solely with fixed costs, no variable costs.

False

Process selection refers to the strategic decision of choosing the volume of output to produce in a manufacturing facility depending upon the way that facility produces

False

Workcenter layouts allocate dissimilar machines into cells to work on products that have dissimilar processing requirements.

False

A project layout is characterized by a high degree of task ordering.

True

A project layout is characterized by a relatively low number of production units in comparison with process and product layout formats.

True

Break-Even Analysis can be used to help decide whether to perform a task with a special purpose machine or with a general purpose machine.

True

If the sum of the task times required to produce a product is 45 minutes and the cycle time for the same product is 10 minutes. Thus, the theoretical minimum number of workstations is 5 using the assembly-line balancing procedure.

True

One difference between an assembly line process flow and a continuous process flow is that on the assembly line the flow is discrete rather than continuous.

True

One methodology used to evaluate equipment investment decisions where the investment entails an initial investment, fixed costs, and variable costs is Break-Even Analysis.

True

One trade-off illustrated by the product-process matrix is between flexibility and cost.

True

A process map shows the physical location of the various processes within a supply chain.

false

If the sum of the task times required to produce a product is 80 minutes and the cycle time for the same product is 15 minutes, the theoretical minimum number of workstations is 8 using the assembly-line balancing procedure.

false

In balancing an assembly line, workstation cycle time has to be less than the time between successive units coming off the end of the line.

false

Little's law states that supply chain processes can be regarded as unrelated and thus treated and analyzed separately.

false

The assembly-line balancing procedure determines the precedence relationships of manufacturing tasks.

false

The closer the customer is to the customer order decoupling point the longer it takes the customer to receive the product.

false

The efficiency of an assembly-line is found by a ratio of the sum of all task times divided by the cycle time.

false

The essential issue in satisfying customers in the make-to-stock environment is to balance the cost of the finished item against the willingness of the consumer to pay for it.

false

The time needed to respond to a customer's order is called the customer response time.

false

A make-to-order firm will work with the customer to design the product, and then make it from purchased materials, parts, and components.

false :)

A high-level map or diagram of a supply chain process can be useful to understand how material flows and where inventory is held.

trrue

A general purpose machine is less capable than a special purpose machine in certain tasks but can perform a broader variety of tasks.

true

An example of an assemble-to-order firm is Dell Computer.

true

Engineer-to-order firms will work with the customer to design the product, and then make it from purchased materials, parts, and components.

true

For the purposes of assembly-line balancing, the required workstation cycle time is found by dividing production time per day by the required units of output per day.

true

In assembly-line balancing the theoretical minimum number of workstations is found by a ratio of the sum of all task times divided by the cycle time.

true

In designing a production layout a flexible line layout might have the shape of a "U".

true

In designing a production line mixed-model line balancing might be used by JIT manufacturers.

true

Little's law can be thought of as a relationship between units and time.

true

The closer the customer is to the customer order decoupling point the more quickly the customer receives the product

true

The essential issue in satisfying customers in the make-to-stock environment is to balance the level of finished inventory against the level of service to the customer.

true