Low Inventory Manufacturing in A Dynamic Environment

Summary

The Manufacturing Systems Research Group at the university of Dundee is currently developing a new methodology for production planning and control. The system being developed recognises the inherent instability in any manufacturing environment and the need to fully utilize the critical manufacturing resources. Firstly the xnstabxlxty of each workstation is quantified in terms of the amount of Work-in-Progress and slack activity needed for stable planning. These parameters are then used to devise a production plan whereby the time any order spends on the shop floor is kept to a minimum. This ensures minimal Work-in-Progress without reducing the potential plant capacity.