Operations Flexibility操作灵活性.pptVIP

Operations Flexibility Motivation What is flexibility What benefits does it provide, and how much does it cost What is its fit with operations strategy What are its dimensions How do you measure it Strategic Considerations Environmental uncertainties System capabilities Advanced technology Adequate managerial response Scheduling, routing, product/process design Company Posture Reactive (defensive) Proactive Reactive/Proactive Strategy Options Adapt to uncertainty in real time Create “rainy-day” resource-bank Reduce uncertainty Implications for Flexibility Types of Uncertainty Market acceptance of kinds of products Length of product life cycles Specific product characteristics Aggregate product demand Machine downtime Characteristics of materials Flexibility Dimensions Mix Changeover Modification Volume Rerouting Material Uncertainty and Flexibility Measuring Flexibility Number of options available at a given point in time Number of rerouting paths in scheduling Entropy: opportunity to select a given option or the degree of randomness (uncertainty) in a system Range of some defining characteristics of outputs Instead of the number of car models produced use the range of wheel bases Difference in expected profits with and without flexibility Most of the value of flexibility can be realized at low cost because only a few options are necessary Flexibility postulates Increasing variety (hence mix flexibility) increase complexity Innovations in process technology make flexible technology obsolete Modification flexibility reduces pressure to get design right first time Volume flexibility requires excess capacity and slack in production/service schedules Rerouting flexibility discourages efforts to reduce machine breakdowns Material flexibility reduces pressure to reduce quality problems Flexibility through Capacity-chain Two plants Each plant with capacity of 100 units Production of two products Both products with equally likely demands: 50, 100, and 150 units V