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Unit 1: Operations Management Basics




          manner were introduced. Some of these that had a significant impact on business practice and  Notes
          performance were Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems, then later concepts such as
          Just-In-Time (JIT), and Total Quality Management (TQM), etc. By the end of the 1980s, researchers
          and practitioners were using a broader set of paradigms in their quest to improve operations.
          Researchers were beginning to examine higher-level issues in manufacturing strategy using an
          empirical approach.




             Notes  Toyota Production System-Autonomation
             Although JIT systems control production quantities, defects would stop the flow of parts
             to subsequent operations. Such a situation is avoided by a concept called an Autonomation
             System. This is a Toyota coined word that means ‘autonomous defects control’. It is a
             worker controlled quality program.
             There are two versions of this. In mechanical equipment, this system is called Baka-yoke
             by Toyota. Machines in their factories are equipped with automatic stopping devices that
             detect defective parts. As soon as a defective part is detected, the machine comes to a stop
             so as to prevent flow of defective parts to the next operation. In manual systems, such as
             assembly operations, the system is called Andon. It is implemented through the worker,
             who is required to press a stop button that interrupts the line, when defective parts are
             detected. This prevents defective items from being produced in any quantity. The line is
             restarted when the problem has been solved.
             In addition, the Yo-î-don system is used to extend the concept of teamwork on the shop floor
             and ensure that work at the various work stations is balanced.  The system involves teamwork
             between adjacent operations. As workers at each station complete their work, they press a
             button. At the end of the cycle time, a red light lights up at the work stations where the work
             is not completed. The entire line stops and normally others nearby pitch in to help workers
             having difficulty. The line starts again when all the red lights are off again.

          1.1.4  The 1990s and After


          The  changes and challenges of the 1970s and 1980s  generated a sense of  identity crisis in
          Operations Management. The disillusionment with Operations Management, however,  was
          short lived. There was a refocusing of research questions. This was a crucial driver of growth of
          the field in the 1990s. Particularly, the research focus became more managerial (e.g., focusing on
          system design, information, and incentives) and less on tactical execution.
          Another more important reason for the re-emerging importance of Operations Management
          was developments in the field of computers and communications technology. By the end of the
          1980s, as the computational capacity increased dramatically, computers found use in design and
          production; and newer models were developed for solving operations problems. These models
          were application based and did not require extensive knowledge of mathematics.
                         Table  1.1:  Historical Milestones  in  Operations  Management


             Date    Initiator                Event
             1875    James Watt               The Steam Engine was commercially manufactured
             1899    Eli Whitney              Introduced mass production and the concept of
                                              standard interchangeable parts
             1900    Frederick W. Taylor      Scientific Management
             1900    Frank & Lillian Gilbreth   Time & Motion Studies            Contd...
             1901    Henry H. Gantt           Scheduling
             1905    Henry Ford               Assembly Line
             1905    Alfred P. Sloan       LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY                                    5
                                              Organizational Management
             1927    Elton Mayo               Human Resources Movement
             1931    Walter A. Shewart;       Quality Control Charts
             1935    H.F. Dodge & H.G. Romig   Statistical Sampling applied to quality control
             1940    P.M.S. Blacket et al     Operations Research Applications
             1947    George B. Dantzig et al   Linear Programming
             1950    A. Charnes, W.W. Cooper & H.   Non-linear and Stochastic Processes Programming
                     Raiffa
             1970    J. Orlicky & O. Wright   Computer applications to Manufacturing – Material
                                              Requirement Planning (MRP)
             1980    W.E. Deming, Philip Crosby &   Quality and productivity applications from Japan;
                     J. Juran                 Computer aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD
                     General Motors & IBM     /CAM); Robotics,
             1990    Netscape, US Department of   Internet, Electronic Enterprise
                     Defense                  Business Process Reengineering
                     Michael Hammer, James
                     Champy
             2000    Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, America   E-commerce,
                     Online                   Agile Manufacturing, High performance Work
                     Dr. Daniel Whitney and   systems
                     Professor Charles Fine, MIT
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