The Goal

The Goal Assignment

1.

a. Identify the bottleneck operation

They first look at the total product demand for the products and how much time every resource that contributes to satisfy demand. But later on, the team finds out that the data is not accurate. Alex and Bob go to the plant and try to identify the problem. The team identifies the bottleneck by finding the largest work-in-process inventory and observing where the shortage of parts takes place.

b. Keep the bottleneck operation busy and subordinate all nonbottleneck operations to the bottleneck operation

The way that the team uses to keep the bottleneck operation busy is to change the lunch break time for the NCX 10 machine. In order to maximize the operating income, the plant must maximize contribution margin. The bottleneck machine must always kept running and it should not be waiting for jobs. To achieve this objective, a machinist, a helper and two workers are stationed permanently at the NCX10 machine. The plant also introduces a new system with red-tagged and green-tagged parts in order to subordinate all nonbottleneck operations. Quality controls should be placed prior to a bottleneck to ensure the bottleneck will not be processing defective parts and wasting valuable bottleneck process time.

c. Exploit the bottleneck by taking actions to increase its efficiency

The changed lunch break requirement makes sure that the NCX 10 is working constantly. Bob manages to recall some of the old machines which used to process the NCX-10 parts and return them to service resulting in an increase in bottleneck capacity. The plant also puts quality control before bottleneck and makes tables at the furnaces interchangeable in order to reduce loading time.

d. Elevate the bottleneck by increasing its capacity

Bob manages to recall some of the old machines which used to process the NCX-10 parts and return them to service resulting in an increase in bottleneck capacity.

e. Repeat the process by...