An environmental uncertainty-based diagnostic reference tool for evaluating the performance of supply chain value streams

This research has responded to the need for diagnostic reference tools explicitly linking the influence of environmental uncertainty and performance within the supply chain. Uncertainty is a key factor influencing performance and an important measure of the operating environment. We develop and demonstrate a novel reference methodology based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) for examining the performance of value streams within the supply chain with specific reference to the level of environmental uncertainty they face. In this paper, using real industrial data, 20 product supply value streams within the European automotive industry sector are evaluated. Two are found to be efficient. The peer reference groups for the underperforming value streams are identified and numerical improvement targets are derived. The paper demonstrates how DEA can be used to guide supply chain improvement efforts through role-model identification and target setting, in a way that recognises the multiple dimensions/outcomes of the supply chain process and the influence of its environmental conditions. We have facilitated the contextualisation of environmental uncertainty and its incorporation into a specific diagnostic reference tool.

Proposta de um método para a implantação de um sistema de planejamento fino da produção baseado na teoria das restrições

Esta dissertação propõe um método de trabalho para a implantação de um sistema de Planejamento Fino da Produção baseado na Teoria das Restrições. É apresentada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre Planejamento e Controle da Produção, destacando a abordagem da Teoria das Restrições. É realizado um estudo sobre ferramentas computacionais de Planejamento Fino da Produção e suas particularidades. A seguir é desenvolvido o método de trabalho, que foi seguido de sua aplicação prática em uma empresa industrial do ramo metal-mecânico. O estudo apresenta as modificações no sistema de Planejamento e Controle da Produção da empresa, que foi adequado as práticas e princípios da Manufatura Sincronizada. As melhorias decorrentes da implantação podem ser constatadas através dos resultados divulgados. Este trabalho explora as particularidades e dificuldades da implementação desta ferramenta de apoio à tomada de decisão, e discute aspectos referentes às mudanças na “filosofia” de produção impostas pela sincronização da manufatura.

Desenvolvimento de método de planejamento e programação de operações de prestação de serviços

Este trabalho pretende contribuir com questões relacionadas ao planejamento e programação de operações de prestação de serviços. Seu enfoque é nos bastidores das operações de serviços, onde ocorre o fluxo de materiais e são observadas características similares às da manufatura. Ainda assim, algumas características específicas das operações de serviços influenciam o processo a ser planejado. O tema desta dissertação consiste na definição de um método de planejamento e programação das operações dos bastidores de empresas prestadoras de serviço. Este método engloba conceitos utilizados tanto na manufatura quanto nos serviços. Na etapa inicial do trabalho, é apresentada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre planejamento da produção na manufatura, planejamento da prestação de serviços e gerenciamento de projetos. Na etapa seguinte, apresenta-se um método de planejamento e programação para operações dos bastidores de empresas prestadoras de serviço. A etapa final apresenta a validação prática do método proposto em uma empresa do setor elétrico que atua no segmento de distribuição de energia.

Proposta de avanço para o método Tambor-Pulmão-Corda Simplificado aplicado em ambientes de produção sob encomenda

Recentes aplicações da Teoria das Restrições em Gestão de Operações têm adotado o chamado método Tambor-Pulmão-Corda Simplificado (S-DBR - Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope) como padrão para planejamento e controle da produção. Contudo, poucas são as referências bibliográficas, especialmente em periódicos nacionais e internacionais, que relatam seus principais conceitos e premissas. Este artigo se propõe a apresentar o método S-DBR para planejamento da produção e sua correspondente abordagem de controle da produção denominado Gerenciamento do Pulmão, aqui abordados em ambientes de produção sob encomenda (MTO - make to order), suas principais características, pressupostos e diferenças em relação ao método DBR clássico. É também apresentada uma proposta complementar ao método S-DBR para estabelecer promessas de entregas urgentes mantendo elevada probabilidade de entrega no prazo.

Measuring supply chain management practices

Purpose: This paper aims to perform an empirical investigation about the constructs and indicators of the supply chain management practices framework. Design/methodology/approach: The measuring framework proposed is based on a survey that was carried out on 107 Brazilian companies. Statistical techniques were employed to verify, validate, and test the reliability of the constructs and their indicators. To validate this framework principal component analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used. Findings: In general, previous studies suggest six constructs for measuring the supply chain management practices framework. However, in this study a framework was achieved with four constructs of supply chain management practices, namely, supply chain (SC) integration for production planning and control (PPC) support, information sharing about products and targeting strategies, strategic relationship with customer and supplier, and support customer order. This framework has adequate levels of validity and reliability. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this study was that only a small sample of companies in a single sector and country were surveyed, and therefore there needs to be further research considering the special conditions in other countries. Originality/value: This study investigated statistically set indicators to discuss the topic supply chain management practices. The framework obtained has good quality of validity and reliability indicators. Thus, an alternative framework has been added to measure supply chain management practices, which is currently a popular topic in the supply chain mainstream literature. Both defined constructs and the validated indicators can be used in other studies on supply chain management. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Product mix: The approach of throughput per day

Defining product mix is very important for organisations because it determines how productive resources are allocated among various operations. However, it is often defined subjectively. The methods commonly used for this definition are Integer Linear Programming and heuristics based in Theory of Constraints, which use maximum throughput as a performance measure. Although this measure provides maximum throughput to specific problem, it does not consider aspects of time, as days, utilised to make the throughput. Taking this into account, the aim of this paper is to present a throughput per day approach to define product mix, as well as to propose a constructive heuristic to help in this process. The results show that the proposed heuristic obtained satisfactory approximation when compared to the optimum values obtained by enumeration. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Desenvolvimento de um software de apoio ao ensino de métodos de planejamento e controle da produção em ambientes MTS baseado na teoria das restrições

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Conceitos de gestão de projetos e teoria das restrições, aplicados ao planejamento e controle da produção de uma empresa aeronaútica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Produzindo para disponibilidade: uma aplicação da Teoria das Restrições em ambientes de produção para estoque

The objective of this paper is to present how the Theory of Constraints has recently been dealing with make to stock environments. This new format introduces interesting innovations in terms of the use of simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope method as well as ways to pull production in environments that produce in advance of demand. It also innovates by creating conditions for providing market opportunities based on the explicit assurance of product availability, hence its name: make to availability (MTA). Although it provides important contributions to production planning and control, articles that have directly addressed this issue have not been identified to date in both national and international journals.

Avaliação do Sistema Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope em ambientes de produção para estoque

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Developing an enterprise simulator to support electronic supply chain for B2B electronic process

The application of any e-Solution promises significant returns. In particular, using internet technologies both within enterprises and across the supply (value) chain provides real opportunity, not only for operational improvement but also for innovative strategic positioning. However, significant questions obscure potential investment; how any value will actually be created and, importantly, how this value will be shared across the value chain is not clear. This paper will describe a programme of research that is developing an enterprise simulator that will provide a more fundamental understanding of the impact of e-Solutions across operational supply chains, in terms of both standard operational and financial measures of performance. An efficient supply chain reduces total costs of operations by sharing accurate real-time information and coordinating inter-organizational business processes. This form of electronic link between organizations is known as business-to-business (B2B) e-Business. The financial measures go beyond simple cost calculations to real bottom-line performance by modelling the financial transactions that business processes generate. The paper will show how this enterprise simulator allows for a complete supply chain to be modelled in this way across four key applications: control system design, virtual enterprises, pan-supply-chain performance metrics and supporting e-Supply-chain design methodology.

Requirements for modelling e-business processes

Companies must not see e-Business as a panacea but instead assess the specific impact of implementing e-Business on their business from both an internal and external perspective. E-Business is promoted as being able to increase the speed of response and reduce costs locally but these benefits must be assessed for the wider business rather than as local improvements. This paper argues that any assessment must include quantitative analysis that covers the physical as well as the information flows within a business. It is noted that as business processes are e-enabled their structure does not significantly change and it is only by the use of modelling techniques that the operational impact can be ascertained. The paper reviews techniques that are appropriate for this type of analysis as well as specific modelling tools and applications. Through this review a set of requirements for e-Business process modelling is derived.

A heuristic approach for component scheduling on a high-speed PCB assembly machine

The collect-and-place machine is one of the most widely used placement machines for assembling electronic components on the printed circuit boards (PCBs). Nevertheless, the number of researches concerning the optimisation of the machine performance is very few. This motivates us to study the component scheduling problem for this type of machine with the objective of minimising the total assembly time. The component scheduling problem is an integration of the component sequencing problem, that is, the sequencing of component placements; and the feeder arrangement problem, that is, the assignment of component types to feeders. To solve the component scheduling problem efficiently, a hybrid genetic algorithm is developed in this paper. A numerical example is used to compare the performance of the algorithm with different component grouping approaches and different population sizes.