Exam 19: Capacity and Constraint Management

Break-even analysis identifies the volume at which fixed costs and revenue are equal.

A sugar mill receives sugar cane from farmers,extracts the juice,boils it into syrup,and then crystallizes the syrup into raw sugar.There has been an ongoing consolidation of sugar mills,and an increase in the capacity of those that remain.The number of mills in Louisiana was 48 in the 1960s,was 18 in 1999 and is currently 13.In 1999 the break-even point for a typical mill was 600,000 tonnes.But as the surviving mills have added capacity,the break-even point is now 1,000,000 tonnes.In 1999,the state's farmers produced 16,000,000 tonnes of cane,but by 2004,the crop was down to 13,000,000 tonnes.Analyse this situation with what you have learned about the capacity decision.Is the industry better off with fewer but larger mills,or not?

The basic break-even model can be modified to handle more than one product.This extension of the basic model requires

Identify,in proper sequence,the steps in the process of recognizing and managing constraints.

The capacity planning strategy that delays adding capacity until capacity is below demand,then adds a capacity increment so that capacity is above demand,is said to ________ demand.

TOC was popularized by

Break-even analysis is a powerful analytical tool,but is useful only when the organization produces a single product.