Deck 3: Process Choice and Layout Decisions in Manufacturing and Services

Question 1

The Devon Tower graces the Oklahoma City skyline and is officially the tallest building in the state.The manufacturing process used to produce this jewel is most probably:

A) a fixed-position layout.
B) a batch manufacturing process.
C) a hybrid process.
D) a job shop.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

An advantage of a production line process is:

A) the volume of output needed to justify the investment.
B) the degree of flexibility of the process.
C) the per unit cost of items produced on the line.
D) the range of output typically produced on such a process.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of these manufacturing processes is most likely dictated by the physical characteristics of the product being produced?

A) job shop
B) batch
C) production line
D) continuous flow

Answer 3

D

Question 4

No manufacturing process can be best at everything.

Question 5

The time between completions of successive units on a production line is called:

A) cycle time.
B) takt time.
C) elapsed time.
D) work time.

Question 6

The product-process matrix illustrates that low volume,one-of-a-kind products are ideally suited to a job shop process.

Question 7

A sporting apparel manufacturer that produces t-shirts to commemorate significant athletic achievements for proud students and alumni probably uses:

A) a fixed position layout.
B) batch manufacturing.
C) a continuous flow process.
D) a production line.

Question 8

________ gets its name from the fact that items are moved through the different manufacturing steps in groups.

Question 9

A cellular layout is essentially the opposite of a(n)________ layout.

Question 10

A manufacturing process decision affects:

A) the type of workforce needed.
B) the type of equipment needed.
C) the type of products that can be made.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 11

A cellular layout is another name for a functional layout.

Question 12

A product-based layout arranges resources sequentially according to the steps required to make a product.

Question 13

A(n)________ is a highly automated batch process that can reduce the cost of making groups of similar products.

Question 14

A job shop manufacturing process is better suited to make a variety of products than a continuous flow process.

Question 15

The manufacturing process used to make a wide variety of highly customized products in quantities as small as one is a:

A) production line.
B) continuous flow process.
C) job shop.
D) fixed position.

Question 16

The product process matrix uses a scale of ________ and ________.

Question 17

"My tour of the Duff Brewery was the greatest experience of my life," Homer recalled.Lenny's favorite part was the batch process that was evident during the fermenting stage but Carl's favorite part was the high speed continuous flow process evident in the bottling line."You're both right," Homer declared,"Duff takes both elements to create a(n)________ process."

Question 18

A customer service function at an insurance firm that handles claims based on the first letter of the customer's last name is an example of applying group technology to a service operation.

Question 19

Highly automated batch processes that can reduce the cost of making similar groups of products are:

A) functional layouts.
B) flexible manufacturing systems.
C) make-to-stock.
D) adjacent processes.

Question 20

A batch process is less flexible than a production line and less efficient that a job shop.

Question 21

An assemble-to-order process occurs upstream from:

A) design.
B) material sourcing.
C) fabrication.
D) assembly/finishing.

Question 22

What is a cellular layout and what are its advantages?

Question 23

Products that use standard components,but the final configuration of those components is customer-specific,are called make-to-order products.

Question 24

What are the four levels of customization and at what place does each occur in the supply chain?

Question 25

Activities that take place prior to the point of customization are called upstream activities.

Question 26

Make-to-stock products are typically produced using a production line.

Question 27

________ are products that are customized only at the very end of the manufacturing process.

Question 28

Why are process decisions important?

Question 29

Products that use standard components but the final configuration of those components is customer-specific are known as:

A) make-to-stock.
B) assemble-to-order.
C) make-to-order.
D) engineer-to-order.

Question 30

According to the law of variability,the ________ the random variability either demanded of the process or inherent in the process itself or in the items processed,the ________ productive the process is.

Question 31

In a service process,the greater the emphasis on intangible activities is,the more critical is the training and retention of skilled employees and the development and maintenance of the firm's knowledge assets.

Question 32

What are the two types of product-based layouts? What are their similarities and differences and their advantages and disadvantages compared with other types of layouts and processes?

Question 33

In a service blueprint,the line of internal interaction falls between the customer and the onstage service provider.

Question 34

According to the law of variability,converting from an assemble-to-order to a make-to-order production process should increase productivity of the manufacturing processes.

Question 35

Capability variety is the difference in how customers view an identical service outcome.What some customers might view as economical and thrifty others might view as cheap and poor value.

Question 36

The back room refers to the part of the service process where the customer is not visible to the other customers waiting for service.

Question 37

________ products involve no customization but ________ products are completely customized.

Question 38

As the degree of service customization decreases,managers have more opportunity to focus on cost and productivity.

Question 39

Products that are customized only at the very end of the manufacturing process are known as:

A) make-to-stock.
B) assemble-to-order.
C) make-to-order.
D) engineer-to-order.

Question 40

Draw the product-process matrix and discuss the placement of each process choice.

Question 41

Define the terms front room and back room and describe the roles these processes play in service operations.What must operations managers take into consideration when setting up these two processes?

Question 42

In a service blueprint,the two layers the customer is involved with are the ________ and the ________.

Question 43

Cycle time is the sum of all of the task times.

Question 44

The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps,each with a required time,and predecessor as shown in the table.They work a 7 hour day and want to produce at a rate of 360 units per day.What should their takt time be?

A) 70 seconds
B) 65 seconds
C) 52 seconds
D) 25 seconds

Question 45

Champion Cooling has just signed a contract to assemble window air conditioners for another company.The list of tasks,including time requirements and immediate predecessors,follows.Initially,the plan was to make 300 units in an eight hour day but as the summer months approach,Champion Cooling finds themselves far behind in total production.They wish to reconfigure their production line in order to produce maximum output.What should their takt time be?

A) 5
B) 6
C) 7
D) 10

Question 46

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Use this information to answer the following questions.

Refer to the scenario above.Operations managers and process engineers design a line that contains seven stations.What is the percentage of idle time?

A) 21.9%
B) 14.3%
C) 25.6%
D) 17.8%

Question 47

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Use this information to answer the following questions.

Refer to the scenario above.What is the theoretical minimum number of stations?

A) four
B) five
C) six
D) seven

Question 48

A manager deciding where six departments could be located in a six-room office building has over 500 possible arrangements.

Question 49

As the degree of customer contact decreases,more of the service package is provided by the ________.

Question 50

The ________ includes all the value-added physical and intangible activities that a service organization provides to the customer.

Question 51

Regardless of the number of tasks or their durations,a line balance that is 100% efficient is achievable if CT = ΣT.

Question 52

Define the term service package and describe management's focus for each activity.

Question 53

Takt time sets the upper limit on the elapsed time between completions of successive items on a production line.

Question 54

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Use this information to answer the following questions.

Refer to the scenario above.The manager assigns tasks to workstations and breaks ties using a longest operation heuristic.That is,if two or three tasks could be assigned to a given station,the manager assigns the longest task first and then fills in the remaining time at the workstation as completely as possible.Using this approach,what task(s)would be assigned at the fourth station?

A) N, P
B) M
C) N, O
D) O, P

Question 55

The greater the emphasis on intangible activities,the more management's attention will be directed to:

A) buildings and property.
B) training employees.
C) truck fleets.
D) material costs.

Question 56

Service operations compete and position themselves in the marketplace based on the three dimensions - ________,________,and ________.

Question 57

The shorter the required takt time,the more workstations will be required to balance a production line.

Question 58

The point where the customer interfaces directly with the service organization is:

A) the front room.
B) the back room.
C) onstage.
D) the floor.

Question 59

A legal service in a corporate acquisition probably scores:

A) low on customization and high on physical activities.
B) high on customer contact and low on intangible activities.
C) high on customization and high on intangible activities.
D) low on customer contact and low on intangible activities.

Question 60

The three dimensions of service positioning are the nature of the service package,the degree of customization and the degree of customer contact.

Question 61

The table depicts a production line that has been balanced with a takt time of 2 minutes.What is the percent idle time of this balance?

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 15%
D) Cannot be determined from the information provided.

Question 62

A manufacturer needs to produce 300 coffee pots per 8 hour day.The discrete tasks required to produce a coffee pot have been identified,timed in seconds,and ordered as indicated in the table.Sketch the precedence diagram and then assign tasks to workstations on the production line to achieve the required level of output.Break ties by assigning the longest task first.Determine the efficiency delay of your line balance.

Question 63

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 7.5 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Balance the line by assigning tasks to workstations to fill up as much takt time as possible. Break ties by assigning the longest task first.

Refer to the scenario above.What is the theoretical minimum number of stations that will be used if the line is balanced using the appropriate takt time?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6

Question 64

Use this scenario for the following questions.
With the backyard poultry craze unleashing a tidal wave of municipal code proposals, Chickenverks is poised to capitalize on the sudden demand for chicken tractors. The portable henhouses they have designed can be assembled in 10 basic steps, each with a required time and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 40 units per hour.

Refer to the scenario above.Balance the line according to the longest operation rule.What is the efficiency of your line balance?

A) 85.66%
B) 90.28%
C) 88.14%
D) 83.88%

Question 65

With the backyard poultry craze unleashing a tidal wave of municipal code proposals,Chickenverks is poised to capitalize on the sudden demand for chicken tractors.The portable henhouses they have designed can be assembled in 10 basic steps,each with a required time and predecessor as shown in the table.There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 40 units per hour.
Balance the line according to the longest operation rule and calculate the percent idle time.Using the same arrangement of tasks at work stations,what is the greatest output that can be achieved in an eight-hour day and what is the percent idle time of this design?

Question 66

A collection of different departments must be visited by every new student on campus to take care of registration,housing,books,and other campus services.The placement of these departments within the university center is an example of a(n)________ layout.

Question 67

These three tables show the floor layout of 5 departments in an office building,the average number of daily trips between each pair of offices,and the distance between each pair of offices.What is the total cost of this layout if there is a $0.50 per foot transportation cost? Average number of trips between departments
Distance between departments (feet)

A) $460.00
B) $2300.00
C) $3037.50
D) $4785.50

Question 68

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 7.5 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Balance the line by assigning tasks to workstations to fill up as much takt time as possible. Break ties by assigning the longest task first.

Refer to the scenario above.The process design team realizes that the potential spike in demand for this device requires increased output.They elect to add a seventh worker to their production team at the first station.What is the net effect of adding this worker?

A) Nothing-the output rate does not change.
B) The output rate increases by 20%.
C) The output rate increases by 10%.
D) The output rate increases by 5%.

Question 69

The table depicts a production line that has been balanced with a takt time of 2 minutes.What is the efficiency of this balance?

A) 82.5%
B) 85%
C) 87.5%
D) 90%

Question 70

The table depicts a production line that has been balanced with a takt time of 2 minutes.If you could hire another six workers,which of these systems would result in the highest output rate?

A) simply duplicating the existing line so you had two lines doing exactly the same thing
B) assigning one worker to each activity and creating a single twelve station production line
C) keeping the existing balance and assigning three workers to stations 1, two workers to station 2, two workers to station 3, one worker to station 4, two workers to station 5, and two workers to station 6
D) you would be indifferent between alternatives a and b

Question 71

The table depicts an production line that has been balanced with a takt time of 2 minutes.Where would you add a worker if you wanted to increase the output rate while keeping six work stations?

A) station 1
B) station 2
C) station 3
D) station 6

Question 72

The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps,each with a required time,and predecessor as shown in the table.There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units using seven workers-one for each station.
Balance the line according to the longest operation rule and calculate the percent idle time.Using the same arrangement of tasks at work stations,what is the greatest output that can be achieved in an eight-hour day and what is the percent idle time of this design?

Question 73

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 7.5 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Balance the line by assigning tasks to workstations to fill up as much takt time as possible. Break ties by assigning the longest task first.

Refer to the scenario above.What is the takt time?

A) 53.3 seconds
B) 67.5 seconds
C) 75.8 seconds
D) 90 seconds

Question 74

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 7.5 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Balance the line by assigning tasks to workstations to fill up as much takt time as possible. Break ties by assigning the longest task first.

Refer to the scenario above.What task(s)should be assigned at the third workstation?

A) B and E
B) D
C) C, E, and G
D) F

Question 75

Use this scenario for the following questions.
With the backyard poultry craze unleashing a tidal wave of municipal code proposals, Chickenverks is poised to capitalize on the sudden demand for chicken tractors. The portable henhouses they have designed can be assembled in 10 basic steps, each with a required time and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 40 units per hour.

Refer to the scenario above.Balance the line according to the longest operation rule.What is the assignment for station 2?

A) B, C, F
B) E, H, F
C) C, D
D) D, G

Question 76

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 7.5 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Balance the line by assigning tasks to workstations to fill up as much takt time as possible. Break ties by assigning the longest task first.

Refer to the scenario above.How many workers must be added to increase the output rate to one unit per minute?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 77

The maximum allowable time between completions of successive units on the production line is the ________.

Question 78

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 7.5 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Balance the line by assigning tasks to workstations to fill up as much takt time as possible. Break ties by assigning the longest task first.

Refer to the scenario above.The process engineer calculates the takt time and examines the task times indicated in the table.He decides to use the minimum cycle time instead and have the workers leave early each day once they have built 400 units.How much earlier would the workers leave?

A) 12 minutes and 53.3 seconds
B) 14 minutes and 20 seconds
C) 16 minutes and 40 seconds
D) 18 minutes and 15 seconds

Question 79

Use this scenario for the following questions.
The process design team at a manufacturer has broken an assembly process into eight basic steps, each with a required time, and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 7.5 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 400 units. Balance the line by assigning tasks to workstations to fill up as much takt time as possible. Break ties by assigning the longest task first.

Refer to the scenario above.Without using more than one worker per station,what is the maximum output achievable in the 7.5 hour work day?

A) 1000 units
B) 1800 units
C) 1258 units
D) 415 units

Question 80

Use this scenario for the following questions.
With the backyard poultry craze unleashing a tidal wave of municipal code proposals, Chickenverks is poised to capitalize on the sudden demand for chicken tractors. The portable henhouses they have designed can be assembled in 10 basic steps, each with a required time and predecessor as shown in the table. There are 8 productive hours available in a day and the manufacturer wishes to produce 40 units per hour.

Refer to the scenario above.What is the theoretical minimum number of stations needed?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6