Time lag effects - operations function, Operation Management

Assignment Help:

Time Lag Effects - Operations Function

Feedback control in complex systems can bring its own problems, due to time lag between measuring the output deviation and realising the effects of the corrective adjustments. A well-known illustration of this phenomenon was presented by Jay W Forrester in his book, Industrial Dynamics. He had been consulted by a white goods manufacturing concern which had been experiencing wildly fluctuating production levels over a period of years; despite the best efforts of the company's management they had been unable to keep production output in reasonable balance with customer demand. Forrester and his team studied the operations of the company's distribution chain (shown in simplified form in the figure) and formulated a computer simulation model of the factory - warehouse - distributor - retailers.

1355_Time Lag Effects – Operations Function.png

The figure below (adapted from Forrester, 1965) shows the results obtained when a 10 per cent step-increase in demand at the retail outlets was introduced. This chart is necessarily 'cluttered', to show how the various order, inventory and production levels changed in response to the initial increase in sales.

1964_Time Lag Effects – Operations Function 1.png

For our purposes it will be sufficient if you locate the two lines labeled 'Retail sales' and 'Factory production output'. It was found that, because of a series of time-lags in the chain, the feedback signal was greatly amplified by the time it reached the factory, resulting in over-reaction. Note that the production level climbs by 45 per cent, creating an excessive build up of inventories. In response the production level falls to 3 per cent less than the original level, and so on. It takes about 18 months for the fluctuations to be damped out.


Related Discussions:- Time lag effects - operations function

Layout: Line balancing., Layout: Line balancing Kiko Teddy Bear is a manu...

Layout: Line balancing Kiko Teddy Bear is a manufacturer of stuffed teddy bears. Kiko would like to be able to produce 40 teddy bears per hour on its assembly line. The followin

Explain total quality improvement has changed healthcare, Analyze how total...

Analyze how total quality improvement has changed healthcare delivery on both the macro and micro levels.

Explain how can healthcare service providers avoid claims, Part I: Avoid cl...

Part I: Avoid claims rejections A payer may delay or deny payment because of inaccurate or missing information in a submitted claim. Many contracts require payment within a spec

A food manufacturer wants to know facts to buy organic foods, Which type re...

Which type research design - exploratory, descriptive, or casual - is appropriate for the following examples? Explain why? A food manufacturer wants to know the demographics of peo

How supply chain change works, An online retailer of a single product has f...

An online retailer of a single product has four major markets in the four "corners" (North-East, South-East, North-West and South-West) of a country. Assume that daily demand in ea

Explain collective bargaining and grievance procedure, When a union negotia...

When a union negotiates, with management, on behalf of its members to define and interpret employment contracts, it is known as: Answer (1) mediation. (2) Collective bargaining. (3

How to choose the most qualified suppliers and strategies, Use at least one...

Use at least one project you have been a team member of, or a project manager for, as an example to contextualize the research topics below: All of the following topics must be

Describe how many bags per run are optimal, A chemical firm produces sodium...

A chemical firm produces sodium bisulfate in 100-pound bags. Demand for this product is 20 tons per day. The capacity for producing the product is 50 tons per day. Setup costs $100

Market forecasting methods for predicting demand levels, What are the marke...

What are the market forecasting methods for predicting demand levels? Market forecasting methods for predicting demand levels: a. Survey or sample of buyer’s intentions pr

Explain studying a sample from the population, What are the advantages of s...

What are the advantages of studying a sample from the population instead of the studying the entire population though a census?

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd