Can you use CAD, CAE, CAM, CIM, and FMS to manufacture better parts more easily? Essay

CAD, CAE, CAM, CIM, and FMS can be used to manufacture better parts easily in a small-sized production unit. The Use of Computer Integrated machining, CIM, means a completely automated production system, integrated using CAD/CAM software. The Flexible Manufacturing Systems, FMS, can also be integrated with the CIM systems. This means the production of newer products can be very fast. In addition smaller test production runs could be made for custom-made products efficiently. Also the system being almost entirely in software, means the manufacturer can react faster to a change in the environment. These technologies represent a new production approach which will allow the factories to deliver a high variety of products at a low cost and with short production cycle (Masood & Khan 2004) If your final product requires several unique subunits that are all produced with different machinery and in differing lengths of time, what facility layout will you choose and why? In the case where the final product requires several unique subunits that are all produced with different machinery and in differing lengths of time, the facility layout that would best work would be the Manufacturing cell. Here manufacturing facility is divided into production cells, where each cell produces a part family. While the method is not usually used because of the actual small percentage of time spent in actual machining leading to more states of machine being idle, it is perfect for this situation, primarily because of the varied length time. This leads to reduction in set-up times, material handling, tooling and in-process inventory (Henry). The other methods primarily rely on grouping similar processes and applying time-sharing to the machinery, which is not possible in this case due to the different machinery needed for manufacturing. These methods would not reduce any appreciable amount of time in his case. Look up on the Internet `franchising`. Based on your readings, from an operational perspective, why is purchasing a franchise such as Wendy`s or Jiffy Lube an attractive alternative for starting a business? Franchising win hands down when compared with small business. Most of the experts maintain that franchise operations have lower risk of failure, as companies like Wendy’s or Jiffy Lube have proven track records of success. In addition franchisee is give exhaustive training and has continuous support from the parent company. Also the cost input for setting up the business is comparatively lower than starting a business form scratch. Finally there is a huge scope of expansion by developing multiple franchises (FCA 2007) What things could you learn about a company’s culture by observing the layout and design of its production facility? Discuss both goods and services operations. Layout and design of production facility is a very critical task of the production management. Observing a company’s layout and production facility design can tell a lot of things about the company. First of all, it tell about the amount of capital the company has. The quality or the machinery, the newness of the machinery etc. tell about the financial capabilities of the company. In addition the design of the layout tells about the planning and organizational capacity. It reflects things like the factory efficiency, material flow, transparency, quality and costs (MAS 2005) References Masood T, Khan I, â€Å"Productivity Improvement through Computer Integrated Manufacturing in Post WTO Scenario†, 2004, â€Å"http://www. szabist. edu. pk/NCET2004/Docs/ZSession%20II%20Paper%20No%202%20(P%20171-177). pdf â€Å"Advantages of the Franchising System†, FCA, 2007, http://www. franchise. org. au/content/? id=185 â€Å"Manufacturing Management: Factory Layout and Flow†, MAS, 17th October 2005, http://www. mas. dti. gov. uk/pluto-resources/1130407489261. pdf Henry C, â€Å"Facility Design and Layout†, http://www. csupomona. edu/~hco/POM/05FaciltyDesignLayout. ppt#15