Operation Research course

1. SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO WAREHOUSE PLANNING Warehouse planning is more than pouring a concrete slab and installing some rack and tilting up some walls. Warehouse planning is not a static, one-time activity. The changing, dynamic environment within which warehouses are planned quickly renders existing plans obsolete. Therefore, warehouse planning must be a continuous activity in which the existing plan is constantly being scrutinized and molded to meet anticipated future requirements. For a warehouse to accomplish its objectives, ware- house managers must consider the variable warehouse resources and mold them into an effective plan. A successful warehouse maximizes the effective use of the warehouse resources while satisfying customer requirements. 1.1. Requirements for Successful Warehousing To be successful into the 21st century, warehouse planning must be accomplished within the frame- work of a clear, long-term, consistent vision of where the warehousing operations are heade

STORAGE SPACE PLANNING Space planning is the part of the science of warehousing concerned with making a quantitative assessment of warehouse space requirements. As is true of any science, space planning possesses a very specific methodology. The space planning methodology consists of the following general steps: 1. Determine what is to be accomplished. 2. Determine how to accomplish it. 3. Determine space allowances for each element required to accomplish the activity. 4. Calculate the total space requirements. The first two steps of the space planning process define the activity and techniques, equipment, information, and so on to be used in performing that activity. Step 3 involves determining the space requirements of each element that goes into performing the activity. In warehousing, these elements might include personnel and personnel services, material handling and material storage equipment, maintenance services, and utilities. Finally, step 4 combines the sp

MEASUREMENT OF INDIRECT LABOR OPERATIONS Most of the advances in work measurement have dealt mainly in the measurement of direct labor. The emphasis during the first half of the 20th century was on controlling costs due to direct labor. Because the indirect components of cost were highly variable and difficult to trace, the quantitative skills needed to analyze many problems associated with the indirect components were not available. Employees classified under indirect labor include shipping and receiving, trucking, inventory, inspection, material handling, toolroom, and janitorial and maintenance. Expense labor positions are found in office operations such as clerical, accounting, sales, management, and engineering. The rapid growth in the numbers of office workers, maintenance workers, and other indirect and expense employees is due to several factors. First, the increased mechanization of industry and the complete automation of many processes, including the use of robots, have decr

INTRODUCTION Site selection for a new factory or distribution center is a complicated and arduous process and must be based on the strategic vision of the organization, the requirements of the supply chain, and the needs of the customer. Determined both quantitatively and qualitatively, proper site selection usually involves upper management, since the level of success of the new facility will have a major impact on the bottom line of the organization. The purposes for site selection are relocation, expansion, and / or decentralization. Motivations for selecting a site can vary depending on the purpose (e.g., the urgency of the matter may eliminate some complex quantitative assessment or some site research), but we will treat the process in the aggregate, touching on generic steps taken to make a good decision. Many stakeholders will give different reasons for selecting a site for a new industrial facility. When the word gets out that your organization is in the market, severa

4. MANAGING PLANT AND FACILITIES ENGINEERING 4.1. Organization and Management of the Plant or Facilities Engineering Function The plant engineering organization is shaped by many factors that vary widely among enterprises, including the following: 4.1.1. Strategy for Plant Engineering First and foremost, be in harmony with the strategic plan of the enterprise. Not all enterprises have the same strategic plan for plant engineering, so the organization must be shaped to support the unique objectives for the specific enterprise. Functions assigned to plant engineering can lead com- panies into businesses the mission statement does not recognize. A plant engineer may, by default, become the manager of such businesses as real estate, vehicle repair, electric generating, telephone, building construction, machine building, and scrap metal. Management should make a conscious decision to get into or stay out of a business depending on corporate objectives, skills availability, funding so

7. MANAGING ENERGY 7.1. Why Energy Is an Important Resource Until 1973, when the oil embargo occurred, energy was regarded as an uncontrollable overhead item, but rapid escalation in energy costs changed this perception and elevated energy to the status of a key resource to be productively utilized. Since energy has become plentiful, many enterprises have simply adjusted their budgets to higher prices and have forgotten the easily implemented opportunities for energy conservation and cost reduction. This section offers an integrated approach for finding, evaluating, prioritizing, and implementing energy conservation opportunities and energy and utility system improvements. Plant or facilities engineers or other managers should devote a significant amount of time to energy management. If techniques described here are applied, significant energy-saving opportunities should be found. 7.1.1. Why Engineers Should Be Concerned about Energy Engineers should be aware of and take action