Manufacturing Control Systems
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 10:38 am
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If Jim is taking a poll, I vote for "prolonged event." At some level, I =
think "continuing event" would be even better as it is more =
self-explanatory and avoids any perjorative connotations often =
associated with "prolonged." However, distinguishing it from =
"continuous", "continuous time", as well as the old linguistic bugbear =
"continual" is uninviting at best. However, I will be glad to side with =
whatever the majority of you all feel in order to avoid linguistic =
chaos. There is nothing I hate more in the world than trying to =
distinguish for operations students the 101 ways that "cycle time" is =
used and abused.
=20
An interesting side note with respect to Kanban stability: In my =
operations class, we simulate both a traditional Kanban and a =
traditional push system each year by hand by passing candy between =
buffers that are plastic glasses using first a push and then a Kanban =
policy. I already knew intellectually from the computer simulation work =
that Jim cited earlier that fixed Kanban systems tend to stabilize =
factory systems. But during our classroom simulation, it always amazed =
me at a "real-world level" just how difficult it was to make a Kanban =
system oscillate significantly in response to demand relative to what =
can be done with a push system. Of course, the point of this exercise =
was to illustrate not only the relative stability of the fixed Kanban =
system, but also the inability of that system to satisfy highly volatile =
demand.
=20
Best,
=20
--Ed
=20
=20
Edward G. Anderson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Operations Management and
Faculty Advisor, Engineering Route to Business BBA Major
University of Texas McCombs School of Business
1 University Station B6300, CBA 4.234
Austin, Texas 78712-0210
512-471-6394; fax: 512-471-3937
edward.anderson@mccombs.utexas.edu; web: www.edsim.org
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If Jim is taking a poll, I vote for "prolonged event." At some level, I =
think "continuing event" would be even better as it is more =
self-explanatory and avoids any perjorative connotations often =
associated with "prolonged." However, distinguishing it from =
"continuous", "continuous time", as well as the old linguistic bugbear =
"continual" is uninviting at best. However, I will be glad to side with =
whatever the majority of you all feel in order to avoid linguistic =
chaos. There is nothing I hate more in the world than trying to =
distinguish for operations students the 101 ways that "cycle time" is =
used and abused.
=20
An interesting side note with respect to Kanban stability: In my =
operations class, we simulate both a traditional Kanban and a =
traditional push system each year by hand by passing candy between =
buffers that are plastic glasses using first a push and then a Kanban =
policy. I already knew intellectually from the computer simulation work =
that Jim cited earlier that fixed Kanban systems tend to stabilize =
factory systems. But during our classroom simulation, it always amazed =
me at a "real-world level" just how difficult it was to make a Kanban =
system oscillate significantly in response to demand relative to what =
can be done with a push system. Of course, the point of this exercise =
was to illustrate not only the relative stability of the fixed Kanban =
system, but also the inability of that system to satisfy highly volatile =
demand.
=20
Best,
=20
--Ed
=20
=20
Edward G. Anderson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Operations Management and
Faculty Advisor, Engineering Route to Business BBA Major
University of Texas McCombs School of Business
1 University Station B6300, CBA 4.234
Austin, Texas 78712-0210
512-471-6394; fax: 512-471-3937
edward.anderson@mccombs.utexas.edu; web: www.edsim.org
=20
=20