A bay configuration arranged along a central spine and served by an automated monorail material‐handling system are common designs for the layout and material‐handling system in new semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities. Investigates the facility design problem in semiconductor...

An important issue in the design of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is the operational control of the materials handling subsystem, through which reparts are conveyed from one work station to the next. A popular type of materials handling device is the automatic guided vehicle (AGV), which...

A framework is presented based on the MRP Evolution‐Information System Evolution (MEISE) grid to classify MRP users in terms of the diagonal band along the dimension of information processing system development. The classification scheme provides a guideline for the information system...

A unitary scheme which classifies certain subsystems, within production management, according to push and pull logics is proposed. The three subsystems described are: inventory management, manufacturing priority assignment and material picking and moving, and production planning. The...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of how unexpected events (deviations) are handled and how the limited time available in a project affects the possibilities for reflection and knowledge creation. Since deviations will inevitably occur and they will...

Successful re‐engineering programs to improve supply chain performance possess three important attributes: a vision which clearly identifies future goals; a framework with clearly defined stages forming a route map; and, a toolkit which provides a means for enhancing the individual processes...

The sources and consequences of schedule instability at an automotive assembler producing two models on the same assembly track are described. One model was produced under conditions of relatively lengthy stable schedules, the other under more unstable schedule conditions. The two logistics...

Discusses the concept of materials traceability showing how it can produce up to 80 per cent of the benefits of total quality management. Identifies a number of critical control points (CCPs) in any production process. These are the points at which things could go wrong and where the source of...

Purpose – This paper seeks to describe an award‐winning training program at Irish fork‐lift truck supplier NACCO Materials Handling Ltd, which enabled the company to halt redundancies and so retain the workforce required to exploit an eventual economic recovery. Design/methodology/approach...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the appropriateness of using the 12 previously published material flow simplicity rules (SRs) to shape the successful design and implementation of improvements in a casting company product delivery process (PDP). Design/methodology/approach –...