Defining Needed Flexibility

David Upton has recommended a methodology for incorporating flexibility into planning manufacturing systems. His definition of flexibility is the following  

1 Dimensions What is it that requires flexibility Different input materials Mixes of product Different volumes 

Flexibility is the ability to change or react with little penalty in time, effort, cost, or performance. 

Upton defines three dimensions as a flexibility framework. The framework can easily be translated from the manufacturing system level, where he proposed it, to the supply chain. Table 3.2 summarizes the framework and provides examples. Upton recognizes the problems that go with defining flexibility. Just saying, We need to be flexible, is inadequate due to the many possible interpretations. To define the form of needed flexibility, he poses three questions, paraphrased in Table 3.2. 

Question 1 asks what parameter requires flexibility — that is, in what dimension is flexibility needed APICS identifies product mix, design changeover, product modification, volume, rerouting, and material flexibility as flexibility dimensions. 

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The how is a list of supply chain features. If QFD is to measure the current supply chain, then these could represent the existing (as-is) supply chain. In the design process, the hows can be the features in the to-be supply chain. This will help assure that the new supply chain has all the features needed to satisfy the customer. A how in the coffee business might include product variety and the interior design of the stores. Another result should define needed flexibility as described in Section 3.5.2. 

A promising solution for the mathematical prediction of chain flexibility is conformational analysis. Generally, conformational analysis identifies stable isomeric states for polymer chains and the energy barriers between them, which are the major elements needed to define chain flexibility in a precise manner. However for polymers, conformational analysis can become a cumbersome task, because the architecture of polymer chains allows a large number of degrees of freedom, which must be studied simultaneously. To obtain meaningful information, the analysis must be simplified, and only the most significant conformational elements must be studied. 

C) It is well-known that the presence of certain types of functionality in the ester side chain imparts specific characteristic film properties to the acrylic coating (7). Some of these characteristics are summarized in Table II. By knowing the end use requirements of flexibility, adhesion, hardness, etc., the acrylic coatings polymer chemist can often tailor-make a polymer to fit the defined needs of the application. 

Flexibility is a term with different meanings to different people. The importance of flexibility raises the need to define what flexible is actually and what is needed in the way of supply chain flexibility. It is vital to SCM because needed flexibility should be a design criterion for the supply chain itself and its operational capabilities. For this to happen, management must be prepared to respond in three ways ... 

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a technique to translate requirements — defined by customers — into specifications for a product or service. The tool is promoted as part of total quality and Six Sigma improvement efforts. QFD captures the voice of the customer and has application for supply chain processes, including physical flow, needed flexibility, extended product features, and new product introduction. QFD forces supply chain designers to consider customer needs important in design. This lowers the risk of leaving something out. 

You need to develop documented procedures that define your subcontractor evaluation and selection process and in certain cases this may result in several closely-related procedures for use when certain conditions apply. Do not try to force every purchase through the same selection process. Having purchasing policies that require three quotations for every purchase regardless of past performance of the current subcontractor is placing price before quality. Provide flexibility so that the policies and procedures complexity match the risks anticipated. Going out to tender for a few standard nuts and bolts would seem unwise. Likewise, placing an order for lm of equipment based solely on the results of a third party ISO 9000 certification would also seem unwise. 

One way to approach the human resources question is to consider not the people but the tasks to be performed, and the skills you think you will need. Especially in large companies, where bodies of expertise may be isolated from each other, this technique helps broaden the resource base. It also makes it easier for managers to assist you defining your needs in terms of skills sets, rather than of specific individuals, gives them greater flexibility. 

Note that the dimensions of the fast and slow manifolds will depend upon the time step. In the limit where At is much larger than all chemical time scales, the slow manifold will be zero-dimensional. Note also that the fast and slow manifolds are defined locally in composition space. Hence, depending on the location of 0q], the dimensions of the slow manifold can vary greatly. In contrast to the ILDM method, wherein the dimension of the slow manifold must be globally constant (and less than two or three ), ISAT is applicable to slow manifolds of any dimension. Naturally this flexibility comes with a cost ISAT does not reduce the number (Ns) of scalars that are needed to describe a reacting flow.168... 

In the past, laboratories have justified the initial investment in dedicated automation on the basis of the large number of identical, repetitive operations carried out. Fixed or dedicated automation is utihzed for large quantities of standard procedures, such as those found in manufacturing environments or in clinical laboratories. Fixed automation follows a predetermined sequence of steps to perform a defined procedure although efficient, it can only perform one repetitive procedure. Robotics, however, can provide flexible automation to meet the changing needs typical of quality control and research laboratories. Flexible automation is programmed by individual users to perform multiple procedures, and can be quickly reprogrammed to accommodate new or revised procedures. In these situations, a careful assessment of the software overhead must be made before a decision to purchase is made. 

The term flexible prescribing has not yet been adequately defined, but would seem to imply first, individually-tailored treatment responses based on assessment of each client s needs and abilities, particularly the extent to which they are currently able or willing to control their drug use second, acceptance that short-term detoxification contracts may fail repeatedly and may need replacing... 

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