Learning curves

Learning Curves It is usual to learn from experience. Consequently, the time taken to produce an article, the number of spoiled batches, the cost per unit of production, etc., tend to decrease with the number of units produced. The relationships are expressed for the ideal case by... 

The particular learning curve is usually characterized by the percentage reduction in the cumulative average value Y when the number of units X is doubled. From this definition it follows that... 

R. B. Jordan (How to Use the Learning Curve, Materials Management Institute, Boston, 1965) discusses the uses of the learning cui ve... 

The cost of an initial hatch of 21 units, exchisive of special tools and setting-iip costs, averaged 120 per unit. The average cost of the next hatch of 80 units was 75.81. Let iis establish the learning curve implied hy these data and hence estimate the probable average cost of the next 50 units. We shall establish also the unit-cost curve to be used as a control during follow-iip orders. 

From Eq. (9-64) it follows that the value of the characteristic of this learning curve = 100 antilog (—0.2196 log 2) = 85.0 percent. From Eq. (9-65) the production cost of the third unit is... 

Electrochemical techniques have been used for years to study fundamental phenomenological corrosion reactions of metals in corrosive environments. Unfortunately, the learning curve in the reduction of these elec trochemical theories to practice has been painfully slow. However, a recent survey has shown that many organizations in the... 

There is a learning curve associated with the use of fibrin sealant and the application devices which are used to apply the agent can significantly influence... 

Projects in the COW square are profitable, because the producer is farther down the learning curve than his competitors. But low growth means that little or no new investment is needed. Hence cash is being generated by a strong, mature business. 

Although these attributes assure a greater conhdence in the results of clinical trials, new challenges have arisen with this technological advancement, which must be addressed. Some of these are cost, learning curve, shifting responsibilities, and dealing with unforeseeable events. 

Hirschmann, W.B. Profit from the Learning Curve, Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 1964, pp. 125-139. 

Levin8 prepared a survey for research and development R D heads in which they were asked about the effectiveness of different methods for protecting products and processes patents, industrial secrecy, rapidity in the learning curve and sales efforts. The results showed that product patents were considered to be more effective than process patents, but in general all the other methods were regarded as more effective than the protection provided by patents, in a general survey that was not addressed to any particular sector. 

Economies of scale of production are taken into account according to the following formula, with l and I2 and C and C2, respectively, denoting the (absolute) investments and capacities of the reference plants investments typically scale according to a so-called extrapolation coefficient, which from experience is between 0.5 and 0.7 (Chauvel el al., 1976). Further, to project investments into the future, learning curve effects are considered.4... 

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