Production Improvement Using a Management Information System
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635579310027316 |
| Pages | 3-14 |
| Published date | 01 March 1993 |
| Date | 01 March 1993 |
| Author | R.F. de la Mare |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Production
Improvement
Using a
Management
Information
System
R.F.
de la Mare
Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol 93
No.
3,1993, pp 3 14
©
MCB
University Press Limited, 0263-5577
PRODUCTION IMPROVEMENT USING A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM 3
Can
the production efficiency of a firm be improved
by the installation of a computer-based MIS?
Background
This research was undertaken for two reasons: first to
investigate in greater depth the
problems
of manufacturing
management
in
the
UK Plastics
Industry,
as
highlighted
by
Hamblin[l,2] and second to help improve the production
efficiency of a well-known plastics
firm,
which
was involved
with a teaching company managed by the University of
Bradford.
During 1982-83 the British Plastics Federation and the Polymer
Engineering Directorate conducted a survey of the problems
which impeded greater manufacturing efficiency in two
sectors of the
UK Plastics
Industry;
namely the
"Trade
and
Own Brand Processors" sector and the "In-house Processors"
sector.
The
conclusion of their
reports,
written
by
Hamblin,
was
that
the overall
performance of
these sectors was
poor.
It was discovered that production scheduling was rather
haphazard, plant downtime analysis almost non-existent,
and that microcomputers seldom featured in the control
of
such
plants,
the average
utilization of which approximated
67
per cent.
The purpose of the Teaching Company Scheme, which is
sponsored by the Science and Engineering Research Council
and the Department of Trade and Industry, is to promote
technology transfer between academic research establishments
and UK companies with a view to enhancing their competitiveness.
In this particular case the objective of our teaching company
was
to provide a greater understanding of the material science
and process technology involved with the manufacture of
certain innovative plastic
products.
At the outset progress
by the teaching company was hampered by the
firm's
inability
to maintain steady production with the result that it was
experiencing an embarrassing sales shortfall. Like most
British industry this
firm
was also having to manage change
quite quickly throughout the period of this investigation,
including the commissioning of new manufacturing facilities
and a change
to
its shift work pattern.
Work Carried out
This project involved three
phases;
an initial inspection of
the manufacturing plant, processes and operations, with a
view to deciding the scope of the research; a preliminary
survey lasting
ten
days
to
establish
the degree
of
the
firm's
manufacturing problems
and,
lastly, a detailed investigation,
lasting several months, in an attempt to resolve its manufacturing
problems.
The
Initial
Inspection
An initial one-day inspection of the firm's factory, plant
and warehouse revealed certain deficiencies in its manufacturing
ability.
Amongst other things it was discovered that
two of
its
five
machines had broken down and were unattended and
that most factory spaces were congested
with
raw materials
and products. The management's general apathy concerning
these problems was quite alarming. As a result of this
inspection it was decided
to
study
the
production function
of
this
factory in its
entirety,
including
all
resources inputs
and outputs plus marketing, purchasing and personnel
matters as they related to production and maintenance policies,
practices and procedures.
The Preliminary Survey
Machine
logs
and
time
sheets had been an integral part
of
this firm's information system at this factory since its initial
installation. However, a close inspection showed that they
had seldom been used properly because dates, machine
numbers and causes of faults were often missing, thereby
preventing an analysis of
the
factory's
downtime.
The first
task therefore was to make the existing information
system work sufficiently
well
for
a
limited period
to
enable
a reasonable estimate of
downtime to
be made.
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