Production and the Workforce

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1. Can you use CAD, CAE, CAM, CIM, and FMS to manufacture better parts more easily? EXPLAIN
Yes, CAD, CAE, CAM, CIM, and FMS can be used to manufacture better parts easily.
Computer-aided design; the use of a computer in industrial design applications such as architecture, engineering and manufacturing. Computer-aided design. An automated system for the design, drafting, and display of graphically oriented information. So, CAD can be used to manufacture better parts easily. Computer Aided (or Assisted) Design or Drafting. It means using computers to design products or architecture. Sometimes CAD output is sent directly to operate the machinery that makes the product; this is called Computer Aided Manufacturing. Computer-aided manufacturing; the use of computers to assist in any or all phases of manufacturing. N/C is one form of CAM.
Computer-aided engineering. The construction and analysis of objects using virtual computer models. This may include activities of design, planning, construction, analysis, and production planning and preparation. So, CAE can be used to manufacture better parts easily.
The use of computers to help with all phases of engineering design work. Like computer aided design, but also involving the conceptual and analytical design steps.
Computer Integrated Manufacture brings together many aspects of the business process such as production, sales, financial management and distribution. So, CIM can be used to manufacture better parts easily. Computer Integrated Manufacturing refers to the integrated use of computer aided techniques in manufacturing. This includes CAD, CAE, CAM, etc, but the term is interpreted in a variety of ways by various suppliers of CIM solutions. The main requirement of CIM is a central shared database that may be accessed by the different disciplines deployed during the manufacturing process, such as design, development, manufacture, distribution, billing etc. CIM is a superset of CAM.
Financial Management System FMS is the electronic general ledger for VA. Its purpose is to track obligations and expenditures by facility and time period (month, quarter and fiscal year). Cost centers and subaccounts (budget object codes) are used to organize the data by purpose, such as labor costs, medical supplies, and overhead. So, FMS can be used to manufacture better parts easily.
.2 If your final production requires several uniques subunits that are all produced with different machinery and in differing length of time, what facility layout will you choose and why? I would use a product layout because of the following:
· Product layouts (also known as assembly lines)
· definition: Product layouts arrange activities in a line according to the sequence of operations that need to be performed to assemble a particular product
· Each Product should have its own "line"
· Product layouts are suitable for mass production or repetitive operations in which demand is steady and volume is high
· Because of this product layouts are more autonomous than process layouts
· The advantage of the product layout is its efficiency and ease of use
· The disadvantage is its inflexibility
· each product must have a completely different assembly-line set up
· The major concern in a product layout is balancing the assembly line so that no one workstation becomes a bottleneck and holds up the flow of work through the line
· A product layout needs material moved in one direction along the assembly line and always in the same pattern
· The most common material handling equipment used in product layouts is the conveyor
· conveyors can be automatic (at a steady speed), or paced by the workers
· Aisles are narrow because material is moved only one way, it is not moved very far
· Scheduling of the conveyors, once they are installed, is simple--the only variable is how fast they should operate
· Storage space along an assembly line is quite small because in-process inventory is consumed in the assembly of the product as it moves down the assembly line
Finished good inventory may require a separate warehouse for storage before they are sold

3 Look on the Internet "franchising". Based on your readings. from an operational perspective, why is purchasing a franchise such as Wendy's or Jiffy Lube an attractive alternative for starting a business?
There are several reasons why purchasing form a franchisee such as Wendy's or Jiffy Lube is an attractive proposition for starting a business.The biggest advantage of franchising appears to be the reduction of risk you will be taking for your investment. This is because franchises typically get up and running faster, and are profitable more quickly. This can be a result of better management as well as a well-known name. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), most small businesses fail because of weak management. It is in this area that the franchising option shines the most. When you lease a franchise, you are leasing that managerial know-how.
You also usually get better deals on supplies because the franchise company can purchase goods and supplies in bulk for the entire chain, and then pass that savings on to you and the other franchise units.
The often-instant recognition from customers is also a big plus. Customers are dealing with a "known" rather than an "unknown." Think about it: If you are driving through a town you've never visited before and have the choice of a "Billy Bob's Fried Chicken" or a "Kentucky Fried Chicken," which one are you more likely to stop at? Until you know that Billy Bob's is THE place for fried chicken, you may not want to take the chance.
For the customer, the advantages of a franchise ...