Woodward Aircraft Engine Systems Sets Work-in-Process Levels for High-Variety, Low-Volume Products

Mandyam M. Srinivasan (), Steven J. Ebbing () and Alan T. Swearingen ()
Additional contact information
Mandyam M. Srinivasan: College of Business Administration, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
Steven J. Ebbing: Woodward Aircraft Engine Systems, Rockford, Illinois 61125
Alan T. Swearingen: Woodward Aircraft Engine Systems, Rockford, Illinois 61125

Interfaces, 2003, vol. 33, issue 4, 61-69

Abstract: We developed a method for setting the work-in-process (WIP) levels for products manufactured in a plant that operates in a high-variety, low-volume environment. We implemented the method on a spreadsheet using Visual Basic macros and used an iterative algorithm to find the WIP levels needed to meet required throughputs for different products. We applied the method at Woodward Aircraft Engine Systems, Rockford, Illinois, which produces high-precision components with long setup times. Using the spreadsheet, plant supervisors can quickly analyze several alternate scenarios. They have reduced WIP levels in some cells to one third of their original values.

Keywords: Queues:; networks.; Industries:; machinery. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/inte.33.4.61.16377 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:orinte:v:33:y:2003:i:4:p:61-69

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Interfaces from INFORMS Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Asher ().