Can a Business Have Too Much Inventory?
Storing inventory comes with costs that are felt by many departments of a business, not just the operations department. Having
Blog Posts
The Kingman Formula in Capacity Planning / Capacity Management
What is the Kingman Formula? The Kingman Formula (or Kingman Law) is a mathematical relationship from queueing theory, applicable to
Capacity Planning: Reducing Causes of Lost Time
What is ‘lost time’? ‘Lost time’ refers to the losses, (both planned and unplanned), that contribute to the difference between
What is the Difference Between “Design” Capacity and “Effective” Capacity?
Definition of Capacity The (output) capacity of an operation is the maximum amount of value-adding output (per time period) that
What is Capacity Planning in Operations Management?
‘Capacity’ Definition in Operations / Supply Chain The (output) capacity of an operation is the maximum amount of value-adding output
What is Demand Management? Demand Planning in Operations & Supply Chain Management
What is ‘Demand’? In Operations Management? In the context of operations management, the word ‘demand’ can mean either what the
The Power of Team Process Mapping
Process Mapping ‘Process mapping’, or mapping the system of process, is a key early step in understanding an organisation. Lean
Choosing Batch Sizes and One-Piece Flow
Selecting the process batch size and transfer batch size has a huge impact on making your business operations more “Lean”.
Gemba Philosophy and Visual Management
What Does ‘Gemba’ Mean? ‘Gemba’ is a Japanese word meaning ‘the real place’. Gemba is the place of action, which
“SMED”: A Lean Operations Superpower for Changeover and Cycle Time Reduction
What is SMED? “SMED” is an improvement tool methodology for analysing and reducing changeover times and cycle times. It is
