Topic 7

Question 1

What are the two main strategies for production and inventory planning?

Answer 1

The two main strategies for production and inventory planning are push and pull strategies.

Question 2

What is the goal of a push strategy in production planning?

Answer 2

Push strategies attempt to organize production to meet predicted demand.

Question 3

What is the goal of a pull strategy in production planning?

Answer 3

Pull strategies allow production to be controlled by actual demand.

Question 4

What is an example of a push strategy in production planning?

Answer 4

An example of a push strategy in production planning is Materials Requirement Planning (MRP).

Question 5

What is an example of a pull strategy in production planning?

Answer 5

An example of a pull strategy in production planning is Just in Time (JIT), which seeks to minimize waste.

Question 6

What strategy might large, complex or geographically distributed companies apply in production planning?

Answer 6

Large, complex or geographically distributed companies may apply Distributed Planning and Control, which may be heterarchical or semi-heterarchical in structure.

Question 7

What is ‘Kanban’ in the context of JIT production planning?

Answer 7

Kanban is a ‘pull system’ planning technique in JIT, in which a system of cards is used to signal the need to deliver and produce more parts. The Kanban system is designed to minimize the work-in-progress quantities.