Tom McNamara

Improving the efficiency of unpaced production lines by unbalancing service time means

This paper investigates the benefits of deliberately unbalancing operation time means for non-automated production lines. The lines were simulated under the steady state condition, with various line lengths, buffer storage sizes, degrees of imbalance and patterns of imbalance. Output data were analysed using a set of statistical methods resulting in various conclusions being made. It was found that the best configurations are a bowl arrangement and a monotone decreasing order, with the first resulting in lower idle times and the second leading to lower average buffer levels than those of a balanced line.

Unbalanced lines: where are we now?

Unbalanced unpaced serial production lines have been the subject of continued interest over the last half a century. Research into these systems taking a diversity of approaches has given rise to a variety of insights which may be of increasing relevance in a context of fast-changing production and flexibility needs. By mapping the major conclusions reached in the area of unpaced asynchronous unbalanced lines over time and from diverse sources, this review identifies some possible future avenues of research that can usefully advance knowledge in this domain.

The effects of joint operations time means and variability unbalance on production line performance

In this paper unpaced, unbalanced lines with respect to both their mean operation times (MTs) and Coefficients of Variation (CVs) were simulated with different lengths, buffer capacities, degrees of imbalance, and patterns of imbalance. Idle Time (IT), throughput and Average Buffer Level (ABL) data were generated and analysed. The best unbalanced configurations in terms of IT/throughput and ABL were respectively found to be an MT inverted bowl combined with a bowl shaped CV pattern, and an MT decreasing order combined with a bowl CV arrangement. The best patterns provided generally superior performance to that of a balanced line counterpart.

Unpaced production lines with three simultaneous imbalance sources

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of unpaced reliable production lines that are unbalanced in terms of their mean operation times, coefficients of variation and buffer capacities.Design/methodology/approach – Simulations were carried out for five‐ and eight‐station lines with various buffer capacities and degrees of means imbalance. Throughput, idle time and average buffer level performance indicators were generated and statistically analysed.Findings – The results show that an inverted bowl allocation of mean service times, combined with a bowl configuration for coefficients of variation and a decreasing order of buffer sizes results in higher throughput and lower idle times than a balanced line counterpart. In addition, considerable reductions in average inventory levels were consistently obtained when utilizing a configuration of progressively faster stations, coupled with a bowl‐shaped pattern for coefficients of variation and an ascending buffer size order.Research...

The effects of unbalancing operation time variability on the performance of unreliable lines

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of unpaced unreliable production lines that are deliberately unbalanced in terms of their coefficients of variation (CVs).Design/methodology/approach – A series of simulation experiments were carried out for five and eight station lines with mean buffer space set at one, two, four and six units. CVs were allocated in 12 different configurations for each of these lines.Findings – The results show that the best unbalanced CV patterns in terms of throughput rates or idle times as compared to a balanced line counterpart are those where the steadiest stations are concentrated near the centre of the line. On the other hand, either concentrating the steadier operators towards the centre or close to the end of the line gives best average buffer level results.Practical implications – The results provide guidelines for production line managers when designing unpaced unbalanced lines depending on their performance aims.Originality/value – The inve...

Asymmetrical buffer allocation in unpaced merging assembly lines

Abstract Asymmetrical merging assembly lines are a research area which is rising in prominence due to increasing use in reverse logistics, remanufacturing, and developing economies. This paper studies the performance of reliable, unpaced merging assembly lines with asymmetric buffer storage sizes. Lines are simulated with varying line lengths, mean buffer storage capacities and uneven buffer allocation configurations. Contrary to typical manufacturing expectations, results indicate that production line imbalances do not always result in detrimental performance. Higher throughput and lower average buffer levels, as compared to a balanced merging line, are found where total available buffer capacity is allocated as evenly as possible, and with a higher buffer capacity concentration towards the end of the line. This paper contributes to total production line knowledge by providing performance improvement methods for unpaced merging assembly lines with asymmetrical buffer allocation, and inexpensive or no cost managerial options to increase productivity and resource utilization, and decrease waste, in asymmetrical merging assembly lines.

Lesbians’ assessments of gay advertising in France: not necessarily a case of ‘La Vie en Rose?’

ABSTRACT The social, political and economic importance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is increasingly being recognised by what is routinely referred to as mainstream society. However, surprisingly little is known about the nuances of differing behaviour within this broadly defined subpopulation. In a French context, this study examines lesbians’ responses to advertising that is purportedly targeted at them, including ‘gender neutral-implicit’ and ‘gay-explicit’ advertisements. This research furthers previous work by examining ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’ lesbians’ reactions to (1) gay male-explicit, (2) gay lesbian-explicit and finally (3) gender neutral-implicit advertisements. Further, this research focuses on specific reactions beyond simply ‘attitude towards advertisement’; precisely, an overall ‘evaluation of advertisement’, the ‘ability to generate curiosity’ about the brand, and the ‘degree of likeability of advertisementʼ are compared. It was found that lesbians’ responses to targeted print advertisements were significantly influenced by whether they self-identify with gay males under the holistic banner of ‘gay’. These findings suggest that marketing practitioners would be judicious to stop thinking in terms of one common LGBT advertising target market and start to think about the nuances of homosexual advertising that include (1) response differences to advertising between the ‘G’ market, comprising homosexual men, and the ‘L’ market of homosexual women, and (2) the subtle, but important differences found within the lesbian sub-market.

E-Marketing communications of trophy hunting providers in Namibia: evidence of ethics and fairness in an apparently unethical and unfair industry?

This paper investigates how the e-marketing communication of trophy hunting operators in Namibia may affect and reinforce the overall tainted image of this controversial industry. The online marketing efforts of 100 Namibian safari providers were examined. Two main results were discerned: (1) the majority of communication does not take into account the negative image of the industry, choosing instead to focus primarily on the hedonic values of the customer (i.e. hunters) and (2) evidence was found of concern for ethics, sustainability and fairness, but often these messages were implicit rather than explicit. Suggestions for improvement in e-marketing are provided.

Can IKEA adapt its service experience to India

Subject area Marketing and Strategy. Study level/applicability BA level. Case overview The case deals with IKEA’s unique service experience, and the company’s plans to expand into India. The question that is dealt with primarily is, “Can IKEA successfully introduce and adapt its service experience to the Indian market”. IKEA’s service experience is critically explored, as well as the concept of “service” in India. Expected learning outcomes After studying the case, it is expected that students will have a better understanding of what is a “service experience”, as well as how it can give a company a competitive advantage. It is also expected that students will have a better understanding of the retail market and consumer behavior in India. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Performance of Reliable and Unreliable Unpaced Production Lines with Uneven Buffer Allocation

Abstract We compare the efficiency of reliable and unreliable unpaced production lines that are unbalanced in terms of their buffer storage capacities to a corresponding line with equal sized buffers. The lines were simulated with different values of line length, buffer storage size, mean buffer capacity, and configuration of buffer imbalance. The results show that, for both reliable and unreliable lines the best buffer allocation patterns in terms of generating lower idle times as compared to a balanced line are those where total available buffer capacity is allocated as evenly as possible between workstations, whereas concentrating more buffer capacity towards the end of the line gives best average buffer level results.